U.S. Should Respect Iranian Independence and Avoid Hypocrisy

Boulder, CO - "Georgia is an independent state. It has to be treated like one," said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pointedly last week. Underscoring U.S. concern for Georgian security are war games with the Georgian Army which U.S. forces just commenced. But as much of the world knows, American interest in the sovereignty and security of nation-states is selective. Rice's paradoxical response to Iranian missile tests, which occurred in the face of threats of aggression from Israel, is a case in point. Decrying the Persian nation's efforts to perfect its missile systems, she said it is time that Iran "got on the right side of the international community," and warned that we are prepared to intervene in defense of Israel in the event of an Israeli-Iranian conflict.

Iran is not a perfect nation, but its faults may be fewer than those which point the accusing finger. After all, it is the U.S. which bears responsibility for overturning its elected government in the 1950s. Leaked documentation reveals this, and shows that the CIA holds up its subversive regime-change activities in this case as a model of how governments can be toppled. Let us put ourselves in the position of Iranians. How would we Americans react to the admission by a foreign power that it was behind the assassination of JFK? Most probably, there would be a very active military response. But Iran, other than seizing hostages in 1979, seems dovish in comparison.

"Both the IAEA and National Intelligence Assessment admit there is no basis for concluding that Iran is developing nuclear WMDs, which is arguably their right to develop as a sovereign nation," said National Chairman Jonathan Hill. "Criticism of Iran's nuclear program, based on the absurd claim that an oil rich nation would not want nuclear power, is belied by the fact that the Shah's government was working to build a network of 20 nuclear reactors during the 1970s. These facts, the basic rights of sovereign nations, and the rights of all nations which are signatories to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation treaty, support the need for backing away from any intention to interfere in Iranian internal policies. Who are we to celebrate American independence if we are unwilling to respect the legitimate independence of other nations?"

America First Party
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