Let's Change Policy Towards Iran, Also Help Afghanistan and Pakistan

By Jack D. Forbes

George W. Bush early on classified Iran as part of an "axis of evil", ironically, at a time when U.S. - Iranian relations were improving. Now those relations are at a low-ebb again and there seems to be little or no discussion about ways we might change that. Is it really all the Iranians fault?

I abhor the nastiness of all brutal regimes, with their imprisonment of dissidents, use of torture, and oppression of women. But, all in all, Iran is no worse than Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, China, Russia, and many other states with whom Bush has maintained good or even cozy relations. And, of course, now the USA has joined the ranks of torturers, with prisons where the key is thrown away.

What I want to propose is this: that we get off of our high horse of false virtue and, first, acknowledge publicly our having wronged the Iranian people by interfering in their internal affairs, and, secondly, work with Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and their neighbors to come up with some truly meaningful regional development proposals.

We need to formally apologize to the people of Iran for the CIA's role in the overthrow of the reformist Mossadegh administration in the 1950's. That led to the long dictatorship of the "Shah" (king), Reza Pahlevi, whose secret police used imprisonment and torture to silence dissent. We need to apologize for that but Bush should also release all still secret files relating to the overthrow of Mossadegh and our support of the Pahlevi regime. The people of the USA have the inherent right to view all such documents, if, indeed, we are still a democracy. In return, Iran should release all documents relating to the Carter, Reagan, and first Bush administrations, including the Iran-Contra scandal.

But looking beyond apologies and the sharing of information, I want to propose an initial plan of railroad construction to link the economies of Europe, Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran with Afghanistan, Pakistan, Central Asia, India, and Bangladesh.

At present there is a major gap in railroad service between Iran and Pakistan. Afghanistan possesses no railroads at all and for the life of me I cannot comprehend why the USA has neglected this absolutely essential aspect of development. I propose a north - south line from Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in the north (connecting with the railways of the former USSR) to the Pakistani port of Karachi probably by way of Herat, Kandahar and Quetta. This line could, of course, transport central Asian oil products directly in tank cars to south Asia and to other regions by ocean tankers.

From Herat an Afghan railroad would connect with the Iranian railroad system, thus filling in the gap between Armenia, Iran and Pakistan. The Iraqi railroad lines would need to be fully restored for Iraq to be linked to the system, and also a line should be built to connect Baghdad with Amman, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Israel. In the meantime, lines through Tehran, Tabriz, Armenia, Georgia, and Turkey would be operational (although I am not sure if all of the track gauges are the same).

The Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld people seem to believe in war, weapons, threats, and terror (and in driving up oil prices so that their buddies can make more money). I believe that history has shown that violence generally leads to more violence and that cruel responses are generated by cruel acts.

Iran is a sovereign state, but I believe that the vast majority of Iranians do not want a war with the USA and that they could be persuaded to limit themselves to peaceful nuclear development if we were to tone down our rhetoric and offer a comprehensive plan for beneficial development. Who will pay for the new railroad lines? Why not us - it's a lot cheaper than fighting a war - and more than likely other connecting countries would contribute.

My plan of transport infrastructure, incidentally, could also be supplemented by agricultural developments, irrigation projects, and the creation of factories or assembly sites to build railroad cars, et cetera, and other products.

The money we are wasting on the CIA, Department of Defense, and our other killing and spying agencies is enough to create a world of hope and optimism, in place of a legacy of corpses, cruelty, and corruption. Can we all start thinking like humans and stop being alpha-male chimps?

Jack D. Forbes is an authority on the history of inter-ethnic relations. His first scholarly article was published in 1955. He is of Powhatan-Delaware and other Indigenous American background.