He may very well be accused of being the man behind the failure of Arab Spring, behind the Syrian and Libyan Civil wars, behind the Egypt’s failed revolution and behind the rise of ISIS. In recent years, he has been avoiding wars but has been promoting civil wars in the region. … But with Iran Deal, he can now rest assured that he will be remembered more as a President of Peace than as a President of War.

Dr. Javed Jamil

This is indeed a historical movement not only for the world as a whole but also for Obama as individual. Finally, he has proved that he worked for global peace, and has succeeded in making a big contribution to it. The world powers and Iran have finally sealed the Nuclear Deal after nearly two decades of negotiations. Israel has reasons to fear. So have the Arab states, especially Saudi Arabia. They can think that if even without Deal, Iran has been able to considerably increase its influence in the region, after the Deal, not only will it have more economic power but also a greater political power and will to further enhance its influence. While Israel’s declaration of the Deal being a “Big Mistake” may more be for the domestic audience, the fears of Arab leaders would be real. They have shown in recent years that they are ready to come close to Israel but cannot tolerate Iran. Their long standing confidence in their Western allies lies shattered. They may feel that America can no more be trusted as a partner.

While Obama was truly serious from the word go in reaching the deal, the fact that it has become a reality now would give him reasons to retire with peace. He has done many things over the years, which made him look a much better American President in terms of global peace than his predecessors. But still, his role in the Middle East was not convincing. He may very well be accused of being the man behind the failure of Arab Spring, behind the Syrian and Libyan Civil wars, behind the Egypt’s failed revolution and behind the rise of ISIS. In recent years, he has been avoiding wars but has been promoting civil wars in the region. By doing this, he might have been shielding his own people including army and saving his own dollars but he has been bringing chaos to one Muslim country after the other. The way events have turned out in Iraq after America’s withdrawal of the forces, might have been a big blow to America’s strategy in the Muslim World. But with Iran Deal, he can now rest assured that he will be remembered more as a President of Peace than as a President of War.

It may look surprising, and may be a food for conspiracy theorists, that after the Iran-Iraq war that ended more than 25 years ago, the conflict between Iran and the Western world has mainly been limited to sanctions and war of words. In contrast, West is pounding one Arab country after the other either through direct or indirect wars. And yet, Arab countries have not realised that they have got virtually nothing out of their unadulterated faith in Western powers. Will they wake up to the new realities now? The time has come when instead of trying to earn America’s support through readiness to help their global designs even more; they should sit down and try to build good relations with Iran and other world powers like Russia and China. Iran and Saudi Arabia both need to understand that they cannot rule the Muslim world by defeating each other. Instead, they can jointly become the leaders of the Muslim world, and can show to the world that sectarian differences cannot be allowed to become an obstacle in the unity of the Muslim Ummah. With their enormous resources, they can revive the fortunes of the Muslim world, and can resuscitate their glorious past.

Iran will be happy because it can become a bigger power in practical terms after the Deal than it could be without Deal. Its right to use nuclear energy for civilian purposes has been recognised. It can now have a rejuvenated economy, which can also increase its military power in terms of conventional weapons. Iranian people will have a more comfortable life. The challenge for Iran will however be to remain steadfast on its moral principles and not to be swayed by the Western charm. It should maintain its neutrality towards major world powers and should try to build relationship with its neighbouring countries.

The West also needs to realise that they cannot continue with their policies of monopolising the world, and they cannot earn peace by imposing wars or exporting civil wars in the Muslim world. They need to understand that the wars might have destroyed some Muslim countries, but they too have not remained unaffected. If Muslim World is in turmoil, they are not in good shape either. Europe is facing the worst economic crisis of its history. Wars may sometimes be necessary to bring peace, but only if wars are fought for the sake of peace and not for the sake of hegemony. The West can shout that they engage in wars for peace, but the shouting cannot bury the truth. And the truth is that the last century has only seen the West fighting all over the earth for establishing and sustaining their political and economic monopoly. With the Iran Deal, they should now give up the policy of confrontation altogether. If they earn the love of Muslims instead of hatred, it will harm none, and it will benefit them no less than the others.

• Dr Javed Jamil is India based thinker and writer with over a dozen books including his latest, “Quranic Paradigms of Sciences & Society” (First Vol: Health), “Muslims Most Civilised, Yet Not Enough” and “Muslim Vision of Secular India: Destination & Road-map”. Other works include “The Devil of Economic Fundamentalism”, “The Essence of the Divine Verses”, “The Killer Sex”, “Islam means Peace” and “Rediscovering the Universe”.