New ‘Office of Iranian Affairs’ Outlined in State Department Cable
New ‘Office of Iranian Affairs’ Outlined in State Department Cable
UPDATE: CNN has picked up the story.
The Bush administration this month “quietly orchestrated a major shift in U.S. policy toward Iran,” requesting $85 million for a plan “not just to contain Tehran’s nuclear ambitions but also to topple the Iranian government.” An unclassified State Department cable released this morning offers details on this new strategy. ThinkProgress has acquired a copy of the document, which you can read here.
The cable announces a new Office of Iranian Affairs, and serves as a casting call for Iran and Persian language experts. It states that the U.S. is establishing positions in the United Arab Emirates and developing “reporting” positions in countries with large Iranian exile communities, including Germany, Great Britain, and Azerbaijan, among others.
There are three serious problems with this plan:
1) It repeats the mistakes made in Iraq. One of the Bush administration’s greatest failures in Iraq was relying on the advice of exiles like Ahmed Chalabi, the disgraced Iraqi exile who misled the United States into Iraq, then failed even to win a seat in the latest Iraqi elections.
2) It is based on an irrelevant Cold War-era approach to democracy promotion. As Iran experts Charles Kupchan and Ray Takeyh point out, current conditions in Iran make “it likely that the administration’s new strategy will backfire and only strengthen Tehran’s hard-liners.” The U.S. should be working to raise the profile and influence of independent human rights defenders – not directing funds to Iranian exile groups with few roots in Iran.
3) It unwisely telegraphs our strategy. Even if the approach were the right one -– and it is not — publicly announcing it like the State Department has makes it less likely to succeed. Democracy must come from within, and the United States needs to offer quiet support through non-governmental organizations.
As it tries to pick up the pieces for years of inaction and finally creates an Iran policy, the Bush administration should not make the same mistakes it did in Iraq.
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42 Responses to “New ‘Office of Iranian Affairs’ Outlined in State Department Cable”
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To not repeat mistakes, Bush would have to admit that he makes mistakes. That’ll never happen.
March 1st, 2006 at 5:47 pmDid they dig up Kermit Roosevelt for this great plan?
March 1st, 2006 at 5:49 pmIs this part of the reason why the UAE port deal has been done so secretly? Is the administration’s steadfastness in doing that deal a sign that we’re getting something from them logistically regarding Iran? Someone should ask John Fund…
March 1st, 2006 at 5:50 pmUN-F*CKING BELIEVEABLE:
http://sfgate.com/ cgi-bin/ article.cgi?f=/ n/ a/ 2006/ 03/ 01/ national/ w135354S56.DTL
These people knew full well what was about to AND happening in New Orleans while they were globetrotting.
I’m sorry to change topic but this is a big deal.
March 1st, 2006 at 5:58 pmThese people have learned absolutely nothing from the debacle that is Iraq.
Pathetic.
March 1st, 2006 at 6:01 pm“The cable announces a new Office of Iranian Affairs, and serves as a casting call for Iran and Persian language experts.” We had a lot of these people in our military, but because they were GAY, they were dismissed from service. Pity that this country allows prejudice and bigotry to dictate its hiring and retention policies, but then that’s the United States these days under the rule of ignorant hillbillies.
March 1st, 2006 at 6:03 pmBush will give this program 6-7 months to work, then order attacks/invasion/occupation of Iran just in time for the fall elections.
March 1st, 2006 at 6:04 pmOperation Ajax Part Deux
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Ajax
March 1st, 2006 at 6:09 pmHave you picked out a Shah yet for this go-round Dumbya?
March 1st, 2006 at 6:13 pmI nominate your most august peacock personage, you can help conserve on fuel if you just pop into Tehran unexpectedly and make yourself at home.
US ‘won’t repeat Afghanistan mistake’ says Perle:
http://www.news.com.au/ story/ 0,10117,17992757-23109,00.html
No need to start lying about WMD threat. Let’s just make the mistake faster…
March 1st, 2006 at 6:16 pmThere will be fighting in the streets of America in my lifetime. Between Muslims, Republicans, and non-Republicans. It’s coming. And I’m ready.
March 1st, 2006 at 6:19 pmWhat mistakes in Iraq?
March 1st, 2006 at 6:23 pmGee, George, you and what army?
March 1st, 2006 at 6:29 pmANd then we read a little and find out why the Bush administration is so adiment to pass the DP World deal.
Page 3 Section 5:
This goes on to discribe other positions they are creating, but it is quite clear that the UAE and Dubai in particular are very much going to be involved in the Iranian propaganda war at a minimum.
But, will the Iranian expatriates go for the fact that their new government is going to help the Americans invade their homeland?
March 1st, 2006 at 6:45 pmKnowing Iranians, even if this plan is implimented it will not work to the benefit of democracy.
March 1st, 2006 at 6:45 pmAt the Shah time, most Iranians concluded that a change of regim in Iran should not have a foreign drive and should not have Iranians outside the country prescribe a change.
Any Iranian individual or organization out side iran cooperates with this plan will be marked as an american poppet from the get go and rejected by majority.
borna
“Who could have known that starting a war with Iran would bring on Armageddon?”
-Condi “Ms. Richard Simmons” Rice
March 1st, 2006 at 6:54 pm#13 - Funny.
March 1st, 2006 at 6:56 pm#13..
March 1st, 2006 at 7:09 pmMaybe he’s in a different time warp: thinks he can turn over security to the Iraqis and cross the Euphrates in small wooden boats…….
PNAC intends to attack “(Iraq), Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, IRAN, Sudan, & Somalia.”
“As it tries to pick up the pieces for years of inaction and finally creates an Iran policy, the Bush administration should not make the same mistakes it did in Iraq.”
Exactly WHY do you confuse this Gang of Traitors for an ‘administration’???
The time for these coddling descriptions is long past, Brian.
‘Inaction’? The US military tried to get the British to ATTACK Iran during the early days of the illegal invasion of Iraq. The British refused.
The ‘inaction’ you note is nothing but Iran’s place on the list. WHY do YOU think they went to all this trouble to install FOUR MAJOR PERMANENT AIRBASES in FORMER-Iraq?
The threat of using nukes on Tehran remains. It’s one of Bush’s main punchlist items he hasn’t had a chance to tick off.
March 1st, 2006 at 7:14 pmAll this does is insure that anybody within Iran who speaks out against the ruling government will be tagged as in the employ of the United States. It is worst than self-defeating.
March 1st, 2006 at 7:28 pmFurthermore, your description of the Iraq policy as a MISTAKE, ignores an intentional GENOCIDE with malice aforethought.
from The Rhode Island Impeachment brief:
“George W. Bush has subverted and violated the principles of democracy by:
1. Providing misinformation to the United Nations Security Council, Congress, and the American people overstating the offensive capabilities of Iraq, including weapons of mass destruction, as justification for military action against Iraq.
2. Repeatedly manipulating the sentiments of the American people by erroneously linking Iraq with the terrorist attacks of September 11th by Al-Qaeda.
3. Repeatedly claiming that satellite photos of sites in Iraq depicted factories for weapons of mass destruction in contradiction with the results of ground inspections by United Nations teams.
4. Stating that “Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa” in his State of the Union Address after being told by the CIA that this was untrue and that the supporting documents were forged.
5. Influencing, manipulating and distorting intelligence related to Iraq with the intention of using that intelligence to support his goal of invading Iraq.”
WHAT about any of that signals a ‘mistake’ to you?
• What about TOTALLY IGNORING basic occupation law is a ‘mistake’? It’s negligence of the law. Negligence of the law is nowhere recognized as a mistake in our courts. It is a mistake, in the sense that it means losing money or going to prison.
• What about deploying South African deathsquad mercenaries in an occupation do you consider a ‘mistake.’ It’s outright illegal — a violation of the Geneva and Hague Conventions.
• Another ten thousand issues that prove the Bushoviks are traitors, not ‘mistakers.’
*Please make a note of it.*
March 1st, 2006 at 7:56 pmYou ever worked with someone who could just
March 1st, 2006 at 8:05 pmnever get the job done no matter what the job
was? Yeah, me too, but to have the entire
executive branch run by these type of people
is just amazing.
Usually a down turn would shake these folks
out of a company. How will we ever shake them
out of the executive branch?
I wonder what they will when people refuse to go to Bush wars?
Do you think the Congress and the White House, the lobbyists, and the Ideologists will go out and Fight the Wars they so want?
Naw, they are Chicken Hawks and would hide under their desks looking like the truly pathetic inhuman blobs of weakness that they are.
March 1st, 2006 at 8:25 pmBrian - I thought teleraphing the enemy was not a problem for the left - transparency, transparency, transparency.
March 1st, 2006 at 8:38 pm“There are three serious problems with this plan:”
March 1st, 2006 at 8:42 pm- Brian Katulis
P.S. Brian, very disingenuous of you - Bush can’t do ANYTHING right according to the contributors at this site and the 30+ “progressives” who regularly “contribute” their one cent worth. Why not just come out and say that….
Bush can’t do ANYTHING right
Comment by mighty aphrodite — March 1, 2006 @ 8:42 pm
At least you got that much right, good job for once….
March 1st, 2006 at 9:25 pmThis sounds reasonable, and alot better than doing nothing. Looking for good people to hire is … a bad thing?
March 1st, 2006 at 9:40 pmI think the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over again expecting a different result.
March 1st, 2006 at 10:30 pmIT’S PRETTY DAMN CRAZY, ACTUALLY.
DOES BUSH KNOW HOW MANY IRANIANS ARE IN THE U.S. AND WHAT KIND OF DAMAGE CAN BE DONE IF EVEN A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THEM WERE ANGERED? DOES HE KNOW HOW EASY IT WOULD BE FOR IRAN TO GIVE THE WORD TO THE SHIITES TO QUIT PLAYING BALL IN IRAQ AND, INDEED, START FIGHTING US? DOES HE EVEN KNOW THAT WE AIN’T GOT MUCH OF AN ARMY LEFT ANYMORE?
MAN, THIS GUY’S A TOTAL IDIOT.
BUT, JUST WANT TO ADD TO THE “TELEGRAPHING” ARGUMENT. IT ALWAYS AMAZED ME THAT PEOPLE WERE SURPRISED WHEN N. KOREA AND IRAN PUT THEIR NUKE PROGRAMS IN HIGH GEAR.
I MEAN, THINK ABOUT IT: BUSH NAMES THOSE TWO COUNTRIES AND IRAQ AS HIS “AXIS OF EVIL.” THEN HE WHACKS IRAQ. IF YOU WERE ONE OF THE OTHER TWO, WOULDN’T YOU BE BUILDING NUKES AS FAST AS YOU COULD?
March 1st, 2006 at 10:44 pm#“There are three serious problems with this plan:â€
- Brian Katulis
P.S. Brian, very disingenuous of you - Bush can’t do ANYTHING right according to the contributors at this site and the 30+ “progressives†who regularly “contribute†their one cent worth. Why not just come out and say that….
Comment by mighty aphrodite — March 1, 2006 @ 8:42 pm
name something thats gone right mighty slut?
War. nope
Budget. Wrong
Deficit. ouch
Security. ehhh!
backloaded taxes. Yikes.
Corruption. Heckuva job George!
Ya know might slut, exactly where do you post your ‘haypennies’ worth of opine? I only see 1 of you posting your pro-bush lore and 30 not liking what they have seen Bush do.
March 2nd, 2006 at 12:19 amnice attempt at the partisan hack job btw.
Bush has no intention of bringing democracy to Iran after he bombs the nation to bits, but he will give what remains to the deceased Shah’s son, another imbecile like Dubya himself!
March 2nd, 2006 at 12:57 amMatt,
We shouldn’t be looking for anybody to fill the position of propaganda minister for the Iranian war. Good, bad or meh. Nobody.
March 2nd, 2006 at 1:01 amOoooooo, I think mighty aphrodite was talking bout me. I am so happy!
March 2nd, 2006 at 1:02 amDont trust American media for news when Bush spends $75 million to brainwash you
Read the news here in Iran http://www.tehrantimes.com/
March 2nd, 2006 at 5:08 amBushco has failed miserably in handling the invasions and occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq, and with no end in sight for either. And now they want to create ANOTHER endless disaster, that they will then leave to another administration to try to clean up for them. And the new administration will be handed all the blame, with the occasional ” Bill Clinton” thrown in, for good measure.
March 2nd, 2006 at 6:30 amAre we to assume that as this “brilliant” new proposal comes from the State Department, that Condi is responsible for it? Someone should take her aside, and tell her that this plan was an absolute failure, of biblical proportions, when it was used as the basis for the PNAC, and WHIG, and that they are no doubt “on to us”, as it were. Two wrongs won’t make a right. Is this really the BEST they can do ? We’re buggered. And how.
March 2nd, 2006 at 7:01 amAre we to assume that as this “brilliant†new proposal comes from the State Department, that Condi is responsible for it? Someone should take her aside, and
Comment by Cyra Brown — March 2, 2006 @ 7:01 am
leave her there.
March 2nd, 2006 at 8:08 amCondi and company have apparently forgotten that the 1979 revolution was to get rid of a US puppet government. Do they really believe that the Iranians want to bring back another puppet?
March 2nd, 2006 at 4:06 pmIranian Explanation…
Well, this certainly puts the cards on the table, doesn’t it? Not much of a surprise factor, is there? Wonder what that hot-head Iranian president is going to think about this?…
March 2nd, 2006 at 5:25 pmRE: Post 29
March 4th, 2006 at 6:17 pmMaybe this is why Halliburton is building “immigration dedention centers” or the new
secret sevice to handle “annoyers and disturbers”.
On September 12, 1980, Ayatollah Khomeini announced four conditions for the freedom of the hostages: (1) the return of the exiled shah’s wealth to the Iranian government; (2) cancellation of American claims against Iran; (3) the release of Iranian assets that had been frozen in American banks; and (4) a promise that the United States would refrain from interference in Iranian affairs. Two months later, the Iranian government rubber-stamped the Ayatollah’s demands with a commitment to release the hostages if they were met.
Jan20,1981 USA promised that not to interference in affairs of Iran but again they are doing this is against international law do they care?
March 8th, 2006 at 4:43 pm$85 millions dollors for interferencing with Iran????
Does anyone know how I can apply for a possible role in the new Office of Iranian Affairs?
April 13th, 2006 at 3:04 pm