Iranian Policy on Nuclear Weapon - Movie Review Example

Showdown with Iran One of the most pertinent issues in the contemporary world politics has been the dispute concerning the Iranian policy on nuclear weapon and the United States and Iran are engaged in a fundamental battle for power and influence across the Middle East. It is unquestionable that the Middle East plays a vital role in the world affairs and peace and stability in the region should be the aim of every world power today. As Iran in the recent years, unlike previous times, has attained significant power and influence over the region, the battle for power and influence across the Middle East between the United States and Iran has reached new heights today. In the report Showdown with Iran, FRONTLINE undertakes an important assessment of how the U. S. efforts to install democracy in Iraq have served to strengthen Iran’s position as an emerging power in the Middle East. “In this report, FRONTLINE examines how U.S. efforts to install democracy in Iraq have served to strengthen Iran’s position as an emerging power in the Middle East. ‘You will not find a single instance in which a country has inflicted harm on us and we have left it without a response. So if the United States makes such a mistake, they should know that we will definitely respond. And we don’t make idle threats,’ Mohammad Jafari tells FRONTLINE in his first-ever television interview.” (Showdown with Iran) Therefore, the report Showdown with Iran has a vital relevance in realizing the turbulent relationship between the United States and Iran since 9/11 and it indicates that the U.S. efforts to install democracy in Iraq have resulted in the strengthening of Iran’s position as an emerging power in the Middle East. A reflective exploration of the video Showdown with Iran suggests that the U. S. efforts to install democracy in Iraq have served to strengthen Iran’s position as an emerging power in the Middle East and it is especially obvious in the chapter “A Slap in the Face by America?” Accordingly, it is important to realize that the power and influence of Iran has been increasing across the Middle East and the U. S. invasion in Iraq has contributed to the rise of Iran in the region. One of the major reasons for the U. S. to invade Iraq was, of course, the impact of this action on its neighbor Iran. However, during this period, Iran was slowly developing as an important power in the region and the U. S. interference in the region only strengthened this process. Although the U. S. invasion in Iraq was partially successful, it never was able to check the growing influence of Iran in the region. With the fear of an Iranian nuclear weapon looming in the background, one can hardly deny that the U. S. was never able to force Iran to come to agreement with international treaties with regard to nuclear policy. Significantly, the Bush administration, before the invasion of Iraq, refused a series of overtures from Iran’s reformist government and this action proved to be highly critical. One of the offers was to help the U.S. stabilize Iraq after the invasion and there was a secret proposal, through a strange fax, for a grand bargain resolving all important issues between the U.S. and Iran which included the issues of Iran’s support for terrorism and its nuclear program. “The State Department thought the reformists were politically weak and promising more than they could deliver. And the White House, newly victorious in Iraq, saw no need to negotiate with Iran. The “grand bargain” fax never received a reply. Vali Nasr, author of The Shia Revival, believes the Bush administration’s confrontational approach discredited Iran’s reformists and inadvertently helped bring the new hard-line government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power. ‘The wars of 2001 and 2003 have fundamentally changed the Middle East to Irans advantage,’ he says. ‘The dam that was containing Iran has been broken.’” (Showdown with Iran) Therefore, it is fundamental to comprehend that the U. S. efforts to install democracy in Iraq have served to strengthen Iran’s position as an emerging power in the Middle East and I totally agree with this argument in the report Showdown with Iran. As the power and influence of Iran has increased enormously across the Middle East, it now plays a crucial role in the current war in Iraq. While the role of Iran in defeating the Iraqi forces was greatly limited, it could have played a vital role in calming down the issues following the defeat of the country. It was very clear, even before the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, that Iran would play an important role in the post-war nation, as an influential neighbor, and the various observations incorporated in the video conclude that the U.S. failed to recognize the crucial role of Iran in the post-war Iraq. Thus, Vali Nasr maintains that the United States failed to recognize the depth of cultural relationship between Iran and Iraq. The U.S. also failed to realize the enormous amount of popular-level desire in Iran for the shrine cities of Iraq to be open to Iran. Therefore, the fundamental role of Iran in the post-war Iraq cannot be questioned and the popular and political interest of the Iranians in Iraq would play a significant role in the current conflict in the region. In a careful analysis of the report Showdown with Iran, one realizes that the Iranian involvement in Iraq was a serious matter of concern for the United States. It is fundamental to realize that Iran had a good deal of interest in Iraq, primarily because it is a Shi’a-majority country. Similarly, Iran’s aspirations to a pan-Islamic standing also reveal the United States’ concerns about the Iranian involvement in Iraq. Strategically, to the United States and other Arab states, Iraq was a kind of the bulwark against the spread of Iranian influence in the region, and it was chiefly evident following the Iranian Revolution in 1979. In the video report Showdown with Iran, Flynt Leverett, the Middle East director of the U.S. National Security Council during 2002-03, affirms this strategic importance of Iraq against the spread of Iranian influence in the region. As one of the most fundamental causes of the U. S. invasion of Iraq was, of course, to check the growing influence of Iran in the region and the U. S. was greatly concerned about the Iranian involvement in Iraq. Therefore, one of the most significant utility of the video report Showdown with Iran has been that it reveals why Iranian involvement in Iraq was a serious concern for the United States. It is fundamental to realize that the various themes various pertinent themes the video report Showdown with Iran are closely linked to the themes of the course Middle East in World Affairs and the video enhances one’s knowledge about serious matters concerning affairs in the Middle East. The political affairs in the Middle East invite international attention in the recent years and issues such as the U. S. invasion of Iraq, Iran’s nuclear program, etc are topics of heated debates in international politics. Similarly, the United States and Iran have been locked in a battle for power and influence across the Middle East, which further enhances the relevance of the video report. Similarly, with the fear of an Iranian nuclear weapon looming in the background, the significance of the video in relation to the themes of the course Middle East in World Affairs becomes lucid to the viewer. “There are increasing signs that the Bush administration is considering military action before it leaves office if Tehran continues to defy U.N. demands that it cease enriching uranium for its nuclear program -- a program the Iranians insist is for peaceful purposes. ‘The president has said repeatedly that it is unacceptable for Iran to have nuclear weapons,’ former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton tells FRONTLINE. ‘If action is not taken in terms of regime change or, if need be, the use of military force, the question of when Iran achieves nuclear weapons is entirely in Iran’s own hands. And that is extraordinarily undesirable.’” (Showdown with Iran) All through the video report, one is provided with excellent commentaries, observations, and interviews with people who are closely involved in the political affairs in the region. Thus, the important themes of the video report Showdown with Iran are of great relevance to a student of the political developments of the Middle East influencing the world affairs. In conclusion, the video report Showdown with Iran has been greatly significant as it examines how U.S. efforts to install democracy in Iraq have served to strengthen Iran’s position as an emerging power in the Middle East. The various themes in the video have been highly relevant in the understanding of the relationship between United States and Iran which are locked in a battle for power and influence across the Middle East. The tumultuous relationship between the U.S. and Iran since 9/11 becomes lucid to a careful viewer of the report and I strongly recommend this video for other viewers who are interested in having a greater understanding of the themes of the course Middle East in World Affairs. Work Cited “Showdown with Iran.” Frontline. Dec 09. 2009. . Read More