How to score a PR outreach own goal
An Israeli diplomat angers and alienates the very people his country should be reaching out to
Israel’s ambassador to Azerbaijan, George Deek, has angered my Iranian friends by making posts which appear to imply that Tabriz is not an Iranian city but in some way belongs to Azerbaijan - a vilely bigoted country with whom Israel’s close friendship is a liability.
This has also been encouraged by the appalling former Bush advisor Mike Doran, a notorious apologist for the regimes of Aliyev and Erdogan, who has adopted the radical Turkish nationalist line.
The PR outreach of Western governments, Arab governments and Israel to the Iranian Diaspora - the very people they need to reach out to - is beyond appalling. The impression many anti-regime Iranians now have is that these governments are sidelining Reza Pahlavi and the Iranian opposition in favour of unpopular groups such as ethnic separatists. Doran regularly amplifies their voices, which underlines his lack of integrity and moral compass.
Moreover, it demonstrates one of the most rotten aspects of Western political culture - the appearance of anyone being available for purchase to promote a dubious cause or regime, corrupting the entire political process and undermining the public’s trust and confidence in it.
And lastly, as with corrupt politicians supporting the MEK, this only serves to prolong the Islamic Republic regime’s stay in power as they can use the entirely undeserved “nationalist” card against perceived external threats. Unless, of course, this is to fuel the military-industrial complex.
Well written Sir!