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| Volume VIII, March 2001, Number 1 |
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| ABSTRACT: Iran and Chechnya: Realpolitik at Work |
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| A. William Samii |
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Dr. Samii is the Iran
analyst with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. He prepares the RFE/RL Iran
Report (www.rferl.org/iran-report), a weekly analysis of political, economic
and social events in Iran.
Iran’s constitution notes that the Islamic Republic “has
the duty of directing all its resources” to, among other goals, “fraternal
commitment to all Muslims and unsparing support to the freedom fighters of the
world.” This has resulted in Iran's being the primary state sponsor of
movements using terrorism to further their political goals, particularly
creation of theocracies like Iran's. Israel and Jewish facilities were targeted
too. Also, Iran's agents staged assassinations of exiled Iranian dissidents and
officials of the former monarchy. Since the 1980s and early 1990s,
international kidnappings and assassinations have decreased. This does not mean
that Tehran's involvement with international terrorism has ended. The U.S.
government believes that Iran was involved in the 1996 bombing in Saudi Arabia
that killed 19 American servicemen, and Iran continues to support terrorist
organizations like Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the
People’s Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command, and the
Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
Yet Iran's support for such groups
is now tempered by a strong sense of realpolitik, as demonstrated by a study of
Iran's reaction to the continuing crisis in Chechnya. So although Iran headed
the Organization of the Islamic Conference, Tehran showed itself to be a selective defender of the faith.
Official Iranian reactions to the war in Chechnya, when compared to reactions
in Islamic countries, religious establishments and international organizations,
demonstrate this amply. Official Iranian policy also contrasted with the
sentiments of religious figures and the media in the Islamic Republic.
In fact, Tehran seems to be
sacrificing the Chechen people in order to protect its access to Russian
nuclear technology and military goods. Chechnya is much closer to Iran,
furthermore, and Tehran’s actions reflect the fear that Iran's ethnic
minorities -- including Azeris in the northwest, Kurds in the west, Arabs in
the south, Baluchis in the southeast and Turkmen in the northeast -- might
express the separatist tendencies espoused by
the Chechens. In fact, the Chechens being killed by Russian forces are not
terrorists, nor do they target civilians. They do not even see their conflict
in primarily religious terms.
Supporting
the Chechens would hurt Tehran’s relationship with Moscow. On the other hand,
Tehran recognizes that its support for terrorist organizations only has harmed
Tehran-Washington and Tehran-Tel Aviv relations. European countries persist in
the belief that engagement will persuade Iran to alter its behavior. So
although Iranian inaction on Chechnya can be denounced as a cynical violation
of its constitutional and revolutionary commitments, it also can be regarded as
normal diplomatic behavior. International organizations still lend to Russia,
the United States supplies Russia with financial aid, and the international
community declares its support for Russia's territorial integrity.
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