Arash Irandoost, Ph.D. – 8/22/2011
The game of chicken is an influential model of conflict for two players in game theory. The principle of the game is that while each player prefers not to yield to the other, the worst possible outcome occurs when both players do not yield. As both parties “up the ante” and raise the stakes. The game can become not only reckless but outright dangerous.
The United States and Islamic Republic have been playing such a game. Leading to a collision course on numerous occasions within the past three decades and the United States has been the chicken. It started with Khomeini declaring “America cannot do a damn thing!” signifying President Carter’s ineptitude and the 1979-1981 Islamist students’ occupying the US embassy and taking Americans hostage for 444 days. Khomeini’s prophecy was fulfilled in the absence of an appropriate response from the Carter administration. It also emboldened the regime, which resulted in Iran’s mullahs unleashing a reign of terror and assassinations on Iranian opposition leaders and people of influence, as the West continued to remain silent. Further emboldened, many US interests around the world were easy targets for the Ayatollah’s proxies, yet the mighty giant did not respond, convinced by regime agents that dialogue was the correct way to proceed. Today, targeting of US interests in Iraq and Afghanistan are common occurrences, despite US top military empty threats and shallow warnings.
The root cause of the United States’ inability to effectively deal with Iran goes back to the cold war era. Indeed many Iranian leftist and Marxist leaning groups have been active in the United States for decades trying to shape the US policy toward Iran. Within the past decade, Mullahs, seizing the opportunity have teamed up with Iran’s left (who prefer the term socialists) and formed a treacherous alliance infiltrating various influential groups, foundations, institutions of higher education and left leaning politicians and liberal organizations.
Disguised as grass root organizations, human rights advocates and peace movements, NIAC, AIC and CASMII are at the center of Iran’s web of influence. Flush with Ayatollahs’ financial, strategic and logistical support, time and again at critical times in US-Iran relations, they have cunningly misled US administrations and derailed the shaping of an effective and practical American policy toward Iran. Needless to say, there has not been a shortage of Mullahs’ useful idiots: Anti-capitalist, anti-war Americans and those with anti-Semitic tendencies have naively jumped onto their band wagon of deception and campaign of smoke and mirrors.
Moral imperative and common sense should lead the United States to ally itself with pro-democracy Iranians who are very pro-West and desirous of a free and secular Iran for a long-term and lasting relationship. But the unholy alliance of Reds and Blacks (Communists and Islamists), masterful in the art of deception as a religious and ideological tactics, has successfully controlled the discussion by being allowed to freely lecturing at our universities and roaming the halls of Congress as well as appearing on media outlets.
The result has been that many US administrations have failed to seize golden opportunities with Iran at various times. Successive US administrations have been advised by regime apologists to tolerate Ahmadinejad’s rants and threats to wipe Israel off the map, remain patient and wait for Mousavi to win the most recent 2009 elections. President Obama remained mostly silent while Ayatollahs massacred, tortured and raped demonstrators in the June 2009 uprising. He was advised by Trita Parsi, president of NIAC, a lobby organization for the Islamic Republic, to remain silent when Neda was brutally shot by the Islamists. President Obama was advised by Parsi to extend an olive branch to Islamists in his first year in the office. He was advised by Parsi to use the path of negotiations and diplomacy with Iran. If insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result, US policy toward Iran is a classic example.
The US administration’s unwillingness to talk with pro-democracy Iranian opposition groups has finally put it on a serious and dangerous collision course with Iran. Each side is leveraging the resources to enter the game from the position of strengths. Aware that mullahs are very afraid of their nemesis People’s Mujahedin of Iran (MEK), the Obama administration is now using the MEK card and as a bargaining chip to force Iran to the negotiations table. The Islamic Republic recently sentenced American hikers to eight years in prison, telling the Obama administration not so fast and reminding them of their impotency in the hikers’ situation. Thus, the game of chicken continues, each time the US has been advised by the Islamic Republic apologists to swerve, it has done so, and this time will not be any different.
My prognosis is that MEK will not be de-listed. In return for this, the two American hostages will be freed in due time with heavy concessions and mullahs having received what they want. Next, once again aided by Ayatollahs lobbyists and spies, dressed as Iran experts, university professors and essayists, we will be encouraged once more by the regime apologists
Dr. Arash Irandoost is the founder of Pro-Democracy Movement of Iran (PDMI) which focuses on social, political and current events pertaining to Iran. He is an independent, non-partisan Iranian-American pro-democracy activist who works to inform and educate about the threat posed by Islamic Republic and radical Islam. He investigates and documents human rights abuses by the Islamic Republic in Iran and aims to raise international awareness of human rights violations inside Iran.
Dr. Irandoost has been published on numerous online and print publications such as New Media Journal, the American Thinker, Faith Freedom International, Free Republic, Israel National News, Right Side News, Kurd Net, Radio Farda, www.Iraniansforum.com and The Global Politician. He has appeared on various radio and television programs discussing issues affecting Iran and the United States.
Contact him at: moc.liamgnull@modram.e.taimekah
Read his blog: http://hakemiat-e-mardom.blogspot.com/
