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Misunderstanding Iran

(Jewish Policy Center) Dr. Harold Rhode - Periodically, the U.S. or Israel makes a concession to an adversary, planning - or hoping - for reciprocity. The underlying assumption is that, as the stronger party, they can afford to be generous. This is a fundamental misreading of how the Muslim world will understand the concession. In the Muslim world, only weak people make concessions. An offer to compromise is a sign of weakness, encouraging those receiving one not only not to reciprocate, but to increase the pressure against their adversaries. The idea of bringing Iran into a balanced relationship with its adversaries is not how things work in the Middle East. (Shiite) Iran doesn't want a "balanced" policy with its neighbors, nor with us. It is pursuing a policy aimed at defeating and humiliating its Sunni Arab neighbors. What concerns Iran most of all is to prove that its version of Islam - Shi'ism - is the correct one and to eviscerate Sunnism. The Western concept of compromise does not exist in the Middle East. Giving in on issues before defeating one's enemy means the person offering the compromise is humiliating-shaming himself. For those rooted in this culture, humiliation is worse than death. The Western concept of "let bygones be bygones" is alien to the Middle East, a region where people have long memories. The writer, a fellow of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, served as an adviser on the Islamic world for the U.S. Department of Defense for 28 years.
2024-04-04 00:00:00
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