Today, the religious fascism governing Iran is the focal point of warmongering in the modern world. This is a reality acknowledged by most governments and statesmen globally. However, the practical approach they adopt to counter it only serves to strengthen it further. What are the consequences of this paradox for the world and the Middle East?
The Peaceful Coexistence of Appeasement and Fascism
The repeatedly failed approach of major powers toward this regime has been appeasement instead of facing it with firmness.
The ineffectiveness of the policy of appeasing religious fascism is now more evident than ever, prompting the urgent question: what is the correct solution? This issue was addressed at a conference in Berlin attended by Maryam Rajavi and German and international political figures.
Professor Alejo Vidal-Quadras, the former First Vice President of the European Parliament, who himself has been targeted by the regime, recommended the EU designate Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization, following similar steps taken by the United States and Canada, to neutralize the operational capacities of a terrorist organization destabilizing the Middle East.
— Alejo Vidal-Quadras (@VidalQuadras) October 26, 2024
Ambassador Lincoln Bloomfield Jr. issued a powerful call for Western governments to re-evaluate their approach to Iran. Bloomfield criticized Western governments past policies, noting they believed the regime could reform and had “no alternative to the religious dictatorship.” He underscored that decades of disinformation from Tehran misled policymakers, with foreign capitals unknowingly influenced by “agents of influence” acting on behalf of the Iranian regime. “Many agents have been exposed,” he stated, pointing to recent revelations about Iran’s influence in Washington and Europe.
Informative Vorträge von Amb @LBJunior über den iranischen Terrorismus, einflussreiche Agenten und die Aktivitäten des iranischen Regimes. pic.twitter.com/jRQKXgvhcS
— Javad Dabiran (@JavadDabiran) October 26, 2024
Dr. Franz Josef Jung, German Minister of Defense (2005-2009), called on the EU and the German government to formally list the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization and to actively support the resistance to pave the way for a democratic Iran.
Speaking at the Berlin conference, Prof. Dr. Herta Däubler-Gmelin called for a strong stance from Germany and Europe on Iran’s human rights abuses. She noted that repression in Iran undermines not only the Iranian people but also peace in the Middle East and globally: “Freedom in Iran guarantees peace in the Middle East.”
Real and Fake Opposition
Bitter historical experiences show that major powers have not allowed democratic change in countries like Iran to protect their own interests. They always interfere by promoting opposition or pseudo-opposition forces.
The Head of the German Committee for Solidarity with a Free Iran, Leo Dautzenberg, emphasized that the West missed a major opportunity in 1979 by failing to “make any effort to establish connections with the true opposition in Iran.” A central point of discussion was the role of the NCRI as a united and effective opposition force against Iran’s clerical regime. According to Dautzenberg, the NCRI represents the “only organized and real force” with a clear democratic vision for Iran’s future. He argued for a decisive break from the failed policy of appeasement, suggesting instead that the West should bolster the democratic opposition.
Elements of Strategic Change
After repeated dead-ends in the threadbare policy of appeasement, the world today needs a new, immediate, and decisive policy toward the ruling religious fascism in Iran—a comprehensive and strategic shift.
The former EU Parliament VP, Alejo Vidal-Quadras, outlined a five-point strategy for the European Union:
1.International isolation of the Iranian regime, closing all EU embassies in Tehran, and expelling all diplomatic personnel from EU soil.
- Listing the IRGC as a terrorist organization by the European Union.
- Financial weakening of the Iranian regime through expanded and intensified economic and trade sanctions.
- Increasing and sustaining pressure on the Iranian regime for its unacceptable human rights abuses against women and the Iranian people.
5. Full political support for the National Council of Resistance of Iran as the genuine alternative to the ruling dictatorship and the only Iranian group capable of achieving democracy.