As I have said in my comments over at dailykos and other places, some Western countries have done a great deal of damage throughout history, but this article was about the possibility of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons and its possible repercussions in the Middle East. Of course the Iranians haven't forgotten their history and why should they?  But that is not a good argument for them possibly developing nuclear weapons.  

Iraq and Iran are to different countries, with very different topography that in itself is a telling story why Iran never has been invaded by a western country for the last few centuries.  If a country was to invade Iran with its mountainous landscape the story would end up very much like the one the Russian's tried out in Afghanistan, but at a larger scale.

I have heard the story about oil over and over again and find the argument a bit too simple when explaining the forces behind foreign policy issues.  Don't misunderstand me, oil is important, but by no means the sole driving force behind a country's foreign policy. Your argumentation seems to be, the best foreign policy is no foreign policy at all and that is in my book at best a Utopian view.  Both Iran and Iraq have a strategic position in the Middle East and thus, will be of interest to anyone who has an interest in the Middle East.  The fact that some Western countries have got an Imperialistic history is of course not a good reason to deny them a foreign policy in general and towards the Middle East in particular.

If you mean that Iran must be allowed developing nuclear weapons to protect their oil, I find this not acceptable.  Iran are entitled to develop nuclear energy, yes, but not the technology that can make them able to develop nuclear weapons that is why we have got the NPT, of which Iran is a signatory. When Iran admits to secretly having acquired blue prints for developing nuclear warheads the scepticism increases, and naturally so. If oil was the only motivating factor, then the logical thing would be to avoid conflict at any cost and allow Iran to enrich uranium and even nuclear weapons.  Then the country had its own energy supply and all the oil it produced could be exported. One case against your claim that oil is the only driving force behind the West's foreign policy in the Middle East is the oil embargo against Iran-Iraq during the war between the two countries in the 1980's, the oil embargo against Libya in the 90's and against Iraq after the Gulf war in 1991.  

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