IN THE MEDIA

Letter: Iran apologist driven by prejudice

May 15, 2018 | Allon Lee

Letter: Iran apologist driven by prejudice

Australian Financial Review, May 15 2018

http://www.afr.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/letters-constitutional-reform-iran-and-huawei-20180514-h101ma

No sensible expert on the Middle East should be able to assert that Iran is disinterested in “regional dominance”, “does not seek” it and “is light years from achieving” it without provoking laughter (“The art of regime change”, May 10).

Top regime figures have boasted that they control four Arab capitals – Beirut, Damascus, Baghdad and Sana’a – while the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp openly says it wants to ensure Iranian control over a land corridor from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea.  

Domestically, Iranians know they are the ones paying the price for their leaders’ regional ambitions. Chants and slogans during widespread protests across Iran earlier this year explicitly criticised the regime for wasting the nuclear deal’s economic benefits on foreign interventions such as propping up Syria’s dictator.

Iran’s megalomania is so worrying that it has even pushed the Saudis, Kuwaitis, UAE and other Sunni Arab countries to form a covert alliance with Israel.

Yet Stephen Walt can only see the Machiavellian hand of Israel and its supposed neo-con pawns in the US behind concerns about the Iranian problem. The fact that he did not even mention the deep panic over Iran in almost all Arab capitals suggests Walt’s analysis was driven not by Trump’s policies but his own prejudices.

Allon Lee 
Policy analyst
Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council
South Melbourne, Vic

Tags:

RELATED ARTICLES


Image: Anas-Mohammed/ Shutterstock

The Australian Government refuses to see UNRWA’s terrorism

Oct 31, 2024 | Featured, In the media
Image: Konstantin Shishkin/ Shutterstock

A world of two realities

Oct 30, 2024 | Featured, In the media
A handout photo from the Iranian Army office shows missiles launching during a military drill in Nasr Abad area, Isfahan province, central Iran (Image: EPA/ Iranian Army Office)

Ring of Fire must be doused

Oct 28, 2024 | Featured, In the media
Image: Shutterstock

Many questions, still too few answers to evil

Oct 23, 2024 | Featured, In the media
Celebrations in Madaya, Syria, upon the death of Hassan Nasrallah (Screenshot)

Hezbollah massacred Syrians; they are glad for Israel’s help

Oct 22, 2024 | Featured, In the media
Foreign Minister Senator Penny Wong at the United Nations, New York (image: United Nations/screenshot)

Wong’s Middle East proposals would make things worse

Oct 9, 2024 | Featured, In the media

RECENT POSTS

Image: Shutterstock

AIJAC frustrated and shocked at ABC Ombudsman’s rejection of complaint against an “open and shut” case of factual error

Israeli Settlements Near Bethlehem

Report: Approvals for West Bank settlement expansion ‘stuck’

Screenshot

‘Concerning escalation’ of Iranian nuclear threats against Israel: Joel Burnie on Sky News

Image: Shutterstock

Fact Sheet: Recent Israeli legislation on UNRWA

Image: Anas-Mohammed/ Shutterstock

The Australian Government refuses to see UNRWA’s terrorism

Image: Shutterstock

AIJAC frustrated and shocked at ABC Ombudsman’s rejection of complaint against an “open and shut” case of factual error

Israeli Settlements Near Bethlehem

Report: Approvals for West Bank settlement expansion ‘stuck’

Screenshot

‘Concerning escalation’ of Iranian nuclear threats against Israel: Joel Burnie on Sky News

Image: Shutterstock

Fact Sheet: Recent Israeli legislation on UNRWA

Image: Anas-Mohammed/ Shutterstock

The Australian Government refuses to see UNRWA’s terrorism

SORT BY TOPICS