Challenging Intellectuals Who Justify Iranian Imperialism; Searching for Socialist Solidarity

Alliance of Middle East Socialists.

Below we print a summary of a longer article by two Iranian socialists who are opposed to Iran’s military intervention in Syria.  Their article is followed by a response from Frieda Afary and Joseph Daher.

National Security Thugs:  Facilitators of Turning the Nation and State into Nationalist Bedfellows By Omid Ranjbar and Azadeh Shurmand, August 23, 2016

The discourse of “national security” is being used to brainwash the Iranian public and prevent them from opposing the regime’s destructive role in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen and Bahrain.  In this effort, the regime is being aided by the “democratic nationalist” reformist intellectuals.   “National security” is being turned into an abstraction that has nothing to do with the welfare of the people in Iran or the region.

Iran’s intervention in Syria is motivated by political, ideological and economic reasons.  It needs Syria as a regional ally and as a route to the Hezbollah in Lebanon.  It also counts on lucrative reconstruction contracts and real estate deals in Syria.  The Iranian regime is also expanding its role in Iraq.  In doing so, it has even alienated much of the Arab Shia population of Iraq who think they are being used in Iran’s competition with Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

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