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The Problems of Engaging with Iran's Supreme Leader

[Washington Institute for Near East Policy] Mehdi Khalaji - The United States has made efforts to reach out to the Islamic Republic's leaders in the past, beginning with Zbigniew Brzezinski's November 1, 1979, meeting with the Iranian prime minister, which led four days later to the seizure of the U.S. embassy in Tehran. Ayatollah Khamenei as the supreme leader and the commander in chief of the armed forces has the ultimate supervision over the nuclear program, Iran's military strategy in the region, and Iran's foreign policy in general. Any attempt to reach Iran's government is more likely to be successful if it involves the supreme leader. In an Oct. 30 speech, Ayatollah Khamenei reiterated that "the Islamic Republic of Iran's differences with America are beyond political differences and more fundamental than that....The hatred and abhorrence of Iran's nation toward America is deep." Although some Iranian diplomats and presidents, whether radicals or reformists, have been interested in opening doors to the U.S. - and this would seem to include President Ahmadinejad, as evidenced by his frequent trips to New York - Ayatollah Khamenei has been able to sabotage any attempt at serious dialogue. Khamenei considers himself not only the leader of the Islamic Republic but also the highest authority on Islamic ideology in the world. Because the Islamic Republic has failed to meet its economic, cultural, and social promises, Khamenei has made anti-Americanism the cornerstone of Islamic ideology. "America" for Khamenei does not refer to a country, but rather to a point of view diametrically opposed to Islamic ideology, on which the Iranian regime relies for its legitimacy. Allowing the level of "hatred" toward the U.S. to diminish is tantamount to recognizing the supremacy of "Western culture." The first step for dealing directly with the Iranian government is to make its supreme leader responsible. Addressing him directly and publicly with a call to initiate a dialogue will close the exit doors available to him and require him to make a decision - either war or peace. The writer is a senior fellow at The Washington Institute.
2008-11-14 01:00:00
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