Iran Must Win This War
Discomfort with the Islamic Republic is stifling the West’s anti-war movements.
TL;DR
- Western understanding of Iran is often limited by a simplistic view of 'Islamic fundamentalism' and the Islamic Republic as a one-dimensional 'evil' state.
- This hegemonic perspective hinders the formation of a robust anti-war movement in the West, as opposition often becomes conditional on regime change in Iran.
- The concept of 'campism' is discussed as an obstacle to internationalist politics, where the enemy of one's enemy is wrongly assumed to be a friend.
- The author contends that the US hostility towards Iran since 1979 stems primarily from its sovereignty, with the ultimate goal of re-establishing a client state in the region.
- Historically, provisional alliances have been formed to resist various forms of oppression, and wartime alliances are pragmatic agreements for survival, not necessarily pacts of friendship.
- The article draws parallels to the 2003 anti-war movement against the Iraq invasion, highlighting how the focus on Saddam Hussein's atrocities did not equate to supporting him.
- Calls for Iran's referendum and secular governance, while well-intentioned, can distract from the immediate threat of foreign aggression and the importance of national sovereignty.
- The author concludes that an anti-war movement has the potential to disrupt neocolonial forces, and solidarity with the Iranian people means stopping Western governments from executing their colonial ambitions.