Like so many, the war with Iran has left me with mixed feelings. My family lived in Iran prior to the 1979 Revolution. The leaders of the Iranian Army, Air Force and Navy all refused to use their troops against their own people protesting the government. After the Mullahs came to power by exiling or executing the socialists, communists and social democrats that helped them gain power, they turned on the former government. All three of the military leaders who refused to attack their own citizens were shot. My family lost a number of friends in the purges.
Since then, the regime has openly declared war on the USA and Israel and murdered tens of thousands of their own citizens. The current regime’s war on the United States has continued for forty-seven years. How did we get into a situation where smart capable American leaders have tolerated a low-key, decades long war waged against the USA, a war that included the Beirut Barracks bombing that killed hundreds of Americans? How did our allies in Europe and the Middle East allow one nation to promote and fund the majority or terrorist groups in the world?
What amazes me most is that the appeasement and coddling of the Iranian regime is so similar to how the West, and especially Britain, appeased Hitler in the lead-up to World War II. Years ago, I read a great book on the subject and recommend it. Appeasement: Chamberlain, Hitler, Churchill, and the Road to War by Tim Bouverie is an amazing read.
It covers all the bases, mirroring what we have seen from American and allied leaders and Iran. First, we slapped the regime like one might slap a naughty child. Then we ignored them, thinking that they really weren’t that bad and would probably just go away. Next, we tried to engage with them diplomatically but knowing that they were right and that Allah was on their side, they felt free to lie, make promises they didn’t intend to keep and stall until they were so powerful, with weapons that made them unstoppable. Along the way, our leaders tried to pay them off, cajole them with flattery, and enter into treaties that, had they worked, might have postponed the development of Iranian power, but in the end just gave the regime more time to perfect their asymmetrical warfare capabilities. Imagine the world’s foremost terrorist regime with nuclear weapons.
Bouverie’s book on how the Allies dealt with Hitler was almost a blueprint for how the West has dealt with Iran. For decades, the regime has funded attacks on the West and openly killed its own citizens who dare to disagree. Like Hitler, they formed a second national army—IRGC, analogous to the SS—dedicated to the regime, rather than the country. And like the Brownshirts, who enforced Nazi dogma, the Iranians created the Basij, a militia whose only job is to crush domestic resistance. This has all been seen before.
What is different is that in the early years of Hitler’s rise to power, as much as 80% of the German people supported his movement. In Iran, less than half of the population supported the early rise of the Mullah regime. Today, roughly 20% support it, 60% oppose it, and the remaining 20% are simply keeping their heads down. You do not have to destroy the country to oust the regime.
For those of you who question the war in Iran, that is one of our most treasured rights. But read Appeasement before you cement your thoughts. I’m not sure that our President is much of a reader, but someone on his staff is.