Cablegate and Iran : The Old Good Days “1972-1979”

You read the cables released by the Wikileaks and you feel that Iran is the most hated country in the region , it is the neighbor that all other neighbors hate and want it to leave the building to leave in peace.
Despite you agree or disagree with Heikal still last week he said something that made me think about the relation between Iran and the Arabs.

I can close my eyes and open them to find Israel does not exist in the region but I can’t close my eyes and open them to find Iran does not exist in the region , it will always be there.

There is no doubt that from the Wikileaks’ cables you will feel that the neighbors of Iran , the Arab neighbors of Iran are the ones who are pushing the United States to launch a war or a strike against Tehran as soon as possible. It is like that the Arab world wants the States to launch a war against Tehran in a very silly despite it is the same world that knows the cost of having a war with Tehran. The cables regardless of their authenticity or even the reasons of their leak show that the public in the Arab world refuse any military attack against Tehran unlike their regimes. Another thing the cables show and this may not be related with Arab-Iranian relations only but in general the Arab rulers are lying on their people when it comes to Iran or Palestine.
I can’t believe that the Arabs in the Gulf want another war with Iran , seriously I can’t buy so easily despite our Arab rulers seemed not to be learning from the past , from history .Iraqis are tough fighters and yet they could not stand in front of the Iranians in a bloody war that last for several years where the Arab countries funded Saddam with money and expertise. “Egypt sent its top generals to aide Saddam , the thing which Mubarak regretted later officially what seemed to be a new start with Iraq during the time of President Khatami”
I read the cables about Iran but from the past , from the time when Tehran was the real darling of the States , when Washington was treating the Shah bettern than Arab ruler now after he was the man who was standing against the Russian influence and its allies in the region like Egypt’s Nasser or Syria’s Al Assad or Iraq with all his presidents since Abdel Salem Arif may Allah bless his soul.
Two cables from the U.S embassy in Tehran from 1972 were very interesting because not only they showed how strong the American-Iranian relations then “we all know that” but also it gives you a hint on how the American administration was well aware by the SAVAK practices in the country.
The first cable was sent on February 25 , 1972 from the American embassy in Tehran , the Iranians wanted to hurry the Americans in the 16 F-4Es deal because their Arab neighbor Iraq  signed a friendship treaty with USSR and getting new MIGs from Moscow. The Shah wanted to received the squadron earlier but McDonnell Aircraft informed him that the production line for Iran could not be advanced , the thing which made him angry to level of telling his minister of war Gen Reza Azimi that if they did not get the F-4Es in time , they would buy it from some where else.

ON FEB 24 CHARGE WAS CONVOKED BY MINSTER OF WAR, GEN. REZANUZIMI, ON INSTRUCTIONS FROM SHAH. AZIMI SAID SHAH MOST DEEPLY CONCERNED AT TRENDS IN SECURITY SITUATION IN MIDDLE EAST AND EXPECIALLY ON HIS WESTERN BORDERS. US OFFICALS ALREADY AWARE OF SHAH'S CONCERN THROUGH DISCUSSIONS WITH FOREIGN MINISTER AND OTHER GOI OFFICIALS (SEE REFTELS), BUT RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN IRAQ SOVIET RELATIONS INCLUDING AGREEMENT TO DELIVER MORE MIGS AND OTHER MILITARY EQUIPMENT PLUS INDICATION THAT RECENT IRAQI-SOVIET TALKS IN MOSCOW INCLUDED CONSIDERATION OF FRIENDSHIP TREATY AS WELL AS INCREASED MILITARY COOPERATION INJECT NEW SENSE OF URGENCY IN SHAH'S TIMETABLE FOR MODERNINZING AND STRENTHENING HIS ARMED FORCES. MOST SPECIFICALLY, SITUATION REQUIRED IRAN ACCELERATE ITS MILITARY PROCUREMENT AND HOST PARTICULARLY DELIVERY OF F-4E AIRCRAFT. 

General Azimi in 1973 during a visit to the USSR

The second cable was on  August 22, 1972 from the American embassy in Tehran  after the assassination of general Said Taheri on August 13th by guerilla groups in the country “identified as terrorists” and followed it from series of bombing across the country. It also showed how the SAVAK was confident that it was succeeding in its war against these groups. General Said Taheri was the head of prisons brigadier and the chief of anti-guerilla subcommittee with responsibility for university students by the way. To be honest I did not know that Iran faced such violence before the revolution despite knowing the MKO and their activity prior the revolution.
You read the second cable and you will understand how the United States administration through history did not give damn on whether its allies were dictators or not , of course one though that the American administration had learned an important lesson in the Iranian revolution but it did not and it has not as far as we can tell. The Iranian people “not the regime” have not forgotten for the States its support to the Shah up till now.
There is no doubt that there surely there were other cables from the U.S embassy in 1972 the Wikileaks discussing in more details the nature of these guerilla groups and what they wanted.
The third cable was sent on July 5th , 1975 from the U.S embassy in Tehran as confidential. The cable was about the Rastakhiz party or Resurgence party which was founded by the Shah turning Iran in to single party country where all Iranians were required to belong to otherwise they were regarded as traitors who either had to leave the country or go to jail !! The Shah as any dictator in the world justified his decree to have that as a necessity in order to save Iran from the partisan chaos especially that parties had failed to fulfill their proper role “ I do not know if that was the Shah or Karm Gaber of NDP avatar in the past life as the Shah !!” The requirements to join that one party to rule them all were : loyalty to monarchy , loyalty to constitution and loyalty to Shah’s people revolution !! ” so loyalty to the Shah was more important than loyalty to the constitution !!?Guys  I do not know if the third cable was about the Rastakhiz or the NDP in Egypt , seriously !!” All Iranians should vote and join the party otherwise :

HE URGED ALL IRANIANS ELIGIBLE TO VOTE TO ENTER INTO NEW POLITICAL STRUCTURE OR CLARIFY THEIR POSITION. BY THIS HE MEANT THAT THOSE WHO COULD NOT AGREE WITH THE THREE PRINCIPLES SHOULD LEAVE IRAN OR GO TO PRISON AS TRAITORS 
UNLESS THEY OPENLY EXPRESSED THEIR DISAPPROVAL AND WERE NOT ANTINATIONAL. IF DISAPPROVAL IS IDEOLOGICAL, PERSON WOULD REMAIN FREE 

Of course that was how the U.S embassy predicted how the international community would look to the Shah

INTERNATIONAL REACTION WILL PROBABLY VARY FROM INDIFFERENCE TO INCREASINGLY SHRILL CHARGES OF TOTALITARIANISM. IRAN'S IMAGE AS COUNTRY IN WHICH ALL ELEMENTS WERE BEING TAPPED IN DEVELOPMENT PROCESS MAY SUFFER UNLESS NEW PARTY'S MEMBERSHIP COMES FROM BROAD 
SPECTRUM. IT APPEARS THAT EARLIER SUCCESSFUL IRANIAN POLICY OF COMPROMISE AND COOPERATION HAS BEEN REPLACED BY QTE TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT UNQTE STANCE IN DEALING WITH OPPOSITION.

I read those old cables and I feel that I am in front of the cables from the Arab worlds in 2009-2010 where Saudi Arabia wants to get new aircrafts to stand against Iran and the Mubarak’s fake NDP calls for elections !!
The fourth cable was sent on August 13th ,1979 from the U.S embassy in Tehran, yes 1979 after the Islamic revolution in Iran had declared the Islamic republic in April. The confidential cable dealt with negotiations between the embassy and the new regime in Tehran over certain issues about security , about Visa issues and about “The Sherry case’. This cable is being labeled currently as “How to negotiate with Iranians !!? “ as it gave advices and hints on how to conduct negotiate with Iranians based on psychological analysis.

PERHAPS THE SINGLE DOMINANT ASPECT OF THE PERSIAN PSYCHE IS AN OVERRIDING EGOISM.ITS ANTECEDENTS LIE IN THE LONG IRANIAN HISTORY OF INSTABILITY AND INSECURITY WHICH PUT A PREMIUM ON SELF-PRESERVATION. THE PRACTICAL EFFECT OF IT IS AN ALMOST TOTAL PERSIAN PREOCCUPATION WITH SELF AND LEAVES LITTLE ROOM FOR UNDERSTANDING POINTS OF VIEW OTHER THAN ONE'S OWN.

THE REVERSE OF THIS PARTICULAR PSYCHOLOGICAL COIN, AND HAVING THE SAME HISTORICAL ROOTS AS PERSIAN EGOISM, IS A PERVASIVE UNEASE ABOUT THE NATURE OF THE WORLD IN WHICH ONE LIVES. THE PERSIAN EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN THAT NOTHING IS PERMANENT AND IT IS COMMONLY PERCEIVED THAT HOSTILE FORCES ABOUND. IN SUCH AN ENVIRONMENT EACH INDIVIDUAL MUST BE CONSTANTLY ALERT FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO PROTECT HIMSELF AGAINST THE MALEVOLENT FORCES THAT WOULD OTHERWISE BE HIS UNDOING. HE IS OBVIOUSLY JUSTIFIED IN USING ALMOST ANY MEANS AVAILABLE TO EXPLOIT SUCH OPPORTUNITIES. THIS APPROACH UNDERLIES THE SOCALLED "BAZAAR MENTALITY" SO COMMON AMONG PERSIANS, A MIND-SET THAT OFTEN IGNORES LONGER TERM INTERESTS IN FAVOR OF IMMEDIATELY OBTAINABLE ADVANTAGES AND COUNTENANCES PRACTICES THAT ARE REGARDED AS UNETHICAL BY OTHER NORMS.

COUPLED WITH THESE PSYCHOLOGICAL LIMITATIONS IS A GENERAL INCOMPREHENSION OF CASUALITY. ISLAM, WITH ITS EMPHASIS ON THE OMNIPOTENCE OF GOD, APPEARS TO ACCOUNT AT LEAST IN MAJOR PART FOR THIS PHENOMENON. SOMEWHAT SURPRISINGLY, EVEN THOSE IRANIANS EDUCATED IN THE WESTERN STYLE AND PERHAPS WITH LONG EXPERIENCE OUTSIDE IRAN ITSELF FREQUENTLY HAVE DIFFICULTY GRASPING THE INTER-RELATIONSHIP OF EVENTS.

I do not know if we will find one day a cable from Chinese embassy to Beijing about how the beliefs of Neoconservatives in the States affect their international relationships !!?

INALLY, THERE ARE THE PERSIAN CONCEPTS OF INFLUENCE AND OBLIGATION.EVERYONE PAYS OBEISANCE TO THE FORMER AND THE LATTER IS USUALLY HONORED IN THE BREACH.PERSIANS ARE CONSUMED WITH DEVELOPING PARTI BAZI--THE INFLUENCE THAT WILL HELP GET THINGS DONE--WHILE FAVORS ARE ONLY GRUDGINGLY BESTOWED AND THEN JUST TO THE EXTENT THAT A TANGIBLE QUID PRO QUO IS IMMEDIATELY PRECEPTIBLE.FORGET ABOUT ASSISTANCE PROFERRED LAST YEAR OR EVEN LAST WEEK;WHAT CAN BE OFFERED TODAY? 

SECOND, ONE SHOULD NOT EXPECT AN IRANIAN READILY TO PERCEIVE THE ADVANTAGES OF A LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIP BASED ON TRUST. HE WILL ASSUME THAT HIS OPPOSITE NUMBER IS ESSENTIALLY AN ADVERSARY. IN DEALING WITH HIM HE WILL ATTEMPT TO MAXIMIZE THE BENEFITS TO HIMSELF THAT ARE IMMEDIATELY OBTAINABLE. HE WILL BE PREPARED TO GO TO GREAT LENGTHS TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL, INCLUDING RUNNING THE RISK OF SO ALIENATING WHOEVER HE IS DEALING WITH THAT FUTURE BUSINESS WOULD BE UNTHINKABLE, AT LEAST TO THE LATTER. 

That is interesting because it seemed that the Americans suddenly discovered a new race of people in Iran as if they did not know before for the last 30 years !!! Of course you read that cable and you feel that Iranians are awful closed mind egoistic people !!

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