George Bush’S Great America [EN]: Chapter 50

< Episode 49 >

In a newly built, completely soundproofed room, the Chief of Staff began his briefing.

“I’ll start with a lecture on ‘What kind of country is Iran? And why are diplomatic relations between Iran and the United States so strained?'”

Regardless of George Bush’s general knowledge, or even if he knew more about foreign affairs than the average person, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he was almost completely ignorant about Iran. While the knowledge of George W. Bush was present to some extent, listening to a detailed lecture was vastly different from simply trying to recall scattered facts.

Therefore, a foundational understanding of Iran was necessary.

Everyone knows that Iran and the United States are not on good terms.

But in fact, just 30 years before 2001, Iran was a pro-American regime. They even operated Western-made F-14 fighters, acquired during that era, which were still in active service as late as 2019.

So, why does Iran now consider the United States an irreconcilable enemy?

Because 30 years prior, it wasn’t just a different regime, but a completely different country. At that time, Iran was the Iranian Empire under the Pahlavi dynasty. The Pahlavi dynasty began in 1921, prioritizing the modernization of Iran and actively pursuing it.

Pahlavi I was obsessed with modernization, adopting Western clothing to abolish the hijab [traditional Islamic headscarf] and enacting numerous reforms, including the creation of a constitution, judiciary, and national bank. He also oversaw the construction of railways throughout Iran, laying a solid foundation for the country’s future progress.

So that it would become a very deep-rooted tree.

“So far, so good. Everything seemed ideal.”

The problem arose with Pahlavi II.

During World War II, a period of global turmoil, Pahlavi I, recognizing the danger of aligning with either side, declared ‘neutrality.’ This was ostensibly to protect Iran from the war’s flames, but arguably, it was indecisiveness stemming from an inability to predict the victor.

Declaring neutrality was acceptable, but neutrality is only effective when strictly observed – when no cause for suspicion is given to either party.

Pahlavi I, still undecided, tolerated the presence of Germans in Iran. The Allied forces strongly protested this, demanding the expulsion of the Germans. Ultimately, this expulsion was refused. The Allies, unwilling to allow the Nazis to potentially control Iran’s oil fields, ended Iran’s neutrality by invading and occupying the country.

“What an indecisive king!”

Bush ridiculed Pahlavi I, asserting that he would have joined the Allied forces. This wasn’t solely based on knowing the future; the Soviet Union was a direct neighbor, and the Nazis espoused racial discrimination. Joining the Allies would have been the obvious choice.

“That’s right. It ended with external occupation and Pahlavi I passing the throne to Pahlavi II internally, but why do you like it so much?”

“Keep going. I want to hear the history of Iran soon.”

“Understood.”

Because the Pahlavi dynasty had failed to defend Iran from the Allied forces, Pahlavi II couldn’t wield the absolute power his father, Pahlavi I, had enjoyed. His authority was comparatively weaker.

After much deliberation, Pahlavi II concluded that his father’s modernization efforts were insufficient. He believed a new form of modernization was needed and implemented developmental dictatorship under the guise of ‘modernization from above.’

Developmental dictatorship meant the state promoted national wealth and military strength, appealing to the populace’s basic needs. Simply put, it was the promise of prosperity in exchange for obedience: ‘Do as I say, and you’ll have rice, meat soup, and a large tiled house!’ Sound familiar?

Thus, Pahlavi II aimed for economic growth, implementing land reform, introducing secularism, and granting women’s suffrage. However, Iranian society was deeply Islamic, and this sparked significant backlash.

Pahlavi I had strong centralization and imperial power, allowing him to dismiss dissent with, ‘You ignorant people? Do you have any complaints?’ But Pahlavi II, lacking that authority, established the secret police, SAVAK [Organization of National Security and Information], to maintain control.

Fearing that the Soviet Union might one day absorb Iran, his foreign policy became staunchly pro-American. He was so pro-American that the United States sold F-14s to the Iranian Air Force before any other country, even promising to export advanced aircraft like the F-18, still under development.

“I’m sorry, but can I ask why you’re smiling so intensely?”

“What are you talking about! I have no idea! Tell me more! Quickly!”

To reiterate, Iran is a deeply Islamic country. A country consists of territory, population, and sovereignty. The population, the people, believed that Pahlavi II’s secularist actions thoroughly disregarded Islamic traditions and the Quran.

Had he stopped there, he might have remained a more or less unstable ruler. However, Pahlavi II, having successfully ousted prime ministers who clashed with him, promoted himself from king to emperor, solidifying his autocratic rule.

And, naturally, the Iranian Revolution erupted, fueled by citizens who could no longer tolerate the situation, leading to the establishment of the Islamic Republic. The pro-American stance shifted to anti-Americanism, and the supreme leader became the infamous ‘Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.’

Khomeini’s top priority was ensuring all laws were based on Sharia [Islamic law], derived from the Quran, aligning perfectly with Islamic fundamentalism.

Iran is truly a turbulent land. How else could so many incidents and accidents occur in such a short span of 30 years? Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, based on secularism, was right next door to a successful Islamic fundamentalist revolution.

This led to the Iraq-Iran War, a protracted conflict lasting eight years, from 1980 to 1988.

And currently, Ali Khamenei has been ruling Iran since 1981!

“That’s all.”

“That was a truly passionate lecture! Good! Very good! I can practically hear your salary increasing from here! Isn’t it touching?”

Bush stood up and applauded.

“Please reduce your eccentric behavior instead of increasing my salary.”

The Chief of Staff grumbled. In reality, any ‘salary increase’ would likely be a personal bonus. But someone in his position wouldn’t be motivated by money.

The Chief of Staff had even had a nightmare the previous night, watching Bush experimenting with the button, musing, ‘If I press this big, beautiful red button only halfway, will the missile really launch? Or not?’ Andrew Card had never experienced such a vivid dream.

‘And the reason relations with the United States haven’t improved is because of nuclear development.’

In the 1950s, Iran, having gained nuclear power development capabilities through a nuclear energy agreement during its pro-American period, began to crave overwhelming power when relations with the United States soured! The ultimate force!

Thus, under Khomeini’s leadership, Iran began developing nuclear weapons, like many countries with limited military strength.

Since Iran was an anti-Western and anti-American regime, it needed to align with other powerful nations, targeting China, the rising sun, and Russia, the fallen but resurgent giant.

‘I got hit.’

When asked if he was upset, he seemed very agitated.

‘But so what?’

Even a gathering of piranhas is still just piranhas. The issue was that these piranhas produced oil, but the shale revolution and Saudi Arabia remained on the US’s side. It was crucial for the United States to coordinate to prevent oil prices from rising, which would benefit a resurgent Russia. That’s why Bush deployed a carrier strike group to the Persian Gulf.

‘If necessary, there’s Brent oil too.’

The North Sea oil fields were largely depleted by 2019, except for natural gas, but in 2001, they were still abundant. Therefore, slightly disrupting the North Sea oil fields to harass Russia would likely gain Europe’s ready agreement.

‘We need to stabilize oil prices at a certain level before Russia fully realizes this.’

The ideal scenario would be for both Europe and Russia to return to the fold, but Europe was unlikely to comply after the recent tensions, and Russia was inherently resistant. Even a weakened crucian carp is still a crucian carp, and Russia had always been the leader of the communist bloc.

So, even if al-Zarqawi [leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq] was captured, Europe’s attitude wouldn’t change. However, judging by Russia’s continued small-scale troop movements and focus on Chechnya, it might retreat quickly if al-Zarqawi was apprehended. Or it might send officials, weapons, and military advisors to eastern Iraq, similar to the United States’ approach.

“We need to lend more weapons to Afghanistan.”

If Afghanistan’s defense capabilities were strengthened, the Middle East could be secured regardless of other events. However, Afghanistan would struggle with weapon maintenance costs alone, requiring the United States to bear those expenses.

In the short term, this would increase the number of immediately deployable assets. In the long term, it would allow Afghanistan to focus on domestic affairs, strengthening the United States’ influence in the Middle East.

The United States, controlling parts of the Middle East and shale oil! The prospect was exhilarating!

“Now that I have a rough understanding of Iran, I have a sharp idea of what to do!”

The Chief of Staff finally understood why Bush was so enthusiastic.

“Soon, the history of Iran will be at the level that archaeologists are looking for.”

Looking into Bush’s eyes, the Chief of Staff saw the excitement of a child on the eve of a picnic. Understandably, he must have been thrilled listening to the history of a country on the verge of disappearing.

“Please refrain from declaring war.”

“Chief of Staff, don’t worry so much. Haven’t I been very restrained lately? I have no intention of turning Iran back into the Stone Age! Well, then!”

“Then…?”

“I’m a person who gave North Korea a chance too. Everyone is equal, so we have to give them a chance.”

Someone once said, ‘The mind is like a rubber ball; the more you press it, the more it bounces back.’ The Chief of Staff understood this perfectly. This man’s reaction would be proportional to the pressure he had endured.

The method to address the cause of his vacation being ruined was becoming increasingly clear.

* * *

“Oh, um. A notification has arrived from the United States.”

“I’m busy. Summarize it.”

Khamenei adopted an annoyed tone, as if expecting the inevitable. He seemed to despise the United States, refusing to even read their telegram himself. While he couldn’t completely ignore it, he was clearly reluctant.

‘It’s probably a protest against applying for membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization [SCO].’

Of course, his refusal wasn’t solely based on childish animosity. The content was predictable. It would likely reiterate economic sanctions, warn of consequences, and advocate for freedom. They were always consistent.

Even during nuclear weapons development, their stance was unwavering. But those tactics were losing their effectiveness, as joining the SCO would grant access to cheap consumer goods from China and military supplies from Russia.

In this scenario, Iran, a self-sufficient oil-producing country, had little to lose. They denied it outright, but they possessed nuclear weapons. The middle class wasn’t starving. And their defense capabilities, while perhaps not cutting-edge, were far from weak.

“What are you doing? Why don’t you speak quickly?”

He had been efficient before, but today he was stammering with a bewildered expression.

“Are they really doing it? It’s only one line.”

Only one line? What nonsense was this?

“What? One line? Is it a computer error?”

Khamenei, equally bewildered, snatched the printed message.

The content was as follows:

「That’s interesting. Do it more.」

The message sent a chill down Khamenei’s spine. The message made Khamenei’s spine tingle.