Dear Reader!
During the last days and weeks, the tensions arose between Tbilisi and Tehran. On the twelfth of December the foreign ministry of the regime of the Islamic Republic issued a travel warning for Georgia.
The current diplomatic crisis has back story and reasons, that have to do with the grievance that many Iranians threat Caucasians, especially Georgians, like subjects. This behavior is found among the supporters of the regime as it is found among members of the opposition. So, this crisis has also to do with the chauvinism, that is carried by many Iranians. I list here two examples, which proof my point:
Not so long ago two hijab-wearing women wanted to fly back to Iran from the Queen Tamar airport in Tbilisi. Those women were obviously drunk and wanted to sober up on their flight back to the Islamic Republic. During the boarding the behaviour of those two boozers to the security was plain rude: The women called the security agents “slaves” and through stuff from their carry-ons at them. To get rid of the boozers the security just let them go back to the Islamic Republic. But this incident was recorded and the security-agents wrote a report about it. Those two drunk Hijabis however were not pleased with the outcome and quite obviously complained to different authorities back in Tehran about the actual more than kind behaviour of the Georgian airport security… This was the first incident.
Afterwards there was a raid in the notoriously famous scène-club of Tbilisi “Bassiani*”. At said raid many drugs were found and confiscated by the Georgian authorities and now comes something shocking: Most of the drugs were found being carried by Iranian citizens. You got to have to sink this one in: In a Georgian scene-club, which is known among connoisseurs as the new “Berghain”, in the capital of Georgia, you can find more Iranian dealers and consumers than Georgian dealers and consumers. The Iranian dealers were deported afterwards, of course. Because all drugs, except alcohol, cannabis and tobacco are still illegal in Georgia.
Such incidents in the small Republic of Georgia led to the fact, that Iranian citizens, who are by the way still allowed to enter and visit Georgie for 45 days without a visa, are getting controlled more. Those increased controls however lead to more charges and deportations because of violations of the right of residence and the narcotics law. Also, almost two-hundred Iranian citizens were not allowed to enter the Republic of Georgia afterwards. This offended Tehran. You have to imagine this: The representatives of the regime are insulted about the fact, that Georgia applies Georgian law on Georgian soil and therefore deports Iranian dealers. Islamists, who impose the Hijab on the female population of Iran have no problems if Iranian citizens deal with drugs outside of Iran. One should just imagine about what could happen, if the tables were turned and I, as a Georgian citizen, would be dealing drugs in Iran. It would be highly unlikely that I would come back from Iran in one piece… In the cynical logic of the regime of the guardianship of the Islamic jurist this policy of Lassez-faire and Laissez-aller for unpolitical Iranians outside of the country, makes perfect sense: As long as those Iranian sell drugs in Georgia to have money for an escape to the EU-countries they will not be able to participate in an uprising back in Iran and therefore will not be capable of challenge the status quo itself. Also, some are more equal than others and many Iranians, sadly also many Turks and way too many Russians, have attitudes like feudal lords, that it this kind of Irredentism is typical among legal heirs of failed empires. This Irredentism lead to the point that Iranian diplomats straight up threatened and insulted Georgia during this crisis. Basically, this is a monstrosity if one thinks about that the fact, that the regime of the Islamic Republic tries so hard to be seen as sophisticated and civilized. But it is not surprising if one does remember, that many people are still hostages of their very own Chauvinism and Irredentism. So, it is also not surprising those two hijab-wearing boozers have the same mentality as foreign ministry of the regime of the Islamic Republic in their views towards Georgians: Both, the boozers as also the foreign ministry see Georgians as subjects, who have to please Iranian interests no matter what. But since Georgia is a sovereign and independent country these attitude of feudal lords does not work out and leads actually to the current crisis between Tbilisi and Tehran. A crisis that can only be solved if Tehran truly acts more civilized.
*The name itself is a pun. First it reminds of the glorious outcome of the Battle of Basian and second it also means “The one with the bass” in Georgian.