From: javad@hplabsz.hpl.hp.com (Agha Javad)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.iranian
Subject: Re: The Merits of a Leader of 70's
Date: 18 Dec 92 17:09:22 GMT
Organization: LabaniyyAtee-e-Sar-e-Koocheh

In article <1992Dec18.094354.18602@netcom.com> bavafa@netcom.com (Hooshyar Naraghi) writes:
>In article <1992Dec17.190959.29350@hplabsz.hpl.hp.com> javad@hplabsz.hpl.hp.
>com (Agha Javad) writes:
>
>[discussion re: Iranian military might and its reasons deleted - HFN]
>
>[excellent article deleted for brevity]

>I hope this view, which is really what I came to understand from Carl
>Sagan's book, can be considered another angle through which we would
>explain the military buildup processes that were going on during 70's in
>the world specially among nations whose internal revenue could afford
>participation in such deterring game.
>

Just wanted to thank you for your viewpoint, which I agree with in most
areas, but just a few points:

-True, deterrence is a dangerous game, but it has been played ever since
humans have been around.  Funny how in an age when everything is advancing
so rapidly we can't keep up, the basic social and political mechanisms
and values have changed little.  It is only in the last couple of hundred
years that we hear about "democracy" and "freedom", etc., and even these
new ideas are rejected in more than half of the world today.  Same
with deterrence, until human beings universally agree that violence is a 
very costly proposition, and that one should not be so quick to fight,
each country must take steps towards its self-defense, especially in the
presence of irrational and unreasonable adversaries such as Iraq under Saddam
Hussein.  

-You made a great point about WE speaking for the earth.  This is very true,
whether we like it or not, we the people have the ultimate power, not
our governments.  As a people, we can try to make ourselves aware, question
and understand that which they tell us, and have the guts to point out mistakes
and correct them and change for the better, OR we can just accept the status
quo, and defer all blame on things other than ourselves, e.g. superpowers,
god's will, "Engeleesha", you name it.  The choice is ours, as well as the
consequences.

-The world is not getting any bigger, but the population is.  If we as a species
are to survive, we must learn to tolerate and live next to one another.
Unfortunately, we are far from this state, as you may have noticed on sci,
and therefore, we as a country, need to choose wise leaders who have our 
people's interest at heart, not prioritizing their own personal beliefs.
I truly believe that if someone like Khomeini had command over something like
the Strategic Air Command or Soviet Rocket Forces, he wouldn't hesitate to
use them in full force against the "kafirs".  Shah, although I don't like
a lot of his actions, and he made a lot of mistakes, at least was smart
enough to not look at war as an alternative, although he had total capability
of doing so and winning.  He did what it took to give our nation peace in the
sense that we were not at war with any outside country, and peace is a very
nice thing to have as wwe so painfully found out less than 2 years after his
fall. Khomeini and his band were just dying to take Baghdad and install a 
puppet gov't, and thank god he didn't have the power.  I would be glad if 
he did have the power, and proceeded to advance to Baghdad, and try Saddam
and his gang of war crimes, IF HIS REGIME WAS JUST AND LEGITIMATE.  But his
regime is hardly one in a position to judge someone for "crimes against
humanity". We have a saying that says:"God knows the donkey, and didn't give
him horns" (Khoda khar-o-meeshnaseh va shakhesh nemeedeh).




>Sorry for my too long article.  By now I hope you are used to it!!

Not at all.  Thank you once again, and I enjoyed it very much.

>
>Regards,
>Hooshyar F. Naraghi
>bavafa@netcom.com
>(415) 322-8056
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