José R. Rivera-González

A look at a gross diplomatic blunder – BBC News – Dominick Chilcott: Iran may feel remorse over UK tensions

In IR, political_commentary on December 3, 2011 at 2:51 pm

In this video (linked below) we see British Ambassador to Tehran, Dominick Chilcott recounting the events around the invasion of the UK Diplomatic Mission, which included two properties (one of them housing families of British diplomats) in the Iranian Capital.

Despite his calm demeanour, Ambassador Chilcott  delivers a scathing judgement of the events that unfolded in the Embassy storming.

BBC News – Dominick Chilcott: Iran may feel remorse over UK tensions.

I agree with the Ambassador that this has the makings of a concerted and conceited effort on the part of the Iranian state to get back at the United Kingdom for sanctions imposed on the former’s financial sector.

Apart from the seriousness of this blunder -and I believe the Iranian government knows it judging by this video (also below)- this whole event smacks of, not only fanaticism, but activist infantilism.

 

The incompetence of the Iranian state is reflected in this event.  Allowing fanatical students to storm a foreign diplomatic mission is a serious violation of diplomatic protocol and international law.  If there ever was a chance to engage in constructive dialogue with the regime of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad this single happening curtailed it.  I’m not sure what the Iranians hope to gain by depleting British good faith. It seems to me like an unwise effort on the part of the state to have their younger generations (those that are faithful to them anyway) reminisce 1979.

There is also the matter of distracting the population of their everyday problems and the Iranian government’s lack of capacity to engage them.  It is always easier to play the role of tragic hero, blaming outsider for national woes, than to govern.

What is to be done?

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