In the last days of America’s hegemony (18)

America should know that peace with Iran is mother of all peace, and war with Iran is the mother of all wars’ – Hassan Rouhani, president of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The moment I heard those words I couldn’t help it, I smiled. Superficially, they are nothing but babbling. Historically they take me afar. I cannot pinpoint what the president meant; nevertheless, they are words carrying weight. Rouhani’s threat takes as aback to what Iran has been and her immense contribution to modern world.

The good thing is, in his speech the president alludes to history and facts of political maturity obvious in ancient studies that should guide the US in knowing the place of Persians.

Plain as they sound, the words are foundations for my next argument that ‘America is waning’.

Iran is truly mother to civilisation. No single area in history has contributed too much. Iran was the first architect of a strong, vast empire – as big as a million square miles – subjecting hundreds of language communities.

Iran built an empire that survived longest in world history – over 200 years. Iran is ‘saviour’ of Jews from captivity and gave back to them their religion – Jewish Tanach and the Bible ((Isaiah 45:1-3) call the son of Iran- Cyrus II - ‘Messiah’ (God’s anointed one). Modern government mechanics and administration come from Iran - not Europe or America. To achieve the impact needed, I had to begin this way.

Cyrus II and the history of Power. In Persis a son was born, a son who would bequeath a lot to the world. His name was Cyrus II – a prince – son of Cambyses I.

Cyrus was born in a growing kingdom of Persia and he was lucky to find his Achaemenid dynasty had built a strong army. Troubles – as always – begin with possession of strong armies.

Cyrus took up the military and wealth Persians had toiled for to conquer Media, Lydia and Babylonia – sealing fate to what Nebuchadnezzar II had made of the region.

The appetite for war once an empire is in gears does not end with victories – it goes on. That held steadfastly with Cyrus the Great.

Cyrus fought nasty wars conquering vast areas. He subdued many lands and exploited every living creature in his way.

He was capable of that as long as his army remained stronger and growing – as is a rule for empires – militarism becoming an addiction. To the end of his life Cyrus would leave an empire so cruel, so terrorizing and hell-bent to crush renegades and neighbours.

The whole region became ‘a field of war, a bloodspot’. Through his experience, Cyrus saw that power corrupted more it grew – he saw himself bending too absolute.

This phenomenon threatened rebellions among conquered territories and presented Persians an over-lordship.

Over-lordship taught him how subduing many lands was costfully unsustainable. This pushed his invention of pillars of modern politicisation. Cyrus made ‘edicts of restoration’. As the name suggests, he brought back what were there before. First; previously conquered lands were to be returned to their former ‘lords’ – wherein local rulers recovered their powers.

They were to rule themselves under Persian kingship as long as the people paid tributes and taxes – he called lesser lords ‘Satraps’. Second, he restored the cultures of all his subjects making it free to exercise ones’ identities and religion. It is in this ‘outsmarting’ that Jews got lucky – their culture was restored. They also went back home – read the Tanach.

America’s power stays in military bases. Well, that is a tried and failed mechanics of power control - none had it better than Cyrus II.

He was the founder. To disrupt rogue political entities under Satraps (puppets-cum-allies) Cyrus made sure none else had strong militaries. He foiled any such attempt.

All over the first Persian Empire were thus spotted Persian military camps ready to crush local rebellions and make sure Persian imperialism remained functional and vigilantly alert.

Do not miss the next issue; come to learn how far Iran (Persia) is mother to modern civilisations.