Professor Alon Ben-Meir: Listen to Iran's Grievances

Listen to Iran's Grievances, Says Ben-Meir

Professor Alon Ben-Meir

Baghdad born author, columnist and pundit Alon Ben-Meir is professor of International Relations at New York University, and Middle East Project Director at the World Policy Institute. Ben-Meir views Iran as a clear threat to Israel, whose existence, he claims, has been repeatedly threatened by Iran, which he believes is a terrorist state pursuing nuclear weapons.

Ben-Meir disagreed with Bush's 'Axis of Evil' speech, writing in a 2002 column [The 'Axis of Evil' Folly' 2/20/2002]: "Lumping all three nations together as if we could deal with them on equal terms only undermines our national interest and the war against terrorism. It appears that the administration did not think through the implications of what was said and how that might impact our friends, allies and adversaries." He also added:

Meanwhile, the United States ought to listen to Iran's grievances, including our role in the overthrow of the Mossadegh government and the installation of the Shah in 1953, Iran's frozen assets in the United States since 1979 (money paid for fighter jets that were not delivered) and its trepidation over our military preponderance in the Persian Gulf.

However extreme the Iranian clergy might be, they are not adventuresome.