Terrorism and Fundamentalism and U.S. Policy Should Work to Transform Iran

Terrorism and Fundamentalism and U.S. Policy Should Work to Transform Iran

The emergence of fundamentalism stems from a multitude of factors, including social and historical circumstances, as well as policies pursued by the international community. Major developments in the twentieth century in their own right impacted the formation and rapid advance of fundamentalism. But none has been as determinative as the rise to power of the reactionary mullahs in Iran

Ambassador Ken Blackwell

KenBlackwell: U.S. Policy Should Work to Transform Iran

In the run-up to the U.S. Presidential elections, Iran and Islamic extremism have become the main foreign policy challenges . The issue of Islamic extremism brings to mind one of our main foreign policy challenges: Iran.

This is a country ruled by a theocracy that plays an active and destructive role in all major wars in the Middle East, from Syria to Iraq to Yemen. Tehran is known as the main state sponsor of terrorism across the globe, as well as being one of the originators of modern extremist Islam. And despite the nuclear agreement with the international community, Iran continues its provocative gestures toward the Western world, for instance by test-firing its ballistic missiles.

In considering future U.S. policy toward such a totalitarian regime, it is imperative to consider whether there exists an alternative -- a serious and credible opposition to the existing government. The answer, in the case of Iran, is clearly “yes.”

On July 9th in Paris the Iranian opposition coalition, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), held a massive rally in which around 100,000 people from all over the globe took part.

The seriousness of this resistance movement was made more obvious by the Iranian regime’s hysterical response to the NCRI rally. But if Tehran has no concerns about its opposition and the opposition has no impact in Iran, then what has motivated Tehran’s aggressive response to a peaceful meeting held many thousands of kilometers away?

The PMOI is the main constituent of the National Council of Resistance of Iran which is headed by Maryam Rajavi, a Muslim woman with deep anti-fundamentalist beliefs. Mrs. Rajavi is an effective leader in coordinating pro-democracy Iranians, especially the youth and women, in campaigns against the religious fascism ruling Iran.