That's the thoughts of Paul Rogers writing over at Open Democracy.
Whilst the attention of the world is on Bush's visit to the UK and the announcemnt that Britain is going to send more troops to the country,it is worth reminding us of the battle still raging in the Middle East.
Rogers cites evidence to back up his statement.Firstly that the debate over whether to go to war over Iran's nuclear strategy is regaing in the White House.Secondly that Bush's decisions with the Israeli Prime Minister focused mainly on Iran and thirdly that Bush is using his farewell European tour to drum up support for an Iranian strategy.
According to Rogers
The prospect of a grinning Mahmoud Ahmadinejad outlasting the administration that for so long excoriated him would be a form of humiliation as well as confirmation of deep policy failure.and cites the continued influence of Vice President Cheney in this strategy.
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Persian Kitty: USA-England
We are revisiting the 1953 joint British-USA attack on Iranian economical institutions. Things have not changed much since. We hurt the Iranian people then; we are going to hurt once more. British were fighting for their exploitation of cheap Iranian resources enriching their lavish life style. We Americans were duped to follow the British lead. President Eisenhower resisted but President Truman followed the British lead.
Time magazine, Monday September 08, 1941, wrote: Britain worried about possible Russian encroachments on India, and there was much talk about the Bear that Walks Like a Man. To lubricate diplomatic friction, in 1907 an agreement was solemnly signed which defined each country's sphere of influence in Persia. Britain was to influence in the southeast; Russia in the north. As for the poor Persians, their attitude was aptly summed up in a Punch cartoon of the period. It showed a Persian cat apprehensively sitting between a lion and a bear. "I will pat its head," says the bear, "and you shall stroke its tail." Pleads the cat: "But I have not been consulted!"
The players have not changed, the same colonial powers, a bit different stories.
We Americans are still paying for our foolish mistake of 1953. Are we going to do it once more?
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