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The Dangers of Double-Talk for Rouhani

(Asharq Al Awsat-UK) Amir Taheri - Taqiyya means hiding one's true faith in order to deceive others in a hostile environment. Kitman means keeping an adversary guessing by playing one's hand close to the chest. Do-pahlu means an utterance that could have two opposite meanings at the same time. The closest equivalent in English is double-talk. In George Orwell's novel 1984, the same concept is introduced as "doublespeak." For more than three decades, Iran's mullahs and their associates have used that arsenal of deception against foreign powers and internal adversaries. What is new is that the mullahs and their associates are starting to use this against each other. In New York, Rouhani tried to seduce the Americans with smiles and sweet words. Rouhani called America "Great Nation" rather than "The Great Satan." Then there was the telephone call with Barack Obama. If things turn out well, Khameni could claim he had supported Rouhani's quest for an opening with Washington. If Rouhani falls on the roadside before reaching even the first stage of normalization with the Americans, Khamenei could wear that "I-told-you-so" smile. If Rouhani could be second-guessed, let alone vetoed, on every move, even symbolic ones such as a telephone call, no one is going to take him seriously as a negotiating partner. If he is perceived as just a messenger boy, everyone would prefer to wait until it is possible to directly talk to those who sent him. The writer was the executive editor-in-chief of the daily Kayhan in Iran from 1972 to 1979.
2013-10-15 00:00:00
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