[Opinion] Politics of Quake

A few days ago, an earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale struck the midcoast of California in the Unites States. The quake was about the same size as the one that hit Bam, Iran, killing a third of the city’s population, or 30,000 people. The quake in California did not cause big damage except for blackouts in some regions and some damage to buildings. The death toll stood at meager three. This is a big difference compared to the city of Bam, where the whole city literally became a graveyard after the collapse of hospitals and relief centers. What has brought about such difference?

It is easy to say that an advanced nation and an underdeveloped nation are different. However, Iran has its own construction regulations against quakes. The only difference would be the presence of an honest government which is well prepared for a disaster. Iran’s government officials who are in charge of issuing construction licenses have somehow overlooked the fact that their kids might be victims of a quake someday. They complain about a housing shortage and a low technological level, but it is only an easy excuse. Before its recent decision to comply with international inspections on its suspected nuclear arms program, Iran might have been too busy producing weapons of mass destruction to consider the safety of its people.

An earthquake does not simply shake the earth. It also shakes the political arena. A government should be prepared for and respond to even natural disasters. Quakes were a trigger of the Iranian Revolution that dethroned the shah of Iran in 1979. When the nation was distressed by quakes, the shah and the government failed to come up with proper measures and lost the support of the people. An Islamic religious group, which comprises the current government, resisted the government. It is also widely accepted that major reason behind the ouster of Somoza, the dictator of Nicaragua, was a tremendous earthquake in 1972. Quakes in Algeria in 1988 and in Egypt in 1992 also played an important role in expanding Islam in the region.

Does the history repeat itself? Now the 25-year-old authoritarian Islamic government in Iran was hit hard. What the perplexed Iranian government did before rescue teams from the U.S. and other western countries rushed there to help was to mobilize some search dogs. The world is observing the fate of the country as the government faces strong resistance against the incompetent and irresponsible government. A glimmer of hope is that many pro-American governments which severed diplomatic relations with Iran in 1979 are now helping out the axis of evil country. A lesson from the Iran quake is that not ideology, but only a concrete solution that can relieve sorrow and pain, can save people both in the Muslim country and in the U.S.

Kim Soon-deok, yuri@donga.com