Do values become inferior, when money talks? Unfortunately, what happened during Rouhani’s visit to Italy certifies this.
In a shameful gesture, the Italian officials, who received the Iranian president Rouhani in the Capitoline Museum, covered the nude sculptures in an appeasement to Rouhani’s bag which is full of promising economic deals.
During the Victorian age, the fanatic puritans practiced their conservatism hegemony over the English society; and they shocked the social norms by the application of conventional morality and taboos. Subjects like sex was considered taboo. They attempted to quell the innate sensuality of human beings. The legs of the tables were considered as a sensual trigger so that people were obliged to cover the legs of their tables to avoid any sensual stimulation.
The resonance of this Victorian outmoded mentality has absolutely different impetus in the case of the Italian.
The Italian conduct to cover the beauty of the naked sculptures is reflection of their appeasement of the Iranian dollar; while as the Puritan believed, rightly or wrongly, that the concealment of the sensual seduction is part of their fulfillment of God’s order.
The Italian aspires to revive their trade ties with Iran which has slumped since 2012 from 7 billion Euros to €1.2 billion a year. For this objective, the Italian officials have no problem to insult their cultural heritage. The pathetic is that when the Iranian money talks, the beams of the magnificent beauty of the Italian creative artistry statues is being enslaved.
What about the French?
The Iranian deals with the French party will, undoubtedly, give a kiss of life to many French industries which are currently facing grave economic troubles. The deals include a 22 billion euros accord under which Iran will purchase 73 long-haul and 45 medium-haul Airbus passenger planes to update its ageing fleet. Car-maker "Peugeot" said it will return to the Iranian market in a five-year deal worth 400 million euros. In another bonanza for France, oil company "Total" will take between 150,000 and 200,000 barrels of Iranian crude a day in favorable conditions. Also, "Aeroports de Paris" firm agreed to help build a new terminal in Tehran, with "Vinvi SA" signing to help renovate two Iranian airports. Many other French companies had signed with the Iranian counterparts.
What are the political impacts of these deals in the Middle East?
At present, France is really in need of these deals at present due to the recession of its economy is facing. The rate of unemployment among the French youth strata is hiking . Therefore, the crucial question is whether the French president and his entourage would compromise their country’s historical values for the sake of a handful of "Iranian" dollars!
Will France relinquish its moral tradition of human right’s respect and thus close its eyes on the Iranian "Ayatollah" grave violation of human rights against the Iranian citizens. (reports denote that around 2,000 people have been executed in Iran since Rouhani came to power three years ago). The interrogative question whether Rouhani would take into consideration that when France had provided save haven for Ayatollah Khomeini in France in 1978-1979, it was motivated by its adherence and respect of human rights. Hollande himself said he had reminded Rouhani that France was "committed to human rights".
In this context, the controversial issue between the two parties; which is being judged by moral scales, is the destructive role conducted by Iran in Syria through its support of Bashar Assad who is shelling his Syrian opponents indiscriminately by using the barrel-bombs.
France has opted for supporting the Syrian people’s striving after obtaining their legitimate rights of living in a free milieu away from the dictatorship of Bashar brutal regime. Now the French values are at stake, and whether they would be lenient with the french imperative economic needs .
So far the French’s stand seems to be firm in committing to their values. Concerning Syria, president Hollande told his Iranian interlocutor that "We urgently need to put in place humanitarian measures and negotiate a political transition, which is possible."
The future time can not be predictable , but so far so good with the French.
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