In the summer of 1985, Manucher Ghorbanifar and Adnan Khashoggi approached the White House with a deal that turned into the Iran-Contra scandal.
Ghorbanifar was, at the time, the head of European Intelligence for Mir-Hussein Mousavi.
Ghorbanifar middle manned the deal with the assistance of Robert McFarlane, White House National Security Advisor, as described above and detailed in
depth in the findings of the Contra report, available at your local library. This stuff is history - Ghorbanifar and Khashoggi were instrumental in
singling out Ollie North.
Ghorbanifar was far from trustworthy - it's suspected that he played both sides in the deal, being on the payroll of both the CIA and Iranian intel -
and skimming a bit off the top all around. But his involvement and contact with the US government at the highest levels cannot be denied.
Michael Ledeen, who worked for National Security and dealt with Ghorbanifar on many occasions, mentions a bit on his character here and again here.
Ghorbanifar, after years of being on the outs with the CIA and America in general, re-emerged on the scene in 2001. It's hardly a coincidence, as so
many people in the Bush administration were people from the same administration that was responsible for Iran Contra.
It would be great if things were as simple as implied here. Arms dealers Khashoggi (Saudi) and Ghorbanifar (Iranian) cooking a deal with the CIA to
destabilize Iran. As always, Israel is somehow tied into the deal.
But the region is in constant flux as far as alliances.
Mousavi was one of only 4 Presidential candidates for last weeks election and was President during the crucial formative period in the 80s. We assume
questions of his loyalties today have been cleared by the mullocracy. But there is some hint of conflict with his backing by 1997-2995 President ,
Mohammad Khatami who withdrew his candidacy.
And lets' recall how next door a vacuum was formed between Saddam Hussein being eliminated and a new democratic government forming. How many
remember Ahmed Chalabi, an Iraqi and potential Prime Minister candidate, who was later dismissed for giving Iraqi state secrets to Iran?
This was during Khatami's Presidency.
Kurdish leader, Jalal Talabani, was known to side with Mousavi's regime in Iran during the 8 year war. Something that mystified me when the US
invaded Iraq in 1991, was how the entire air force flew to Iran immediately, despite it being their fierce enemy so recently.
And there's Iran's association with Syria and it's pro-activity with Hamas and Hezbollah.
Lebanon is another case in point of shifting associations. Iran has actively contributed to fragmenting the country politically. Invariably the
Saudis, the US and Israel have their political favourites who they back as leaders.
There have even been whispers of Middle East money finding it's way to the US and contributing heavily to the campaign of one Barack Obama. And he
in turn is known to be backed by George Soros, infamous for active destabilization campaigns on an international scale.
I bring these up people and their shifting alliances, and there are many more, as examples of how the destabilization game has become endemic to the
region.
A vast 3-dimensional chess game is in play constantly. Arms dealers are positioned to supply weapons to uprising governments in waiting. Major
outside players have agendas to remove non-compliant participants and replace them with one's of their choice.
A popular sort of self-loathing Western perspective is that US, the CIA, Israel are manipulating the Middle East by toppling populist governments.
Less attention is given to the internecine machinations that go on within the Muslim world itself, particularly when regime leaders in waiting require
economic support, intelligence, and weaponry.
The Unholy Western groups are guilty of influence peddling, but this should not exonerate the people enjoying power in these countries.
A naive seeming question, why do we see so much resentment of the US in the Middle East, but no overt attempts of reconciliation and co-operation in
presenting a unified front against it?
We keep seeing alliances constantly shifting.
And it may be entering a new phase. An Iran that plays ball with the US may be something that has been brewing. An Iraq-Iran axis with the mainly
Sunni Saudi, UAE, et al in a more vulnerable position could be on the agenda. Israel may even resume the quiet political and economic co-operation it
once had with Iran.
No attempt at answers here, but pointing out how affinities and interests are always on the move. We may see Iran become the good guys soon, and new
adversaries emerge. Nothing is ever as cut-and-dry as it may seem.
Mike
[edit on 17-6-2009 by mmiichael]
[edit on 17-6-2009 by mmiichael]