U.S. and Iran Share an Equal Monopoly on Violence

U.S. and Iran Share an Equal Monopoly on Violence

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Omid Memarian interviews former CIA operative ROBERT BAER

Robert Baer

Credit:Hossam el-Hamalawy

BERKELEY, California, Jan 23 (IPS) - "Obama is going to have continuous pressure from Israel to attack Iran and, in some way, their nuclear facilities, and this is going to be tied up with Gaza and Lebanon," according to Robert Baer, a former top Central Intelligence Agency operative and the author of "The Devil We Know: Dealing with the New Iranian Superpower."

In an interview with IPS, Baer discussed the regional implications of the Gaza conflict and his take on Iran's Revolutionary Guard, Hamas and Hezbollah, three major groups in the Middle East which have been called terrorist organisations.

Excerpts from the interview follow.

IPS: Some analysts believe that attacking Hamas in Gaza, two years after the 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah, is a part of a bigger plan which will end with attacking Iran's nuclear facilities. Is Israel walking this path?

Robert Baer: No. I think that there is a military veto in attacking Iran. It's just not possible.

IPS: Why is that impossible?

RB: Well, for one thing, we know there will be an Iranian reaction in the Gulf. Iran will not be attacked like Hamas and just respond locally. It will respond internationally. It has no choice. This is their deterrence power. In Iran, it is very important to understand a lot of lessons.

If you look on the IRGC [Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps] website, you see the lessons they learned from the Iran-Iraq War. These wars are wars of attrition; they go on forever. You just can't win them, especially against the United States. So they have developed secondary asymmetrical warfare ability, guerilla warfare, which is very effective.

You know some of the best minds in Iran went into the Pasdaran [Revolutionary Guards], and they weren't necessarily fanatics. In a sense, they were much more nationalists. And in my experience, these people in the Pasdaran, in the operational level, are probably the most capable, intelligent/guerilla force/political thinkers in the Middle East, including Israel and Jordan. And they knew exactly what they were doing. And they do not clearly fit in to any political definitions in Iran.

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The idea being floated via MI leaders at the moment is an alliance with Christian voices from the west.

This is the first Western article floating that idea via Robert Baer as he exposes the type of Iran in which operatives initiate ideas of urban warfare mixing tech, ancient warfare and modern methodology.

We can catch a glimpse of why Iran is being considered the worlds newest superpower having out manoeuvred the Western World in both Europe and the Middle East.

The leverage sought out during the Iraq war has at least stalemated this ancient Persian country yet the new game is about to begin.

It would be good to keep our eyes on naval manoeuvres in the Persian Gulf as the chess game continues.

As far back as 1928 the western world has considered the Persian Gulf to be important to world affairs. Sir Arnold Wilson wrote….

“ No water channel has been so significant as Persian Gulf to the geologists, archaeologists, geographers, merchants, politicians, excursionists, and scholars whether in past or in present. This water channel which separates the Iran Plateau from the Arabia Plate, has enjoyed an Iranian Identity since at least 2200 years ago.


Iran has put forward the case that the Persian Gulf historically belongs under Iranian (Persian Influence) which they have used to leverage their position on the world’s stage.

We, in the west, have been keenly aware of the position as President Carter’s perceived weakness stems from his bumbling of Iranian affairs.

President Reagan set the course of action in the Persian Gulf by securing diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq and the UAE in order to isolate Iran in the area.

Both Bushes and President Clinton all took this position, which seemed to have worked to some degree up until the present situation.

President Obama is left with turmoil of US/Bush MI policy leaving a deep wound in the psyche of the average Middle East citizen as well as a stronger Iran.

I believe it is Iran’s move in this 100 year old chess game.


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