Mohammad Mahdi Shariatmadar, former diplomat and political analyst in Western Asia affairs
Imam Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, in a meeting with the officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran and ambassadors of Islamic countries on the anniversary of the Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) Bi’tha, elaborated on the attempts of colonialists to achieve three objectives: plundering other nations’ wealth, stealing their authentic cultures, and destroying their national and religious identities.
Imam Khamenei, with each of his speeches, introduces us to a new dimension of his perspective on the contemporary world and its events. Therefore, discussing this subject requires placing his recent positions within the framework of his intellectual system, particularly his critical view of Western civilization. It is also necessary to consider the chronological progression of his positions regarding the thoughts and cultures of other nations. He initially spoke of a “cultural nocturnal raid,” later introduced the term “cultural attack,” and subsequently he spoke of a “cultural NATO.” If we review his positions chronologically, we find that he is ultimately speaking of a dangerous historical turning point.
Thus, we see that Imam Khamenei moves beyond merely critiquing Western civilization and defending the Islamic Ummah against it, transitioning into confrontation and action. Discussing this phase is extensive — it begins with the Islamic awakening in the Muslim world, passes through Imam Khamenei’s views as outlined in his declaration of the “Second Phase of the Revolution” and the strategic documents formulated based on these views, and ultimately leads to the project of establishing a new Islamic civilization.
I find it necessary to emphasize and reiterate that Imam Khamenei’s latest speech must be examined within the framework of this intellectual system, as well as within the process of critiquing Western civilization and the forward-looking perspective that he outlines in his statements. Regarding Imam Khamenei’s critical stance, it should be noted that even before the victory of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, he consistently spoke about colonialism, then neo-colonialism, post-colonialism, American hegemony, and the false claims of the so-called Western civilization. He has also provided a precise critique of Western thought and civilization. At the same time, he has continually emphasized the necessity of countering the enemy’s actions, including resisting against the occupiers.
For example, when discussing the Zionists’ occupation of Palestine, he always stresses that the main factor behind this catastrophe is US support and Washington’s role in this occupation. He never overlooks the role of the US domination over the world’s resources. Thus, we see that he consistently speaks about recognizing the enemy, the jihad of clarification, the right of Islamic nations to independent decision-making, the revival of the grandeur of the Islamic world, and the establishment of a new Islamic civilization. It is within this framework that his recent remarks on the plundering of natural resources, the destruction of authentic cultures, and the erasure of national and religious identities can be understood.
In this regard, he first addresses a form of economic terrorism carried out by the United States and Global Arrogance. Indeed, America’s and the West’s wealth is rooted in the plundering of other nations’ resources and riches. This has happened in many African countries and numerous other nations around the world. The West built its civilization on slavery. Therefore, it can be said that Western civilization was established on the shoulders of oppressed slaves who were taken from colonized countries and forced into servitude.
Today, we are witnessing the official plundering of nations’ wealth by the US and the West. For example, one can point to the looting and theft of Libya’s and Syria’s oil. The full control over Iraq’s assets is another example of this plundering, as Iraq’s oil revenues are deposited in the US Federal Reserve, and then the Iraqi government requests portions of its own revenue from the United States. This amounts to the imposition of control over Iraq’s resources and the stripping of its sovereignty. Another instance is the looting of oil resources in southern Yemen.
Despite differences in mechanisms and tools between the eras of neo-colonialism and post-colonialism, the plundering of nations’ wealth continues. Moreover, the United States applies this form of terrorism in the contemporary world through various mechanisms. Washington employs UN-affiliated institutions and organizations such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank for this purpose. Another tool at Washington’s disposal is the use of mafias, cartels, global corporations, capitalists, and deep-state governments to impose its dominance on countries around the world.
If we take a look at international documents and treaties, we find that financial treaties, such as those related to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and similar institutions, are all designed to maintain US dominance and hegemony. For instance, it is entirely impossible for an individual opposed to US policies to be appointed as the head of the IMF, the World Bank, or any other international financial institution. Additionally, the so-called anti-money laundering policies have been devised to oversee the financial transactions of nations. Among these agreements, one must mention the FATF, the Palermo Convention, and the CFT.
The Americans justify their oversight mechanisms for tracking financial transactions between countries by claiming that they aim to prevent these funds from being used in terrorist operations. However, this claim is made while such oversight itself constitutes a form of economic terrorism designed to take away the power of independent decision-making from various nations.
This measure is carried out under the pretext of combating money laundering and the financing of terrorist groups, even though the United States is itself the founder and primary supporter of such groups. In fact, Washington, through its financial and regulatory mechanisms — recognized as economic terrorism — seeks to suppress resistance against occupation and thwart nations’ efforts to determine their own destiny and liberate their occupied lands. Another objective of Washington’s economic terrorism is to seize nations’ resources and interests and strip them of their independence.
Beyond facing the plundering of nations’ wealth, we are also grappling with economic, financial, monetary, and banking terrorism on a global scale, with the US using the dollar to exert pressure on independent nations. When the United States cut off the dollar’s link to gold despite the Bretton Woods Agreement, countries around the world were forced to rely on the dollar in their national economies instead of gold. This, in turn, reinforced the dollar’s dominance over the global economy and enabled the theft of nations’ wealth.
All of this represents a new form of wealth plundering and economic terrorism imposed by the United States on other nations. However, the ongoing efforts of some countries and economic powers, such as China, the BRICS organization, and other nations seeking to conduct trade using local currencies as well as the economic crises facing the US — crises that Washington is attempting to export to other parts of the world — may ultimately lead to a decline in the dollar’s dominance over the global economy.
It should also be noted that the destruction of nations’ authentic cultures and the eradication of their national and religious identities by the US and the West are now being carried out through new methods. For instance, by leveraging concepts such as globalization, international law, and hundreds of other international treaties and mechanisms — including human rights and international human rights law — they seek to alter the national values of every nation. The primary objective is to ensure that the so-called international values override the internal values of each nation. This policy has been in place for decades.
Besides these attempts, the United States of America and Global Arrogance employ numerous institutions and organizations to influence nations’ resources and identities. The Americans also utilize soft warfare and media campaigns to advance this goal. Attempts to orchestrate color revolutions and topple political systems that do not align with US interests in various countries can be defined as pieces of this puzzle.
The current battle in the region, which is between the two projects of “occupation and normalization” and “Resistance,” fits into this broader context. The Resistance project is not only about liberating occupied lands, but also about reclaiming the will, culture, and religious and national identities of nations. The goal of this project is to confront Global Arrogance’s efforts to erase these identities.
What we are witnessing is an effort to reshape the human mind globally, prioritizing pleasure, wealth, power, and dominance over all other concepts at the cost of losing values, faith, morality, religion, and religious teachings. Efforts such as promoting drug use, altering the concept of family, encouraging homosexuality, and even, in some cases, advocating for marriage with animals all serve the agenda of destroying the national and religious identities of nations. The goal of these actions is not only to obliterate values but also to devastate human nature itself, rendering individuals devoid of any values, stripped of their innate human disposition, and fully subjugated to the service of the arrogant powers and capitalists.
Therefore, we must be vigilant and stand against all these efforts. This is the core of the battle we are witnessing today on both regional and international fronts — the Global Arrogance project and the Resistance independence project.
(The views expressed in this article are author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of Khamenei.ir.)
