What citizens of other countries are reading about the Middle East
By MEDIA LINEUpdated: JULY 23, 2015 12:50US secretary of State John Kerry reacts as he delivers a statement on the Iran talks deal at the Vienna International Center in Vienna, Austria, on July 14.(photo credit: LEONHARD FOEGER / REUTERS)US incompetence in a time of needAl-Watan, Egypt, July 18 - Many researchers of contemporary history explain that one of the reasons for the rise of Nazi Germany was British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s strict policy of appeasement and containment.These historians argue that Great Britain’s pacifism provided the optimal environment in which Hitler could gain power and promote his forceful agenda.Today, we are witnessing history repeat itself in the form of the nuclear deal between Iran and the great world powers. This week, the world’s major powers agreed to provide Iran with $120 billion, in return for Tehran’s reduction – not elimination – of its nuclear program. What is most shocking about the agreement is that, even if Iran complies with each one of its articles, Tehran will still be able to develop a bomb in the 11th year. Following 26 months of painstaking negotiations, Iran got everything it wanted from the world – without paying anything.The fundamental error in the American logic is that [US President Barack] Obama’s administration believes that lifting the sanctions on Iran will allow for political reforms and democratization to take place in the country. What Obama fails to see is that the wealth generated from the lifting of the sanctions will not benefit the average citizen. This money will be “devoured” immediately by the clergy and tyrannical leadership of Iran, which will target it at stirring the region in places like Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Pakistan, and northern Africa.Iran spent billions of dollars on secret plots in the region, all while under the pressure of heavy sanctions. Just imagine what the mullahs in Tehran will be able to do now, with their new sources of revenue.It is inconceivable that such a bad agreement could have been signed. The West is handing Iran a blank check and allowing it to cash it however it sees fit.– Emad al-Din AdeebIran and the custody of the WestAl-Arabiya, Saudi Arabia, July 17 - Two years ago, when the talks between Iran and the West had only just begun, the United States said that its goal is to prevent Tehran from acquiring any nuclear weapons. This week, with the signing of the nuclear agreement, this goal seems to have changed. The United States no longer wishes to disarm Iran – only to delay its nuclear ambitions by several years.Meanwhile, Iran’s ambition of lifting all of the sanctions imposed on it in recent years was also not met. The ambiguous terminology used in the agreement allows the United States to immediately reimpose all sanctions during the next decade.Simply put, both sides didn’t get what they had hoped for. The only difference is that, in essence, this agreement puts Tehran under the custody of the Western powers for the next decade. It is treated as a criminal who, despite being released to house arrest, will have to repeatedly appear before a judge to extend the terms of his parole.In fact, Washington has not solved the Iranian “dilemma”; it only delayed action for the next 15 years. Washington will continue to control entire sectors of the Iranian economy and, through that, Iranian politics. What we are seeing today is the beginning of a new era – one in which Iran ceases to be a sovereign nation, and formally gives in to the custody of the West.– Amir TaheriA nuclear gift to Tehran Al-Sharq al-Awsat, London, July 17 - The agreement signed with Iran this week is nothing short of a nuclear gift to the regime in Tehran. The West agreed to grant Iran $100 billion worth of sanctions relief, while the latter made almost no concessions on its nuclear program.I can only imagine the smile on the ayatollah’s face when he realized how his country duped Washington.In fact, it is becoming clearer and clearer that the “redlines” brought up by Iran in the negotiations last week were just a cheap political maneuver aimed at making the Americans nervous.A close colleague of mine who is an expert on Iran told me that the situation in the country is horrible.Most basic products are missing from supermarket shelves, the civil aviation industry ceased to exist, and trading of the dollar was banned. An uprising against the regime in Tehran was becoming more and more likely.The mullahs were ready, according to his sources, to sign a deal with Washington at any cost. They were simply trying to increase their gains. Unfortunately, Washington was so nervous to get this deal signed that it hastily agreed to a bad deal.Do not misunderstand me: I am an avid supporter of diplomacy and believe that negotiating with Iran – not attacking it – is the only way to end its nuclear program.But this capitulation of the West was a big error.True, Obama’s goal was not to bring down the Iranian regime. But the agreement, as it is today, is prone to make the region bloodier than before. Hezbollah and Hamas will continue to be strengthened, and Tehran’s tentacles will be extended to new corners of the Gulf.This week marks a celebration for the Iranian clerics. Not so much of a celebration, however, for their moderate neighbors.– Abd al-Rahman al-Rashedwww.themedialine.org
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