Iran and The West (3/3): Nuclear Confrontation - BBC (Feb 21, 2009)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00hydcg
** Documentary series marking the 30th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution.
In part three of this landmark series from Norma Percy and the team that made the multi-award winning documentaries The Death of Yugoslavia and Elusive Peace: Israel and the Arabs, contributors including Iran's President Khatami tell the inside story of the West's continuing nuclear confrontation with Iran. The film also shows a rare moment when they worked together.
US State Department insiders tell how, after 9/11, Iran played a key role in helping America to topple the Taliban in Afghanistan - only for President Bush to put Iran into his 'axis of evil' immediately afterwards. Jack Straw, then foreign secretary, and President Khatami describe how Iran offered to help the US and its allies in their war against Saddam Hussein - help that, given Iran's powerful contacts in Iraq and the West's subsequent difficulties there, might have made a crucial difference.
Jack Straw, his successor Margaret Beckett, and Joschka Fischer of Germany describe how they struggled to find a compromise between Iran and President Bush's hardliners over Iran's nuclear programme. John Sawers at the UN reveals an extraordinary secret deal that Iran proposed a few years later.
Aired: 090221, 090223, 090227, 090228, 090704

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Iran
• US
• nuclear
• Afghanistan
• assassination
• Ahmad
• Shad
• Massoud
• 9-11
• terrorist
• attacks
• Iraq
• War

[artin74]

Lots of things are missing in this history and some have changed ...for exam> who helped the paki talibans to be on power in afghanistan @ U.S and Soviet Union cold war time?(CIA) 2- who helped Saddam with wapens and chemical bombs to attack iran and to get the Khoozestan's (OIL) ot of iranians hand? (WEST and soudi)! on 1977-78 who helped the unknown Khomeini to become known for iranians and be on power in iran? radio(BBC london) and the (CIA)...!

[beefy69]

bush is a shit

[dagdagdag]

fuck obama and america and israel

[LeHuyAnh]

@31:45: Annoyingly arrogant and over-confident American!

[ASexyChef]

@TheDewey05 I think the fact the US threatens to invade Iran, is the major reason why Iran is trying to obtain the Bomb, we do not threaten to invade N. Korea even though they act more insane, yet they have the bomb, I think Iran does want to be a larger power, in the area, the US is hard on Iran for I think two major reasons, Israel wants it, they are shia not sunni so Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, etc wants it too, they are a different Muslim sect than most area! But I do agree with you.

[TheDewey05]

@ASexyChef

Not taking Politics into consideration w/in Iran or any other Country is trying to down play the role of religious views in the Middle East. I agree w/ the comparison between US Political / Foreign Policy is reflective of the East India Company (from what little i know). Yet, in a global view you must include not just the US, but Russia and China. the United Nations is the global (growing) Power in Europe. Iran wanting to be viewed as an 'Adult' Country as a Teenager

[ASexyChef]

@TheDewey05 I think the point was to focus on Iran and not the geo politics. Yes you can talk about the fact that during the cold war, the US supported whomever would restrict the expansion of the USSR. Yet after the collapses, the US did not change it keep doing the same in the region, and it did not than try to support democracy, but what would be best for US or US companies, and right now the USA looks more like Britain when the east india company controlled politics.

[TheDewey05]

the lack of 'foreign policy' isn't the answer, two examples from the hip are: Hitlers rise to power and the Cold War issues between the U.S.S.R. and U.S.A. adverting a Atomic War, amid regional political power hubs.

[lloydgar01]

and the conclusion is: america should get its nose out of the world and stop this "foreign policy" bullshit. foreign policy is just another way of saying "we govern you."

[FriedToast]

So many wasted chances.