Iran Back in Context

The portrayal of Iran as the source of regional instability and a threat to America's ally, Israel, and potentially to the world, has been an essential element in the formulation of America's foreign policies in the Middle East for far too long. It is time to rethink this strategy.

Iran has been rapidly developing its resources, strengths and international connections in the face of economic sanctions by the West, pursued and enforced entirely by the United States, and quite clearly on behest of Israeli interests.

As an unintended consequence of this policy, Iran has been gaining not only the status of an Islamic superpower in the region, but an increasing global recognition, as well.

My travel to Iran, my conversation with a broad spectrum of people, and my observations and experiences there, did not invoke the need in me to redress my views and analyses of the Iranian situation as reflected in the opus of my writings and addresses in the past two decades. If anything, I am now even more convinced that the United States is dealing with an Iran that is justifiably and increasingly considering itself the powerhouse of the Middle East.

This has led me to conclude that America's true strategic and economic interests in the Middle East would best be served through a rapprochement with Iran and the acknowledgement of Iran's own regional and global strategic interests.

If we still need an enemy or a potential source of threat to serve certain other agendas, Pakistan is ready to replace Iran as that bogeyman. And, I believe we are already heading in that direction.

Kam Zarrabi