Iran & USA allies in Afghanistan:stranger than reality

[davidbfpo]

A short primer which aims to answer:

Has Iran's influence in Afghanistan changed since the U.S. troop surge in 2010? What steps has it taken in anticipation of the U.S. withdrawal planned for 2014?

Nicely put:

Iran is probably not in favor of a Western-influenced , democratic, affluent Afghanistan, but at the same time, is concerned that an unstable, opium producing and radicalized Afghanistan can also pause a major threat to its interests, as experienced in the 1990s.

Link:http://iranprimer.usip.org/blog/2013...ter-us-pullout

Finally, the author is a former Afghan Foreign MInister.

[davidbfpo]

A historical post on Iran-US relations before the US Embassy hostages incident, in 1979, by a respected British-Iranian academic:

Throughout 1979, and in stark contradiction to the narrative of mutual animosity, the US had began a series of intelligence briefings for the provisional government of Iran. These briefings were to be substantive and detailed. In late October US intelligence briefings warned the Iranians that Saddam Hussein was preparing for an invasion and that adequate measures needed to be taken to deter any attack. According to Mark Gasiorowski, the briefing was delivered on 15 October with a follow up on the 18th.[4] Two days later Carter took the decision to allow the Shah in for medical treatment. The rest, we might say, is history.

The footnote refers to:

[4] For more details on this fascinating part of US-Iran relations see Mark Gasiorowski's excellent article, US Intelligence Assistance to Iran, May-October 1979, Middle East Journal, Fall 2012.

The quote comes as the final paragraph in a review of the film 'Argo':http://www.rusi.org/analysis/comment.../#.US5bseuAuXT

[davidbfpo]

Taken from a comment on SWJ by Mark Pyruz:

.... the example of successfully supporting the Northern Alliance is the critical role the Islamic Republic of Iran played in uniting the NA in its acceptance of U.S. terms for that support. The Iranians put themselves forward in the hopes of improving relations with the U.S., cooperating with American efforts during the initial stages of OEF and delivering their principal ally in Afghanistan, the NA, in the fight against the Taliban. However, after success was achieved, President Bush 'rewarded' Iran as being part of an "Axis of Evil" .

Former national security officials in the Bush Administration Flynt and Hillary Mann Leverett write at length about this in their new book "Going to Tehran". The book also provides an empathetic rendering of Iran's national security and geopolitical outlook that's right on the mark and pretty much unavailable anywhere else in such detail. Well worth the read.

Link to cited book, published January 2013, with many good reviews:http://www.amazon.com/Going-Tehran-U...pr_product_top

Link to SWJ article - on other matters:http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art...ns-for-success