Iran First

Today Iran tried out a new short-range missile. Instinctively, the media started speculating how Iran's action affects the Middles East question and to Israel's security. I caught a few shows replaying the video of the missile shooting across the horizon with the ominous voice in the background stating the missile was capable of reaching Israel from Iran. Lately, editorials in top news sites have already started commenting on Iran's non-committal stance in response to President Obama's overtures of efficient and effective candid discussion between the two countries. The media has been portraying Iran as aloof, less eager thereby less keen, reluctant, and uninterested to actively resolve the conflict and tension spawned between the two nations and carefully nurtured by the Bush'a administration. When the question of Iran's right to bear arms sprouts, many highlight the hypocrisy of Israel possessing arms yet Iran being censured for talking about being a participant of the nuclear arms race. As one columnist in the NY Times stated prior to Israeli Prime Minister's Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington, it would be quite a hypocrisy on United States's behalf to admonish Iran for seeking nuclear arms while condoning Israel's cache of such weaponry. Yet, there we had President Obama, with PM Netanyahu adjacent to him, assert Iran possessing any forms of nuclear arsenal will be the harbinger of the end of days. A few days later Iran went ahead and carried out a missile.

It seems the more the West attempts to admonish, castigate, or simply frighten Iran to back down, the more Iran in a fit of teenage rebellion does the opposite. Perhaps, instead of publicly denouncing Iran's nuclear ambitions, the Obama administration can proactively reach out across borders and bring Iranian diplomats to the table behind closed doors. Or better yet, perhaps instead of massaging Israel by publicly vilifying Iran's actions, they can encourage a progressive and effective engagement among the three nations.