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Your letters: Iran' shifting policy
Top diplomatic talks: US Secretary of State John Kerry (left) and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif arrive to deliver a statement at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, Switzerland, on April 2, following extended nuclear talks
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span class="inline inline-center">Top diplomatic talks: US Secretary of State John Kerry (left) and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif arrive to deliver a statement at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, Switzerland, on April 2, following extended nuclear talks. AP/Brendan Smialowski
If we talk about the Middle East, we start thinking about the 'Meddle East', in which all things are possible, just as Syria President Bashar al-Assad said: 'It's an area where everything is on the brink of explosion. You have to expect everything.' The Middle East is a hot region, conflict and war (or proxy war) happens continuously, international relations actors get swept up in the drama here and those dragged into this area become involved in the internecine warfare.
The pretexts of the dispute are familiar to all: geo-economic and geopolitical controversies surrounding oil, gas and pipelines. Cultural issues also have an important role, often played out in religious or ethnic clashes. And of course there are the globally known imperial powers, the US and Russia, which often hegemonically intervene. The positive side of all this is the emergence of new powers such as Iran. Under President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Ministry Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran is trying to expand its role in global affairs.
Iran wants to negotiate its nuclear issue with the 1+5 powers (US, Russia, China, UK, France and Germany). Iran also has a role in fighting against the Islamic State (IS) radical group. Meanwhile, the country is trying to find a peaceful solution in the Yemen conflict. Therefore, Iran is gaining moral authority across the region and globe through its drive for peaceful resolution to many issues in the Middle East. Iran has changed its pattern of diplomacy in the Middle East, from zero sum games to positive sum games. People in the Middle East should realize that they cannot live in war and conflict for decades. They need to cooperate with each other to establish civilization and peace.
Therefore, all Middle Eastern entities must understand their contemporary positions, maintaining conflict and war only make them suffer directly. Iran already understands this and wants to restore and maintain peace in the region.
Holistic plans and action allow Iran to move strategically. Iran realizes it cannot cooperate or even communicate with the IS and other radical groups. Inevitably, forceful action (hard power) is used to eradicate these movements. But Iran is ready to carry out a dialog with rational actors such as government leaders, parliament members and international communities.
Muhammad Dudi Hari Saputra
Yogyakarta
