Zarif: Security and Regional Stability Unpurchaseable

IRAN NEWS POLITICAL DESK

TEHRAN – Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif yesterday said reiterated that no security possible at the expense of others’ security and called for cooperation among regional states to establish sustainable peace and stability in the region.

Addressing to the 2019 Doha Forum underway in the Qatari capital of Doha, Zarif said, “While we enjoy tranquility and security here in the heart of West Asia, our region is in severe turmoil.”

He noted, “I believe the root cause of the multiple and chronic crises we face lies in a cognitive disorder: a disorder that is not just afflicting countries in the region but also global powers. And that is why I believe fora such as this prestigious gathering provide unique opportunities to try to uncover our presumptions, deconstruct our assumptions and think together on a way out of the current regional predicament.”

He continued,” The first and most persistent cognitive disorder is the zero-sum approach to global issues. Far too many continue to believe that even in our interconnected world—where everything from trade and the environment to information and even emotions are globalized—one can gain at the expense of others.  That one can have security through depriving one’s own neighbors of the same. That has never worked. It will never work. Security—just like climate change—does not know borders and is thus indivisible. But that is not all.”

In some part of his speech he noted, “Some global actors look at these disparities and the unending rivalries in the region as an opportunity: indeed, as providing a fertile ground to expand their military presence and to sell more weapons to nearly all sides in the region. But this outside presence has neither enhanced the security of outside actors, nor that of the region. Indeed, it has only led to disasters, from the downing of an Iranian civil airliner by USS Vincennes in 1988 to the rise in extremism as a natural consequence of the U.S. presence in Iraq and Afghanistan—an outcome we had predicted as early as 2001.”

Zarif went on to say, “As for weapons trade, the Persian Gulf states accounted for nearly ONE QUARTER of GLOBAL ARMS IMPORTS during 2014-18, almost DOUBLING on average compared to the preceding five years. Unsurprisingly, the United States sold most of these lethal arms. But the real question is: have these vast U.S. arms sales to this region recovered anything even remotely close to the 7 trillion dollars that President Trump himself has acknowledged as having been wasted in our region since 2001?

To be fair, global powers do not have a monopoly over this cognitive disorder. Unfortunately, nobody does.”

Some regional actors consider disparities as an opportunity to achieve regional hegemony. Saddam Hussein’s invasions of Iran and Kuwait, the Saudi blockade against Qatar and the war in Yemen are but examples of catastrophic miscalculations to use misperceived opportunities to achieve regional hegemony.

And most in this region, enjoying the abundance of wealth brought by petrodollars, believe that everything can be bought. Certainly, arms – including the most sophisticated ones—can be purchased in abundance. Sadly, even some foreign policies can be bought by the highest bidder too. But can security be purchased? Can regional stability be bought?

He also added that the recent proposal of President Rouhani to launch the Hormuz Peace Endeavor—or HOPE—is a continuation of our longstanding commitment to an inclusive and comprehensive regional framework for constructive engagement.

“HOPE is based on the recognition of the responsibility of every state in the region to ensure peace, stability and prosperity in our neighborhood and benefit from it. It is based on the assumption that the region and the world have a common and vital interest in maintaining freedom of navigation and energy security FOR ALL,” he added.

Zarif stated, “We in Iran believe that a new regional approach should be the outcome of collective deliberations. President Rouhani has shared our initial thoughts with all leaders of littoral states of the Persian Gulf, inviting them to enrich these ideas and participate in their implementation.”