STATUS QUO: prevalent international political discourse
depicts “‘civilized’ center, ‘un-civilized’ peripheries”
Excerpt, minor edit by
Carolyn Bennett
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| Dr. Hassan Rouhani |
President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Dr. Hassan
Rouhani in debate Tuesday at the Sixty-eighth Session of the United Nations
General Assembly. This is some of what he said.
“Our world today is replete with fear and hope
…fear of war and hostile regional
and global relations;
…fear of deadly confrontation of
religious, ethnic and national identities;
…fear of institutionalization of
violence and extremism; fear of poverty and destructive discrimination;
…fear of decay and destruction of
life-sustaining resources;
…fear of disregard for human
dignity and rights; and
…fear of neglect of morality.
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longside these fears … are new hopes:
the hope of universal
acceptance by the people and the elite all across the globe of ‘yes’ to peace,
and ‘no’ to war; and
Status quo
At this sensitive juncture in the history of global relations,
the age of zero-sum games is over, even though a few actors still tend to rely
on archaic and deeply ineffective ways and means to preserve their old
superiority and domination. Militarism and the recourse to violent and military
means to subjugate others are failed examples of the perpetuation of old ways
in new circumstances.
Coercive economic and military
policies and practices geared to the maintenance and preservation of old
superiorities and dominations have been pursued in a conceptual mindset that negates
peace, security, human dignity, and exalted human ideals.
Ignoring differences between societies
and globalizing Western values as universal ones represent another
manifestation of this conceptual mindset.
Yet another reflection of the same
cognitive model is the persistence of Cold War mentality and bi-polar division
of the world into ‘superior us’ and ‘inferior others.’
Fanning fear and phobia around the
emergence of new actors on the world scene is another.
Peril
In such an environment, governmental and non-governmental,
religious, ethnic, and even racial violence has increased, and there is no
guarantee that the era of quiet among big powers will remain immune from such
violent discourses, practices and actions.
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he catastrophic impact of violent and extremist narratives
should not - in fact, must not - be underestimated.
In this context, the strategic violence … manifested in the
efforts to deprive regional players from their natural domain of action,
containment policies, regime change from outside, and the efforts towards
redrawing of political borders and frontiers, is extremely dangerous and
provocative.
Dangerously disparaging (demonizing)
The prevalent international political discourse depicts a
civilized center surrounded by un-civilized peripheries.
In this picture, the relation between the center of world
power and the peripheries is hegemonic. The discourse assigning the North the
center stage and relegating the South to the periphery has led to the
establishment of a monologue at the level of international relations.
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he creation of illusory identity distinctions and the
current prevalent violent forms of xenophobia are the inevitable outcome of
such a discourse. Propagandistic and unfounded faith-phobic, Islamo-phobic,
Shia-phobic, and Iran-phobic discourses do indeed represent serious threats
against world peace and human security.
This propagandistic discourse has assumed dangerous
proportions through portrayal and inculcation of presumed imaginary threats. One
such imaginary threat is the so-called ‘Iranian Threat’, which has been employed as an excuse to justify a
long catalogue of crimes and catastrophic practices over the past three
decades.… [But on the basis of] irrefutable evidence, those who harp on the
so-called threat of Iran are either a threat against international peace and
security themselves or promote such a threat. Iran poses absolutely no threat
to the world or the region.
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| Iraq post-U.S.-led war |
Violence of expansionism
Nowhere in the world has violence been so deadly and
destructive as in North Africa and West Asia. Examples of violence in this region
in the last three decades are:
Military intervention in
Afghanistan
Saddam Hussein’s imposed war
against Iran
Occupation of Kuwait
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| U.S. against Iran |
Military interventions against Iraq
Brutal repression of the Palestinian
people
Assassination of common people and
political figures in Iran
Terrorist bombings in countries
such as Iraq, Afghanistan and Lebanon
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hat has been - and continues to be - practiced against the
innocent people of Palestine is nothing less than structural violence.
Palestine is under occupation; the basic rights of the Palestinians are
tragically violated, and they are deprived of the right of return and access to
their homes, birthplace and homeland. Apartheid as a concept can hardly
describe the crimes and the institutionalized aggression against the innocent
Palestinian people.
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he human tragedy in Syria represents a painful example of
catastrophic spread of violence and extremism in our region.
From the very outset of the crisis and when some regional and
international actors helped to militarize the situation through infusion of
arms and intelligence into the country and active support of extremist groups,
we emphasized that there was no military solution to the Syrian crisis. Pursuit
of expansionist strategies and objectives and attempts to change the regional
balance through proxies cannot be camouflaged behind humanitarian rhetoric.
The common objective of the international community should
be a quick end to the killing of the innocent. ...
Terrorism and the killing of innocent people represent the
ultimate inhumanity of extremism and violence. Terrorism is a violent scourge
and knows no country or national borders.
But the violence and extreme actions such as the use of
drones against innocent people in the name of combating terrorism should also
be condemned. (Here, I should also say a word about the criminal assassination
of Iranian nuclear scientists. For what crimes were they assassinated?)
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he United Nations and the UN Security Council should answer
the question: have the perpetrators been condemned?
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| Iran |
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| Iran |
Crimes against the peace: Sanctions warfare
Unjust sanctions, as manifestations of structural violence,
are intrinsically inhumane and against peace. And contrary to the claims of
those who pursue and impose them ─ it is not the states and the political elite
that are targeted; but rather the common people who are victimized by these sanctions.
Let us not forget millions of Iraqis who, as a result of
sanctions covered in international legal jargon, suffered and lost their lives.
Many more Iraqis continue to suffer all through their lives.
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| Sanctions Iraq |
These sanctions are violent, pure
and simple ─ whether called smart or otherwise, unilateral or multilateral.
These sanctions violate inalienable
human rights, inter alia, the right to peace, right to development, right to
access health and education; and above all, the right to life.
Sanctions, beyond any and all
rhetoric, cause belligerence, warmongering and human suffering.
Sanctions’ negative impact is not
merely limited to the intended victims of sanctions; it also affects the
economy and livelihood of other countries and societies, including the
countries imposing sanctions.
End status quo
End violence
Another world is possible
People all over the world are tired of war, violence and
extremism. They hope for a change in the status quo. And this is a unique
opportunity - for us all.
The Islamic Republic of Iran believes that all challenges
can be managed - successfully - through a smart, judicious blend of hope and
moderation.
Warmongers are bent on extinguishing all hope. But hope for
change for the better is an innate, religious, widespread, and universal
concept.…
Iran seeks constructive engagement with other countries
based on mutual respect and common interest; and within the same framework,
Iran does not seek to increase tensions with the United States.… Commensurate
with the political will of the leadership in the United States and hoping that
they will refrain from following the short-sighted interest of warmongering pressure
groups, we can arrive at a framework to manage our differences.
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o this end, equal footing, mutual respect, and the
recognized principles of international law should govern the interactions.…
Join WAVE: World Against Violence and Extremism
In recent years, a dominant voice has been repeatedly heard:
‘The military option is on the table.’ Against the backdrop of this illegal and
ineffective contention … ‘peace is within reach.’
…In the name of the Islamic Republic of Iran, I propose, as
a starting step, the consideration by the United Nations of the project ‘World
Against Violence and Extremism’ (WAVE). I invite all states, international organizations
and civil institutions to undertake a new effort to guide the world in this
direction. Let us all join this ‘WAVE’.
We should start thinking about ‘Coalition for Enduing Peace’
all across the globe instead of the ineffective ‘Coalitions for War’ in various
parts of the world.
Sources and notes
Islamic Republic of IRAN Permanent Mission to the United
Nations Statement by H. E. Dr. Hassan Rouhani, President of the Islamic
Republic of Iran at the Sixty-eighth Session of the United Nations General Assembly
(New York, 24 September 2013) 622 - See more at:
http://gadebate.un.org/68/iran-islamic-republic#sthash.Mbd0TCJr.dpuf
622 Third Ave, New York, NY 10017 Tel: (212) 687-2020 Fax:
(212) 867-7086 email: iran@un.int
http://gadebate.un.org/sites/default/files/gastatements/68/IR_en.pdf
http://gadebate.un.org/
“Iran’s new President proposes immediate ‘time-bound’ talks on nuclear issues,” UN News Centre, September 24, 2013 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=45984&Cr=general+debate&Cr1=#.UkM7qmzD-1s
24 September 2013 – From the podium
of the United Nations General Assembly, Iran’s new President, Hassan Rouhani,
today foreswore the production of nuclear weapons, reasserted his country’s
right to peaceful nuclear enrichment and proposed immediate ‘time-bound’ talks
to resolve the issue.
‘I declare here, openly and
unambiguously, that, notwithstanding the positions of others, this has been,
and will always be, the objective of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he told the
General Assembly on the first day of its General Debate, speaking hours after
United States President Barack Obama told the same gathering that he was
directing U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to pursue a diplomatic course with
Iran on the matter.
Hassan Rouhani
Academic, cleric, lawyer, politician and former diplomat,
Hassan Rouhani (b. November 12, 1948) is a member of the Assembly of Experts
and the Expediency Council and the Supreme National Security Council, head of
the Center for Strategic Research, and the 7th and current President of the
Islamic Republic of Iran.
Before his election to the presidency Rouhani was also
deputy speaker of the 4th and 5th terms of the Islamic Consultative Assembly
(Majlis - Iranian Parliament) and secretary of the Supreme National Security
Council (1989-2005). In the later capacity, he headed Iran's former nuclear
negotiating team and was the country’s top negotiator ─ with the European Union
three: the United Kingdom, France, and Germany – on Iran’s nuclear program.
Fluent in Persian, English and Arabic, Rouhani took his
academic credentials at the University of Tehran, Iran (B.A. in Judicial Law,
1972) and Glasgow Caledonian University in Scotland (M.Phil. in Law, 1995 and
Ph.D. in Constitutional Law, 1999). He holds the rank of research professor at
Iran’s Center for Strategic Research and is a prolific writer.
Hassan Rouhani was announced the winner of Iran’s Presidency
a day after the election and received his presidential precept from his
predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, on August 3, 2013, and entered Sa’dabad
Palace in a private ceremony. Rouhani’s work as president officially began on
the same day. He was inaugurated as the seventh president of Iran in the
Parliament on August 4, 2013.
President Hassan Rouhani bio
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hassan_Rouhani
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