Abstract:

The Iran crisis has become a synonym for escalation dangerously tending towards confrontation. Tehran therein is accused by the U.S.-led West of developing nuclear weapons. This in fact is an alerting highlight in the tense history of U.S.-Iranian relations since World War Two, as we clearly hear the war bells ring. What lies behind that present Irano-Western conflict has to be seen in a broader historical and political context: Beginning with the 1953 coup d'état against Iran's democratically elected Mossadegh government till recent wars in the Iranian periphery, American interventionist foreign policy in the world economy's most crucial region, the Middle East, proves a great deal of bitter continuity in its push for controlling this part of the world for the sake of global hegemony. The new U.S. preventive war doctrine provides the political legitimacy for such an agenda. The major battlefield of this militaristic agenda of America's grand strategy seems to be focused on the 'Greater Middle East.' Besides having to cope with a considerable security dilemma due to tremendous trembles in her environment, Iran now sees herself targeted as an exclusive member of the 'Axis of Evil.' This paper will attempt to clarify the interests at stake for the sole remaining superpower. It will thus argue that the only meaningful way to perceive the present conflict is through considering its politico-strategic background and implications. The Iran crisis is indeed a significant symptom of a unilateral world order on the verge of collapse. To prevent a catastrophic conflagration, an unbiased engagement by the European Union is indispensable in order to decrease the regional security dilemma by ultimately establishing a nuclear-free Near and Middle East zone. Europe should assume responsibility vis-à-vis her neighboring region, for surrendering to New Order fantasies à l'Américaine will heavily harm her own interests.

The entire 102-page study can be downloaded here [pdf - 3.3 MB].

About the Author:

Ali Fathollah-Nejad (M.A., M.Sc., B.A., B.Sc.), born 1981 in Tabriz/Iran and raised in Germany, was educated in binational study programs in France, Germany and the Netherlands covering the fields of political science, sociology, law, history, and economics.. His research interests comprise international affairs, aspects of globalization, the international politics of the Middle East, the foreign policies of France, Germany, the United States and Iran as well as politico−cultural issues of migration and integration. He publishes in English, German, and French with his articles being translated into French, Italian, Spanish, and Persian. Further, he works as a culture and music journalist

He is the author of a detailed study on the U.S.−Iran Crisis, entitled
Iran in the Eye of Storm – Backgrounds of a Global Crisis, which had been consulted over 8,000 times from winter 2005 to spring 2007. In 2006, he gave numerous lectures on that subject all across Germany.

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