The Battle of Karbala: The US Guillotining Iran

…by Akbar Montaser is Professor Emeritus, The George Washington University

From The noble 13th century Persian Sufi Poet Rumi:

“I go to a synagogue, church, and mosque, and I see the same spirit and the same altar.”

On July 22, 2019, President Trump told Americans he had resisted the impulse to exterminate 10 million Afghanis to end the long war!  Expectedly, most Afghans were stunned to learn that the President could “in a week” murder millions of people!

Some also laughed. Chatter about crazy talk is an earnest loss of time. Besides, bullies lie, demean people’s purposes and thoughts, defame their characters, refute their courage, and underestimate their judgments.

The President is well defined by Deepak Chopra: Donald Trump “Thinks With His……………. Penis” – CONAN 

Once again, Mr. Trump demeaned America in the eyes of the world. The Administration must be frustrated not being able to bring Iran to the negotiating table. Hence, Secretary Mike Pompeo sanctioned Foreign Minister Javad Zarif. The President must search for two jokers to replace Secretary Pompeo and National Security Adviser, Bolton!

In hindsight, however,  the President is perhaps a better “leader” in foreign policy than the presidential aspirant Hillary Clinton. Back on April 22, 2008, Clinton said U.S. could “totally obliterate” Iran, elaborating, “If I’m President, We Will Attack Iran… We Would be Able to Totally Obliterate Them.” She concocted a fictitious story, describing Iran an “existential threat to Israel. Adolf Hitler killed six million Jews and millions of others, such as Gypsies during WW II. The population of Iran in 2008 was almost 73 million. Perhaps candidate Clinton intended to win the War Criminal Prize!

Still, almost every day, the President devises something that could put innocent Iranians and Americans in danger. Some Americans and a teensy number of ingenuous Iranians are assuming that he is sending a “beautiful,” peaceful signal to Iran for talks. On the other hand, considering the President’s “telepathic” conditions, he may also take note from Misters Pompeo and Bolton, and the Israeli-Saudi “leaders” and drop a nuclear bomb on Iran.

The President was at his best on July 22 seeking to jolt and flip a challenging adversary into playing his sport and terminating its nuclear energy program. As in North Korea, the President must understand that neither engagement nor sanctions alone have resulted in stopping nuclear energy, dubbed “nuclear weapons program” of Iran, its so-called “maligned” activities in the Middle East, and its defensive missile program.

Some 51 years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. named the U.S. government “the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today,” suggesting that a nation that repeatedly spends more capital on military defense than on applications of social welfare is equaling “spiritual death.” He further asserted we must swiftly start the change from a material to person-oriented culture. Elegantly, he opined when machines, profit, and property rights are viewed more valuable than personages, the enormous trigon of hatred, foul materialism, and militancy are ineffective of being subdued.

As of 2018, the U.S. has nearly 800 formal military bases in 80 nations. The number could surpass 1,000 if one includes troops posted at missions, embassies and bases known as “lily-ponds.” America armed forces consists of 845,600 reserve personnel and 210,000 deployed personnel.

The book by David Vine (Base Nation: How U.S. Military Bases Overseas Harm America and the World) reports that only 11 other nations have 70 bases in foreign lands. An estimated 26 to 40 in nine countries relate to Russia. They are principally in former Soviet Republics, Syria and Vietnam. France, UK, and Turkey have four to ten bases each. There exist an estimated one to three foreign posts by India, China, Japan, South Korea, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands. As of June 2, 2018, Iran has no mobile or fixed bases in Syria or elsewhere. Before the recent enforcements in the Persian Gulf, Robert Fantia reported on January 16, 2018 (American Herald Tribune) US encircles Iran with 45 bases, but concerned with Iran in Syria.

Interestingly, Misters Pompeo and Bolton keep asking Iran to behave like “a normal nation.” The world is inviting the America to act as a force for good, becoming a “normal” government!

The American government is acting worse than Hurricanes Harvey and Maria in 2017 and Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Our military destructive tear through the Middle East is one of the kind. American people have been witnessing the trail of devastation for a long time, expressly since 9/11.

Most Americans gradually have fathomed that this is just going to be something that happens from now on, it is just a fact of regular part of life. Across America people, stare blankly at pictures of destroyed homes, infrastructures, hospitals, schools, museums, cities, communities, parishes, markets, debris, and millions of refugies, expressly in the Middle East.

At home, America has become a suicide nation, the need to numb and to seek a final getaway. Based on USA Today on December 21,2018 suicide rate is up 33% since ’99. The reason is patent. Global Research reported January 20, 2019, America has been at war 93% of the time – 222 out of 239 years!

War with Iran does not offer a solution, but create significant problems. President Trump must try something new. The task is exceptionally easy: Respecting Iranians and their sovereignty. Relatedly, Israel and all nuclear powers must stop making more atomic weapons, wasting tax dollars.

Iranians are not the foes of Americans, Israelites, and Saudis. They are the diehard opponents of governments that are ruining their wellbeing and the welfares of, for example, Palestinians, Syrians, Yemenis, and Afghanis.

There exists one significant difference between Iran compared with North Korea and Israel. Iran still does not have a verified nuclear weapon. Israel and North Korea have several. The U.S. has neglected the cause of the most alarming problem, which is nuclear power nations and climate change, focusing maximum attention on Iran! By withdrawing from the Iran Nuclear Deal, the President has created a pointless crisis from no disasters.

Based on Arms Control Association | The authoritative source on arms control, the 30-year costs of our atomic program would equal $1.7 trillion with inflation included.  The U.S. already has around 180 tactical nuclear weapons at bomber stations in five European nations, a stockpile of about 1,650 strategic nuclear warheads stationed on intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and strategic bombers. 

Per Basic Statistics – Talk Poverty, 12.3% (39.7 million people) in the U.S. lived in poverty in 2017, with $24,860 for a family of four—in 2017. According to the most recent surveys, Poverty Overview – World Bank Group in 2015, 10% of the world’s population lived on less than US$1.90 a day.

With North Korea, the President claims, nuclear war is no longer on the table. In contrast, his dangerous brinkmanship on Iran is extremely hazardous. In the event of war, Iran can create anarchy and wide-ranging military conflicts even without using nuclear weapons. Bizarrely, talking out of the back of his head, without studying history, Mr. Trump tweeted on July 30^th, Iran had never won a war, adding that they had also “never lost a negotiation, neglecting history shows Iranians thrust into any battle and pay any price to overcome aggression by any country.

Iranians have seen threat movies for over forty years. President Trump’s first “fire and fury” moment with Iran was in July 2018. President Rouhani warned President Trump that while “peace with Iran is the mother of all peace… war with Iran is the mother of all wars.”

Not keeping his sweet, President Trump tweeted in all capital letters if Mr. Rouhani ever threatened the U.S. again, “you will suffer consequences the likes of which few throughout history have ever suffered before.” Interestingly, at the Foreign Ministry in a speech, President Rouhani repeated his threat again on August 5th, stating “Peace with Iran is the mother of all peace, war with Iran is the mother of all wars! As Selected Works of Mao Tse-tung. stated, the types of Mr. Trump are paper tigers! He added “the whole world, Britain included dislikes the United States” government.

For 40 years, the Iranians leaders have learned playing the long game, actively participating in achieving purposes which may take some time! They do not become distracted by sudden outbursts or developments. However, if conflicts occur, the U.S. compels Iran to develop nuclear weapons!

The President has already used his threat shuffles too many times. Granted, Iranians suffer the economic pressure campaign and a likely devastating war. In the process, Mr. Trump is gradually converting a larger number of 83 million diehard intelligent foes for Americans. Why lose natural friends and waste mutual economic benefits? Even now, average Iranians are the best admirers of ordinary Americans in the Middle East.

Much amusement can be garnered about the U.S. foreign policy concerning Iran by examining the four decades history of the Islamic Republic. The Iranian system of government is here to stay unless it agrees with the unjust demands of the U.S government! Along with the French Revolution, the Russian Revolution, the Chinese Communist Revolution, the Iranian Revolution is one of the four greatest revolution in the world.

No foreign-inspired or funded inside and outside group, be it the terrorists’ People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran or other groups, can ever rule Iran.  These bankrupt factions are parts of the wrongdoers. Brutal foreign powers have hired them. The Iranian prime minister, Dr. Mohammad Mosaddegh, is still alive in the hearts of Iranians. Indeed, he has been cloned, forming millions more imaginative and intelligent versions. The vast majority of Iranians support millions of official and unofficial members of the Iran Revolutionary Guards that are prepared to die for what they believe is unjust as they did in the Iran Iraq war.

The western powers have relentlessly derided Iran since 1979. The more sanctions and other tools of barbarity are used to pressure Iranians to revolt against the system they repeatedly voted, the more united Iranians become, making a more formidable Islamic Republic.

Iran today is a lone soldier in the Middle East standing to be guillotined for its belief against in justice. The current Iranians define the legend of the land of Karbala, the story that western powers either never heard about or learned. The West never understood the day 72 people confronted an infantry of 30,000 and won! The 83 million Iranians are not only the ascendants of Cyrus The Great, but also nearly akin to the 72 men that awakened in their fights with outside forces the compassion of the coldest rulers.

President Trump and his national security team must learn about Imam Hussein (as), Karbala, or Ashura and the famed Battle of Karbala. The world never anticipated anything like that battle until now.

More than 13 centuries ago, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (as), Hussein (as), traveled with his family and supporters to Kufa, Iraq. The people of the city pleaded to protect them from the tyranny of their caliph, Yazid I. Hussein (as) convoy was blocked and veered to Karbala, Iraq. In the fiery desert for three days, his relatives and the convoy were denied access to water, similar to inhumane sanctions by President Trump.  Following a lengthy delay, Yazid, ordered his army to “annihilate” Hussein and his 72 personages. The women and children were imprisoned.

The President and his advisors would be sensible to also read about Islamic history and Islamic laws. A part of Surah Al-Ma’idah 5:45, states, “We ordained for them therein a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a nose for a nose, an ear for an ear, a tooth for a tooth, and for wounds is legal retribution.”

Finally, the U. S.  government must respect Article Six of the United States Constitution, which establishes the laws and treaties of the United States made in accordance with it as the supreme law of the land,……………………….

Bio:

Akbar Montaser is Professor Emeritus, The George Washington University (Washington, DC) where he taught and conducted research for 32 years (1981-2012). He also served as a Program Director at the National Science Foundation for nine years.

Montaser is an antiwar devotee of human rights, an advocate of nuclear disarmament, and a partisan in the elimination of weapons of mass destruction. Aside from his field of chemical instrumentation, he writes on political subjects pertinent to Iran, the Middle East, and the United States.