© Morteza jaberian / Agence France-Presse / File
A military parade was attacked in Iran's southwestern city of Ahvaz on Saturday, killing nearly 30 people.
It is interesting that many countries still feel the need to organize military parades to commemorate national days. This is a very old practice, and the fact that it still continues in the 21st century tells us that little has changed since the 19th century with regard to relations between states.
For countries like China and Russia, military parades are particularly important, as they offer an occasion to display how powerful and disciplined their armed forces are. France's Bastille Day parade is well-known, even though it is harder in their case to understand why and to whom the French still need to show their military power. These are not the only examples of course, as many other countries preserve this martial tradition. We have to admit that military parades do not only help to dissuade foreign powers, but they are a domestic political instrument as well.
Thanks to military parades, the governments show their people how tough and effective their security forces are.Iran's Khuzestan region, where the attack occurred, is
mainly populated by Iran's Arabic speaking minority. The province is home to Abadan, which is the country's main oil field. The very same region played a crucial role in the beginning and during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. As a matter of fact, the military parade was commemorating the start of that bloody war, which, in a way, proves that Iran's perception on regional relations and national interests has not changed much since those days.
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