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Recognizing Iran as an Enemy
(Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies-Bar-Ilan University) Col. (res.) Dr. Eran Lerman - In a speech on Sept. 18 to the Iran Revolutionary Guards Corps, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei declared that deterrence can only be achieved if fear of Iran's raw power is instilled in the hearts of her enemies. Khameini said there are misguided souls in Iran who seek to negotiate with the U.S. even as the Americans themselves seek a dialog with Iran on regional affairs (e.g., on Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen). He rejects this quest not only as poisonous for Iran, but as evidence that America is now a spent force. There could be an opportunity here. Neither candidate for the U.S. presidency seems to have bought into the strange notion that Iran can serve as a useful counterweight to other forces in the region. Nor have they bought into the delusion that Iran's revolutionary impulse can be assumed to be benign. The U.S. is thus still able to think of Iran as an enemy, which it is. The writer is former deputy for foreign policy and international affairs at Israel's National Security Council.