Christmas, Hopes and Woes

As Christmas arrives the atmosphere of festivity spreads not only in the Western / Christian hemisphere but also in other areas of the world, including here in Tehran where you can see Christmas decorations in many shops and stores. The sentiment of hope for peaceful coexistence among followers of different religions and sects is now stronger than ever in Iran, with the postive steps taken to improve social and political conditions by the Rouhani administration, even though challenges still persist. Armenians not only celebrate freely but their presence is clearly felt in the mainstream media, I was reading a debate about the increasing prices of a Christmas tree in Tehran yesterday in a daily newspaper.Or the visit I had last year to the Armenian cultural and sports club Ararat which recieved widespread media coverage.

Yet this not the general image in the region, American military adventurism in the past decades instigated by the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan has left indelible scars of pain, suffering and destruction in most countries of the region. In addition to Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq that still suffer from violence, terror and insecurity now hallmarked by the fabrication of DAESH,Palestine Libya,Somalia,Yemen, Egypt and many more have faced the exodus of Christians and minorities who have faced persecution at the hands of terrorists who are mandated to smear the image of Islam and sow discord and insecurity in the region.In an artcle entitled "Why Millions will Mourn this Christmas " http://www.ronpaulinstitute.org/archives/featured-articles/2014/december/23/why-millions-of-christians-will-mourn-this-christmas/, Evan Mcadams best described the predicament :"It will be a miserable Christmas for the overseas victims of US interventions this year. Though "regime change" proponents talk of bringing freedom and democracy to the countries they target, the end result is quite the opposite: the rise of extremism, famine, ethnic cleansing, and economic destruction are what the US government has left behind in places like Iraq, Syria, and Ukraine."

In Iran many observers see positve prospects for the final resolution of the Nuclear issue particularly after the restoration of ties with Cuba which has improved the approval ratings of the US President, there is much speculation that negotiations will pave the way for the success of the nuclear talks and lifting of the illegal sanctions against our nation.

Iran now has undeniable leverage in the Islamic world, the current Iranian administration percieves this as an opportunity to promote peace and security in the region and to combat terrorism and extremism which most probably parallels the interests of the nations in the Western Hemisphere. Mr. Obama now has a unique chance to improve the image of the USG smeared by war mongering,torture and racism, to counter the extemists who rely on blood and the suffering for their dominion and to come to terms with the Islamic Republic of Iran.