Iran beyond the Mullahs

Above is a photo of Persian Baklava. I became familiar with this delicacy when I briefly had a young Iranian roommate (though I don't recall her ever making it.) I later made walnut baklava in a cooking class with a rich lady whose husband was part owner of the MGM Grand in Vegas (Jewish, not Iranian). A maid cleaned up after us as we cooked, but the pan wouldn't fit in her oven and we had to bake it at my aunt's house. Phyllo dough is a pain to work with in a dry climate.

Anyway, the recipe(s) above provide some good tips.

Back to my scanty recollections about Iran from my experiences with an Iranian roommate:

The only other Iranian food I remember from that time is steamed rice with a crispy crust. As noted in these directions, it comes in lots of variations. The one I remember included tomato, green beans and a stained kitchen towel from the steaming process. It was an Americanized version of the rice, for which she must have been homesick.

About this time, a bunch of Iranian guys came over to the apartment to discuss how they were going to get home safely. The political situation had already become volatile, and things were getting more worrisome . . .

I think the piece below does a pretty good job of reminding us that the Iranian revolution started as a Cold War phenomenon. It involved communists as well as Islamists. A bad combination.

Israel, Iran, and the Trump Doctrine
Brian T. Kennedy

The Case of Iran

Many today suggest that American foreign policy is led by Israel. The U.S. experience with Iran tells a different story. The Islamic Republic of Iran has been at war with the United States for almost half a century. Its enmity for the U.S. was born of our cooperation in the overthrow of Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh in 1953 and the restoration of the Shah of Iran until his fall at the hands of the Iranian Revolution in 1979. The overthrow in 1953 was part of a series of Cold War considerations that the United States made with our British allies to check the influence of the Soviet Union in the Middle East and ensure Western access to oil.

The Cold War, clearly misunderstood by so many young Americans today, was an existential contest between the United States and the Soviet Union. The United States was not engaged in the democracy promotion that came to characterize the discredited and failed efforts of the Global War on Terrorism. During the Cold War the United States and our NATO allies engaged in ruthless competition with the Soviet Union and its allies, such as Communist China, North Korea, and the terrorist movements represented by the PLO in the Middle East and Communist/terrorist groups in Europe such as Baader-Meinhof, Black September, and the Red Brigades. Communist China supported these groups every bit as much as the Soviet Union did. It was a global struggle for primacy. Such is the case in world affairs. Communist China’s current support of Communist groups in the United States such as “No Kings” is a reminder of this.

It was hoped that supporting the Shah of Iran would help create a pro-Western regime that could advance pro-Western interests. . .

This piece provides a lot of useful information which I had forgotten (or had never learned). As disagreements and changes swirl around us, it is a good piece to keep in mind:

Proponents of an immediate attack to finish the Iranian nuclear program point often to Iran’s millenarian version of Shia Islam, which holds that there will be a return of the 12th Imam in the course of an apocalyptic event; it is certain some hold this view. Whether they are in power at this moment in Iran is unclear. Claremont Institute scholar and International Relations professor Angelo Codevilla would often say that the Iranians may be crazy, but they are not stupid. It will be amply clear to many in Tehran that the age of the Mullahs has come to an end.

The Persians may be an ancient people and the possessors of a once great empire, but they were conquered in the 7th century by the Arabs, who imposed Islam upon them. After 1,400 years, regular attendance at Friday Mosque services ranges from a high of 12% to perhaps as low as 1.5%, the lowest in the Middle East. That the Iranians could be liberated from this Islamic Republic and could live at peace with the West would be a highly desirable thing. To bring that about, however, will be the job of the Iranian people.

Do you have related thoughts?

From ZeroHedge, Trump's worries about the experiences with Libya. His two-week timeline concerning destruction of Iran's nuclear capabilities was not just some random idea.

Weekend

The Enlightenment's Gravediggers

John Hinderaker: The Week In Pictures: Down With Monarchy Edition

Hope you have something nice planned for this weekend.

This is the Thread before the Gardening Thread.

posted by K.T. at 11:01 AM

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