The three areas of the world that are the main source of narcotics are the
golden triangle between Burma and Thailand, the golden crescent arching
from Afghanistan to Kyrgyzstan for opiates and Colombia for cocaine and
heroin. What they have in common is a suitable climate and soil, huge
economic disparities within the population and ineffective governments of
failed states. The large financial rewards of trafficking set in motion
the vicious cycle of bribery and corruption amongst police and custom
officials, that eventually permeates to politicians and society. A
collateral consequence is trafficking in humans for illegal migration,
slave labor or prostitution. The violence at the Iranian borders with
Afghanistan and within Pakistan are the inevitable outcomes with a marked
increase in addicts in both those countries and in Northeastern India.
Similar violence in Burma and Colombia with insurgencies are not conducive
to civic society.
The word narcotic stems from the Greek word to benumb or stupefy. There is
a far worse, more virulent and damaging strategy of stupefying the
citizens that is frequently used by politicians and leaders the world
over, to the detriment of people and peace with the malign intention of
perpetuating their greed for power and wealth. The specific narcotics are
not chemical compounds but words that attach just as snugly to human
emotional receptors of the brain and equally modify the behavior of
addicts to ignore their self-interest and future benefits. These are the
emotions of jingoism, religiosity and fear. A few predictions and case
studies will serve to elucidate the threat of this new pandemic.
The Mullah theocracy of Iran due to its rigid orthodoxy, belligerence,
corruption and economic mismanagement combined with unremitting American
hostility and sanctions, has fashioned a subsidy based economy unable to
provide growth or jobs. The disastrous experience of total isolation
during the Iraqi aggression when it was nearly impossible to obtain arms
or spare parts to defend itself, and the world turned a blind eye to the
use of chemical weapons by Saddam in violation of post-WW 1 international
treaties, led to foolhardy martyrdom Basij defense and a call to increase
the population by the then Supreme Leader. The justifiable paranoia and
the American invasion of Iraq led to acceleration of a clandestine nuclear
weapon acquisition policy, fueled by the A.Q.Khan black market that the US
had previously connived at during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
Incidentally the nuclear ambitions of Iran were initiated under the Shah
with American blessings.
Iran has been delaying the negotiations with the EU3, while probably
continuing the uranium enrichment on a small scale in a surreptitious but
clearly un-provable manner. By the end of this month it will have to agree
to a deal or proceed overtly to continue working on the fuel cycle as it
has the right to do so within the NPT without being subjected to
discriminatory treatment. It may even opt out of the treaty and risk
further sanctions and isolation. It is partially insulated by its
relations with China, Russia and India and bolstered by the high oil
prices that bring it enough money to continue its subsidies of food and
fuel to pacify the population. Its difficult to resolve problem, lies in
control over the economy by the tax exempt charitable "Boniyads" by
corrupt Mullahs and their families and henchmen. They are unlikely to
allow the promised reforms of the newly elected president because of
personal conflict of interest with regards to the oligarchy’s wealth and
power.
The inability to provide jobs and hope is likely to be swept under the rug
by raising the specter of American or Israeli military attacks and slogans
of jingoism and Iranian national pride. An additional narcotic to benumb
the Iranian public will be to urge them to rally round Islam under attack
by the West and Jewish and Christian allies. The foolish and short-sighted
American policies of exploitation of the Americas by the Monroe Doctrine
and propping up the tyrant kleptocrats of the Middle East, are chickens
coming home to roost. It is the arrogant foolishness of American leaders
and policy mavens that provides the countering weapon of pursuing
oppressive policies to the corrupt Theocracy and its Rasfanjanis to
dominate and fool the masses, who are generally ignorant, stupid and
emotionally labile, even in developed countries like America. Thus my
prediction is that Iran will continue its pursuit of nuclear weaponry and
rein in public support on the basis of fear, jingoism and religiosity to
excuse its fundamental failures.
A similar use of religiosity has been the preferred resort of the
scoundrels of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia. The former two use
fear of India and reversion to Orthodox Islam to paper over their economic
mismanagement and poor governance, while the last appeals to religion to
hide their tyranny and theft of state assets and generate a pathological
hatred for the infidels. The Central Asian states use suppression of
dissent by making religious extremism as a threat to the state, to persist
with their tyranny and plunder. A second group like Israel and India use
the fear of Muslim hoards to appeal to the religious narrow mindedness and
the genuine disgust at Salafi terrorism, to benumb the masses and garner
their votes. China which has never put much value to religion in its
history, thus leaves its corrupt leaders no choice but the use of jingoism
to fan the flames of WW2 Japanese atrocities in Manchuria, to divert the
public attention from economic disparity, imposed slave labor and
impoverishment, while illegally enriching the leaders’ progeny princes and
princesses.
Even in so-called democratic America, the Rove strategy of holding a
referendum on gay marriage at the same time as the last presidential
election to entice the Christian right, the smearing of Democrats as
irresponsible spenders while the Republicans do the same, and openly
implying that the election of a Democrat would lead to increased domestic
terrorism and a pandering to minorities, is a clear example of narcotizing
the electorate to vote against their own economic interests. The best
seller "What’s the matter with Kansas", analyzes this anomaly very well.
Thus jingoism, fear and religiosity are the new narcotics, that operate
below the public radar screen and a new form of insurgency against the
public, that is given sanctuary by a collaborating supine media that keeps
them hidden, while diverting public attention with inconsequential bread
and circuses, like sensational celebrity trials and gossip. I will end by
performing a genetic recombination by addition, deletion and substitution
by a homonym of Tennyson’s famous words, "More things rot by prayer,
jingoism and fear than this world dreams of".
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