Commentator António José Telo, in appearances on CNN Portugal, spoke about the preparation by the United States of an "anaconda strategy" against Iran, using the image of a snake that slowly squeezes its prey until suffocation. Luís Ganhão's article criticizes this and other zoological metaphors used in geopolitics, such as hawks, doves, tigers, dragons, bears and lions, arguing that these images excessively simplify complex issues and replace in-depth analyses with cinematic narratives and easy media consumption.
The author argues that diplomacy has ceased to be merely undervalued and has come to be viewed with suspicion, as negotiation implies accepting ambiguities and recognizing the adversary's legitimate interests, which is quickly associated with weakness or betrayal. War, on the other hand, offers an immediate narrative of good and evil, guilty and innocent. Ganhão warns that Iran is not prey and the United States is not a giant snake, but countries with histories, institutions and millions of people whose relations involve Operation Ajax, the Iran-Iraq war, rivalries with Saudi Arabia, nuclear ambitions, oil and sanctions.
The article questions the consequences of a strategy of progressive pressure against Iran: regime collapse, negotiation, resistance, radicalization or fragmentation, and who would control these consequences or pay the price. The real problem, according to the author, is not the use of metaphors in themselves, but the ease with which they take the place of concrete policies. Ganhão argues that diplomats, often criticized for lacking firmness, are the only ones who still understand that there are other colors in a world that demands everything in black and white.
A explanatory note at the end of the article contextualizes Operation Ajax, a secret intervention by the United States and the United Kingdom that in 1953 overthrew Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, after he had nationalized the country's oil industry. The coup reinstated the Shah as an authoritarian leader, which ultimately contributed to the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
