As The Shiraz Soured

Nadim Siraj바카라�s engrossing Sec­ret notes from Iran-Diary of an undercover journalist might appear to read like Know Thine Enemy바카라�a Spy바카라�s Journey into Revolutionary Iran (1997) by Edward Shirley, a CIA undercover officer.  Shirley, then based in Istanbul, whose real name was Reul Marc Gerecht, decided to study Iran바카라�s classical culture, which had 바카라�sed­uced Alexander the Great, Arabs, Mongols, Turks and even the British바카라�; also to experience the 바카라�Muslim mind and soul바카라� and 바카라�its Shi바카라�te Iranian version바카라�. For this he smuggled himself into Iran in a dark box in a friend바카라�s car. Like Siraj, he too was empathetic to Iran, blaming America for not trying to understand that country.

In 2017, Siraj did not have to enter Iran clandestinely. Still, he chose to call his slim volume 바카라�secret notes바카라�, with a cover resembling an intelligence file. He admits that his precautions to hide the real intention stemmed from 바카라�loud cautionary notes before heading to Iran바카라�. All these proved to be wrong. Apart from an incident of near arrest for photographing their parliament, which could have happened even in India, he did not need covert efforts in arriving at his positive conclusions. In particular, he mentions their robust social security system, high level of women바카라�s safety, charming public gardens and bazaars, high tolerance towards all religions and the lack of petty crime.

The book contains strategic analysis on Iran and West Asia, including a sweep of history from the 1953 바카라�Oil rel­ated coup바카라� to the present US abrogation of the P5+1 바카라�Iran Nuclear Deal바카라� of July 14, 2015. He sets the tone of analysis by quoting Noam Chomsky, his inspiration, to whom he has dedicated his book: 바카라�Iran is a highly independent nat­ion and surely not a proxy of any other country바카라�. He argues that the reason for American hostility is Iran바카라�s refusal to join the 바카라�petro-dollar바카라� system through which oil revenue has to be sta­­shed in American banks. Another rea­son is Iran바카라�s fortuitous success in starting the Iranian Oil Bou­rse (IOB) in Kish Island. Ame­rica바카라�s traditional policy was to put down countries defying its diktat. He quotes Gen.Wesley Clark바카라�s 2007 int­erview in Democracy Now on a Pentagon plan 바카라�for taking out seven countries in five years바카라�, including Iran.

The chapter 바카라�Who really owns Iran바카라� is an analysis of the 바카라�Pyramid of Power바카라�, showing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the top, controlling temporal and religious matters, including intelligence and the armed forces. It also reveals the less-known details of 바카라�Setads바카라� and 바카라�Bonyads바카라�, Iranian foundations which are 바카라�economic octopuses바카라� controlling 20 per cent of the GDP landscape.

Siraj found the local people freely discussing domestic politics and government policies, contrary to what the Western media would say바카라�that they were a highly radicalised and suppressed society. He could question even Ghazi, his taxi driver, why Iranian villages were so poor with such huge oil wealth. His conclusion: 바카라�Much of Iran바카라�s prosperity is restricted to the big cities like Tehran, Shiraz and Isfahan, and in the powerful religious backyards of Qom, Najaf and Mashhad바카라�.

(The writer is a former special secretary, Cabinet Secretariat)