"LEBANON, PALESTINE, SYRIA AND ISRAEL: THE U.S.-IRAN CONNECTION" Tom O'Donnell 14 July 2006 http://TomOD.com The Israeli raids--nay, more an invasion--of Lebanon, to wipe out Hezbollah as an effective fighting force and as a significant force within the Lebanese government, are, of course, brutal and highly disproportionate as a response to Hezbollah having captured two soldiers. The large-scale proportions of the Israeli response in Lebanon, as well as in Gaza before, must be understood in relation to wider regional issues. The connection to Iran is important: many analysts have said the U.S. is constrained in attacking Iran by the fact Iran could retaliate against any U.S. attack using Hezbollah (in Lebanon), and Hamas and Islamic Jihad (in Palestine), as these forces are allies and, to various degrees, clients of Iran. They are also allied with Syria, the one Arab state allied with Iran. This observation is, of course, correct. However, it lacks concrete analysis of U.S. hegemonic resolve to systematically isolate and attack Iran. That is: to the neo-cons et al, the threat that Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad (and SCIRI in Iraq) could "light up" the region in response to an attack on Iran, is simply seen as meaning that the U.S. has to first 'take out' these forces, or at least neutralize/paralyze them, before attacking Iran. So, in preparation for the U.S. campaign directly against Iran, the Israelis are now 'taking out' Hezbollah and further weakening Hamas ... and, Syria is likely next in line for military attack. And, of course, the U.S. is not objecting. N.B.: nor are the E.U. and Japan objecting--they are firm U.S. allies in the present anti-Iran campaign. Iran is being systematically isolated. And, of course, Israel has its own reasons to be happy to now be allowed by the empire (as a whole) to hit these forces in its neighborhood. Iran is presently the one and only major force in the region with capability (and with much more potential) to limit the exercise of U.S. regional hegemony. The U.S. will not relent in eliminating this threat. Only when the present Iranian clerical regime is removed or has accepted being nothing but an American protectorate, as have all other Gulf States, will Iran be allowed access to foreign investment, or to perform international financial transactions with which it could build up its oil income and military prowess. If the coming international sanctions regime against Iran, to be organized after the G8 meeting, doesn't accomplish this, then, direct force will soon be used, in the next phase. The U.S. geo-strategic aim in allowing Israel its way in Lebanon (and possibly Syria) is that Iran's allies in Lebanon and Palestine will be much less able to act in solidarity with Iran against coming U.S. assaults. Very shortly, Syria too may be directly attacked by Israel, especially if it offers resupply or haven to Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon. The peoples of the region are, of course, legitimately outraged at this arbitrary exeresize of imperial violence. However, the narrow and reactionary ideologies and social bases of Iran and Syria's leadership -- and to varying degrees of Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and SCIRI -- make these forces incapable of fully inspiring and mobilizing the broadest masses of people of the Middle East for a united, mass anti-imperial struggle. This can only be fully accomplished by secular, revolutionary-democratic principles and leadership. Tom O'D. | 15 July 2006 | http://TomOD.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Tom O'Donnell, PhD http://TomOD.com (CV, syllabi, writing) Academic year - The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Summer - The New School, NYC | Graduate International Relations -----------------------------------------------------------------------