In an attempt to drum up support for US regional policies beset with failures and death, US Vice President Dick Cheney was in the region last week. During his visits to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt, Bush’s emissary was hoping to overcome skepticism over US strategies in Iraq.
And in a show of bravado, while standing on the decks of a US carrier in the Gulf barely 150 miles off the coast of Iran, Cheney declared that the United States would “stand with others to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear weapons and dominating the region.” Not a whisper came out about Israel which is well advanced in this field.
Meanwhile, in a first by an Iranian head of state, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad paid a visit to the UAE.
This followed the one the Iranian leader paid to Saudi Arabia a couple of months ago.
It is no secret that the driving force behind such visits is to highlight the increasing transparency between Iran and its neighboring countries. In times when US policies toward this region are focused on creating further mayhem, such visits serve to clear any misunderstandings between governments.
The political tensions that have been spurred by the confrontational regime of Bush can be eliminated by such alliances, especially in view of the UAE being Iran’s largest trading partner.
And it is not only in areas of trade that these countries are closely linked. Iranians live and work in the Gulf. They are readily accepted by their hosts for their work ethic and their contribution to the development of the host countries. They integrate well, possibly due to the fact they share the same religion.
Iranian diplomacy seems to be overshadowing Bush’s call for war against Iran. Most people here would not support a Western strike against their neighbor. They have been living in peace for decades and would not want another version of the mess called Iraq.
Saudis and others in the Gulf distrust Bush’s intentions far more than they consider Iran a threat. And the Iranians have begun to do it right for a change. During such state visits, Iranian leaders are dispelling the notion of a greedy aggressor. They are talking with their regional counterparts and straightening things out face to face. And more such visits will be beneficial.
And beyond such visits, Iran must do more to win the trust and good will of its neighbors. Collectively with the Arabs, they can work to end the sectarian divide in Iraq that is a direct result of the unlawful US occupation of that country.
As Ahmadinejad himself stated in his meeting with his UAE counterpart Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahayan, “With each other’s help, we can turn the Persian Gulf to the gulf of peace and friendship.” In a direct reference to US interference in the region, he added, “We all wish that foreign troops would leave the region and give a chance to countries in the region to establish security in the region themselves.”
And as Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah had stated previously, Sheikh Khalifa reaffirmed that his country wanted the “elimination of the causes of tension in the Middle East.”
“The international community should take into consideration, when making relevant decisions, the interest of all countries and peoples of the region, in a way that would ensure security... and continued development,” Sheikh Khalifa continued.
Such forthright statements strengthen the confidence of those living in the region that peace and harmony can be established between neighbors without the meddling of an outside party. With the region booming in growth and development, the last thing anyone living here is looking for is an increase in violence that would engulf not just Iran but the region as a whole.
While Bush, safely ensconced in the comfort and security of his White House, can cheerlead those who care to listen that his way of imposing democracy by force is the right way, Arabs and Iranians know better. They only have to look at Iraq for an affirmation.
