by Ramin Mazaheri and cross-posted with PressTV
In the first part of this article, titled Nixon ‘opened’ China, but only socialist superpower China could ‘open’ Iran, I discussed the historic role reversal: it’s the position of the superpower China which now counts the most, and not the the attitude of the United States.
The 25-year Iran-China pact is actually an undercounting as it is essentially – to quote China’s foreign minister – “permanent”. Western media foolishly sees Iran and China as different as apples and bowling balls, and thus they are only taking their first timid step towards understanding how Tehran and Beijing have already broken through the finish line tape.
It’s easy to examine the consternation of the BBC or The New York Times, but I thought it would be interesting to analyse the take of perhaps the top oil trade media, OilPrice, via their article The Iran-China Axis Is A Fast Growing Force In Oil Markets. Part one of this article addressed their take – more consternation, predictably – but it’s necessary to ask: why are even supposedly neutral, objective, rational and profit-oriented business media so bewildered and lost in their analyses of post-1979 Iran and post-1949 China?
The problem for them is that I may be able to grasp an argument based on economics and politics, but it’s hard for me to understand viewing historical developments solely via a lens of fear, paranoia and – above all – a zero-sum view of business, politics and human life. What OilPrice’s article ultimately relies on – like so many others of its ilk – is a hardened intolerance for other non-Western (some today may say “non-White”) cultures.
That type of a fundamentally emotional and anti-intellectual mindset may motivate many pro-imperialists in Western high finance but they do not motivate Iran and China, two countries whose essentially socialist basis is light-years ahead of the tribalist “identity politics” foolishly held as the the ultimate achievement of Western liberal democracy.
This is not a knee-jerk “snowflake” argument – simply look at the starting point of OilPrice and I’m sure you’ll see it is not an unusual foundation for Western media analyses (regardless of the skin tone of the journalist) of Iran: The author immediately claimed in his very first paragraph that Iranians have a “radical view of non-believers,” which is such a radically right-wing view of Iran that it is barely worth an eye roll, much less serious consideration. All that needs to be said is that it’s possible that the author does not know any Christians or Jews, nor have any sincere familiarity with these two fundaments of Islamic thought. Certainly, he has kept far away from Muslims because what he is describing is not anywhere close to the mainstream view held by Muslims in Iran or any other nation where Muslims practice. It’s also a scare tactic, certainly, but the author himself is seemingly scared out of his logic – this is not Iran’s or Islam’s fault, of course.
But what kind of tolerance should be expected from this longtime oil man who, when he looks at the fabulous civilisations of Iran and China sees only one thing: people who oppose the United States. For the author Iran and China are unmotivated by anything positive, human or redeeming, but instead solely by antipathy towards the United States. Yet whether one reads trade publications like OilPrice or broader Western business publications like The Economist, The Financial Times or Les Echos this arrogant, fearful and ultimately hostile ideology is blatantly repeated over and over.
Contrarily, Iranian and Chinese businessmen simply wonder why the West refuses to do mutually-beneficial, productive, long-term business? But good, fair business is not what capitalism is – capitalism’s surpluses primarily rely on the savings provided by imperialist plunder, and then the subsequent masking of this reality of stolen resources, stolen wages and thwarted lives and cultures with a tin mass media halo. This is not a radical view of “capitalism with Western characteristics”, but an increasingly accepted view even within the 21st century West.
And this is why it is not surprising that this article on Sino-Iranian bilateral relations takes a lengthy turn into fear mongering over a Chinese take-back of Taiwan. We must remember that this trade publication puts selling oil (at as high a price as possible) above all else – above fair politics, above tolerance of the cultures of other people, above fair business – therefore OilPrice is always all-too happy to hysterically fearmong if it can raise the price of oil a buck.
The article mentions the recent and shockingly historic first Joe Biden-era China-US bilateral summit, where China responded to unprecedented diplomatic insults with an unprecedented, lengthy and entirely correct defense of the modern triumvirate I referred to as the “Allies of Sovereignty” – Iran, China and Russia.
Referring to that momentous resetting is entirely correct, but what is not correct is how the author makes the totally spurious claim quite openly that China’s stockpiling of oil – an act which he acknowledged earlier was something that, “it just makes sense for it build inventories” – was actually in preparation for an invasion of Taiwan as early as 2025?
We need to remember when reading their “objective” analyses that this is just what Western business media does: war, for imperialist countries, is a major money-making industry and thus OilPrice and their money-grubbing brethren demonise, stoke fear and cheerlead for policies which are as violent, as expensive and as destructive as possible. Nothing personal – it’s just business media.
This is why readers should remember that the conclusions of such articles are always so predictable: “…the likelihood of some type of oil shortage is becoming increasingly likely,” i.e. the price of oil should be higher than what it is now – which is all that OilPrice really cares about – because geopolitically the world is “a tinder box, that only needs a spark”.
It really isn’t.
As a result of this mutually-beneficial deal China and Iran are way, way, way more stable for the next 25 years.
That’s a good thing, but Western business media is looking for profit and not for good things.
The West’s weaponisation of the Iran-China deal to foment war has no chance of succeeding
Iran didn’t give up “too much” because they place their demand for sovereign independence over the best possible business deal – thus they simply must accept paying a premium. The “Allies of Sovereignty” is only three nations, after all. We’ve been living in a pro-globalisation world for three decades, and the lack of civic pride makes Iran’s determination even more costly, monetarily.
China has established the indispensable node for its Belt and Road Initiative, from a foreign policy/foreign economic policy perspective, and from a domestic perspective it has assured itself enough energy independence to keep growing as it chooses for the next quarter century.
Is a mutual defense pact between the two next? Frankly, Iran doesn’t need it.
There is zero chance of another Western-orchestrated invasion of Iran, following the victory of the War of Sacred Defense against Iraq and its Western (and Soviet) axis. Iran has very basic military needs because they aren’t trying to invade anyone, after all. They have achieved military parity in the only arena which matters – its own borders – and a US invasion of Iran would be Vietnam on steroids. There have already been enormous nationwide “no war with Iran” protests in the US – after the assassination of Qassem Soleimani in 2020.
Frankly, China doesn’t need it. Even if they did retake Taiwan the US would blink even faster than they did with Syria. Anyway, the international community has clearly sided with China since 1971 – Taiwan is not a country, nor are they in the United Nations, nor can they even join any UN sub-organisations. Taiwan is a province of China, even if the US thinks it is like the Cuban exile parts of southern Florida – i.e., a permanent place for fascists who lost their civil war to congregate and plot to stall political modernity and peace. Fear mongering about bloody invasion is just a way to sell more guns and oil, and now also a way to distract from this Sino-Iranian victory. It’s absurd: since WWII the West has lost in North Korea, Vietnam, Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria but mighty China should be worried?
The pact is what it openly claims it is: a multi-decade diplomatic, military and economic pact of peaceful cooperation. So on it’s own it promotes peace. And indirectly the pact is a major step towards peace and security for the world – from Western aggression. Take on one and you inevitably take on the other, and taking on either would lead to disaster for the Western aggressors. The world can’t allow that, and the world can only embrace the peacemaking Iran-China deal.
China’s “opening” of Iran is historically significant in so many ways to count, including the peaceful stability it helps ensure for the world via drawing two ethnically and religiously different parts of Asia closer together: As I detailed in Part 1 of this article, it is so very excitingly “woke” and modern. In broader terms of human history its greatest significance is: it’s a victory for socialist democracy and a huge, glaring failure for liberal democracy.
The JCPOA on Iran’s nuclear energy program would never have stopped this Iran-China alliance – Iran would never go fully into the Western camp for at least as long as the rest of the Muslim world is under the West’s thumb – but it could have at least partially counterbalanced it. Now the West is in an even worse bargaining position than before, but who wants the terrible preconditions the West demands for cooperation, and then who even expects the West to actually keep their word? They don’t do diplomacy – they do international piracy, still.
Iran waited a very long time to pick a camp, and yet they have still retained an amount of independence which almost no other nation its size can dream of today. However, as always, to write that China is being welcomed as saviours or without skepticism by Iranians would be a hilarious overstatement. What Iranians cherish most is their independence, and this is enshrined in its political and economic structures post-1979.
Iranian civil servants have chosen a wise path, and it can never be said that they did not genuinely offer the West a diplomatic path. Now their duty is to properly administer the bounty of this cooperation in a way which the Iranian people approve of. The Iranian media will be watching closely, as always.
China’s “opening” of Iran isn’t a threat to Iran, to China nor to any other non- or anti-imperialist nation. It’s only a threat to those who idealise an aristocratic past, or a soulless and ineffectual technocratic present, and to those who insist that Iran and China revert to being as unstable, despondent and unpeaceful as they were prior to their modern, socialist-inspired revolutions.
To such offers Iran and China have permanently responded: “No deal.”
Lastly, this article repeatedly stressed the incredibly animating ideological components at play in this historic international decision. It’s a shame that so many analysts completely disregard modern mankind’s longstanding ideological debates about capitalist or socialist economic practice, the cultural effects of imperialism, and what should be truly classified as “progressive” or “reactionary” politics. There isn’t a new international order, but there is clearly a second international order now on offer – it should be openly compared and contrasted.
Ramin Mazaheri is the chief correspondent in Paris for Press TV and has lived in France since 2009. He has been a daily newspaper reporter in the US, and has reported from Iran, Cuba, Egypt, Tunisia, South Korea and elsewhere. He is the author of ‘Socialism’s Ignored Success: Iranian Islamic Socialism’ as well as ‘I’ll Ruin Everything You Are: Ending Western Propaganda on Red China’, which is also available in simplified and traditional Chinese.
Iran has leaped over Saudi Arabia with this move. So the flat footed are going to respond how?
Sooner or later Syria opens up as well along with Iraq & Afghanistan in the Iran camp and the US has its island of SA which already has been beat by Yemeni.
The DC Diplomats cant shine Lavrov’s shoes nor his partners!
They don’t call us the Anglo-Zionist Empire for nothing, Ramin. The original impulse that led Europeans to engage in colonialism, domination, and exploitation is racism, the notion that God has chosen them to range around the planet, displace the indigenous, and steal their land and resources. This is exactly what led the Ashkenazim to occupy Palestine. Manifest Destiny equals Zionism equals racism, pure and simple.
This is also what has led Christian Zionists in the USA like Pence and Pompeo to kill the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran, murder General Soleimani, and almost start that apocalyptic conflict that was to have brought their warrior messiah back to Earth to smite all unbelievers, mostly Democrats. These are the same folks who think that the Earth was created exactly 6025 years ago and that the Sun is its planet. If you don’t believe that fully one quarter of Americans think the Sun goes around the Earth, Google it.
Because of new trade agreements like the Belt and Road Initiative, the Anglo-Zionist Empire is taking on water and will eventually sink like the Titanic. Problem is… they have nukes, lots of them. They will not go quietly into that dark night like empires of the past. The Zionist Samson Option will ensure that they will take the rest of humanity with them.
Tommy I virtually agree with all your thoughts; As for they will not go quietly; Most likely not. but you forget that by nature they are cowards, they have shown that over and over in their history, they attack like hyenas in Packs, and on a much smaller and weaker targets. However, they’re defeats in Viet Nam, Laos, Cambodia, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan consistently shows that Dinky War toys are of no use in front of determined foe.
Perhaps Afghanistan, My Ancestral motherland is a classic example of dudes in flip flops with only AK47 second war rifles and 5 dollar pressure-cooker IEDs (Improvised explosive devices) that took out 20 million dollar tanks, Afghans not only defeated these criminals but humiliated them at every turn.
I know first hand that NATO/American cowards are so scared to move around by road that even a military convoy pays local warlords for safe passage, they are hanging around in mile deep bunkers to save face but there is no face to save. The Soviet Union suffered same defeat and humiliation in my beloved Afghanistan, Every last true Afghan would rather die than to let invaders take over, apparently these cowards are not educated enough to take a lesson from history. Afghanistan is the graveyard of empires, in recent memory the Soviet empire collapsed after Afghan adventure and only Russia remains, America is on verge of collapse after 20 years of war in Afghanistan and are they are currently begging Talibans for Talks, but Talibans are the victors and victors are hardly in no need of talks, they have made it clear that every last criminal invader leaves or the war goes on.
Now as for them having nuclear weapons, gone are the days when they monopolised; As others didn’t have them, these western criminals threatened nukes. Pakistan is a great example, for two decades it suffered with sanctions Threats of Invasions and economic blackmail but the Pakistanis went ahead and exploded 7 nuclear devices in one go with a posture that the next day they had a battery of over several dozens nuclear armed rockets all in position to take out Israel (The root of all evil on this planet) and all American bases in the middle east as well, ever since they have slinked away in fear and only fight their war on BBC, CNN and FOX, as if Pakistan gives a hoot.
Same is the case with Iran, The Iranians are masters of making diplomacy moves at the right time, after all its these Persians who invented chess, Iran is already Nuclear armed and in addition is reported to have close to 300,000 missiles of different pedigree (as a result of sanctions their indigenous technology grew exponentially.
That being the case these western criminals who you think wont go easily have very limited choices; Unless they are mad enough to destroy themselves and many others, but the fact is that their time is up one way or the other the new multipolar world order will emerge and there is not much these evil people can do about it.
@Tommy, nukes are a two way street……….there still are rational actors, just holding back playing the hand dealt, bluff or call…………..goes both ways these days and hypersonicly so!
Cheers, M
That’s why they call it the Samson Option, Sean. He was the Israelite dude who brought the house down on himself and everyone else in the Philistine temple of Dagon. That’s why Israel has their nuclear arsenal in the first place.
Just to reiterate what I wrote before: In 1904 Halford Mackinder warned the British Government of the importance of Euro-Asia, namely that the ones who control it will have a prime political and economic voice in the world. One can say that two world wars were fought to prevent this. However, Euro-Asia is on the rise. This Iran-China Pact will strengthen both the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Euro-Asian Economic Union. Wall Street will now apply even more pressure on the US Government to play it tough with China. It won’t work.
This is a tremendous development for Iran and China and others in the allied resistance to the US led axis of stupidity. And I mean stupidity – the US, UK, and EU are stuck beating the same dead horse. They will not contribute to the emerging multifarious humanity. They are racing toward failure upon failure.
I skimmed quickly over the takedown of OilPrice to get to the concluding observations – brilliant as always, Ramin Mazaheri.
This for me was the great perspective from this article:
Many thanks for the view from Iran, Ramin.
Iranians are the friendliest of people to foreigners.
Morever they are very tolerant of other religions. They are quite proud of their Zoroastrian origins and to be honest I felt the long influence of this religion very much still a real force not to mention other religions.
Watcher
I totally agree with your observations. At college and later at university, the kids that i was closest to were in fact the Iranians and Chinese. I very much liked their calm and considered perspectives, their food culture, their serious attitude to scholarly studies. This was pre -979 and many Iranian kids told me about their experiences at the hands of SAVAK…When i wanted to go out on the town, the guys i preferred to hang out with were the Greek Cypriots, always a happy, boisterous but amazingly resolute crowd who fought loudly against any injustice. I was called the Babe-Magnet and it was the shy and reserved Iranians and Chinese who called on my help the most. Happy days….
Thing to do for the West is to stop trading with China and start making everything at home.
That will be a long term solution and make any such pacts irrelevant.
Ramin,
Thoughtful, illuminating as always. You mention an Alliance of Sovereignty, which is to say you include Russia in your thinking on this historic permanent partnership. I would welcome your thoughts on Russia from an Iranian perspective and from the perspective of this new alliance…
Daqui do Brasil, país (momentaneamente) prostrado e em contínua vassalagem econômica e cultural, acompanhando frestas de luz nesta realidade escura do atual momento da humanidade. Agradeço a Deus por me permitir achar esta agulha no palheiro no meio de tanta desinformação das mídias compradas. E também ao Saker e suas acertadas escolhas de colaboradores.
Ramin diz: … E indiretamente o pacto é um grande passo em direção à paz e segurança para o mundo – desde a agressão ocidental…
Concordo (aliviado e esperançoso) plenamente.
Obrigado Ramin. Que o Deus de todos nós te abençoe sempre.
Google translate:
From here in Brazil, a country (momentarily) prostrated and in continuous economic and cultural vassalage, accompanying cracks of light in this dark reality of the current moment of humanity. I thank God for allowing me to find this needle in the haystack in the midst of so much misinformation of the media purchased. And also to Saker and his right choices of collaborators.
Ramin says: … And indirectly the pact is a major step towards peace and security for the world – from Western aggression.
I agree (relieved and hopeful) fully.
Thank you Ramin. May the God of us all bless you always.