(Foreign Policy) John Limbert - Iranians are justly proud of their imperial history and of maintaining a distinct identity for more than 2,500 years. Iranians are proud of their national language, their literature, and their achievements in science, scholarship, and the arts. Arabs have a similar pride in their ancient civilization, their traditions, and their language. Too often, however, this pride has become chauvinism and has made each side look down on the other and denigrate its achievements and civilization. To many Arabs, the Iranians were arrogant, luxury-loving fire-worshippers and pagans until the Arabs brought them the enlightened message of Islam. The Arab states of the Persian Gulf are traditional monarchies dominated by ruling families; the Islamic Republic of Iran is a revolutionary, populist state with republican forms resting on a theocratic base that rejects monarchs as illegitimate. The writer, a former hostage in Iran and professor of Middle Eastern studies at the U.S. Naval Academy, served as deputy assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs.
2010-12-03 08:03:51Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive