Pen Meets Paper June 15, 2009

Opinion by Helge Nome
In view of the recent controversy over election results in Iran, an overview may be in order, based on a CBC news article:

“For most of history, the tract of land now called Iran was known as Persia. It wasn't until 1935 that it adopted its present name.
Quick facts
Official title: Islamic Republic of Iran
Area: 1.648 million square kilometres
Terrain: Mostly a central desert basin surrounded by mountainous rims
Government: Theocratic republic
Capital: Tehran
Head of state: Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-Khamenei
Head of government: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Population: 66 million (July 2009 estimate)
(Sources: CIA World Fact Book )
Early Persia was a formidable empire, whose vast plateau rimmed by mountain ranges, was variously invaded by Arabs, Turks and Mongols.
The discovery of oil in the early 20th century generated international interest in the nation, particularly Great Britain and Russia. A 1907 Anglo-Russian agreement divvied up Iran into spheres of influence, though it was later annulled after the First World War.
The United States became increasingly interested in Iran following the Second World War, particularly its oil reserves.
In 1953, the U.S. and Britain helped orchestrate a coup d'etat to oust Prime Minister Mohammed Mosaddeq, bringing the pro-Western monarchy, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, back to power.
In the years that followed, Iran forged closer ties with Washington, receiving large amounts of military and economic aid from America until the late 1960s. Iran began ramping up its defence budget, and with the help of American and British defence programs, it became one of the region's strongest military powers.”
The article goes on to describe the Islamist revolution that took place in Iran and turned it into what is described above as a “Theocratic Republic”.
The reason why Iran is of interest to us here in Cold Canada is its strategic importance on the world power chessboard, and for that reason, its political instability. Its vast energy reserves makes it a coveted prize for the world's power players, including the Western Empire (the United States, Britain, Canada,
Australia, Israel, etc), Russia, China and others.
The supporters and descendants of the ill fated Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi have been working diligently, along with the CIA, to mount a challenge against the present Islamist regime in Tehran, culminating in the recent election.
The question now is: What happens next? Will the West sponsored “Green Revolution” have a similar outcome to the likewise West sponsored “Orange Revolution” in the Ukraine? Will there be a change in leadership, and if so, will a new regime carry out the bidding of the West as did the Shah? Or, is there a plan to create an excuse for an invasion of Iran?
There is only one thing we can be sure of. The struggle for effective control of the government in Tehran will be ongoing and the outcomes are uncertain. The Persians are very independent people and they have had a gut full of the West under the Shah and the CIA sponsored war carried out by Saddam Hussein on behalf of the Western Empire.
My sentiments about the present situation in Iran were expressed by a young Vietnamese man I talked to some time ago, in relation to American and other colonial adventurers in his homeland in the 1960ies. “I come from a 5000 year old culture” he said with a smile. “Did you believe we would allow them to take our country away from us?”.