Wars are indeed a symbol of violence, massacre and incubus which reminds the innocence of those who became victims of aggrandizement. Sometimes war happens for war so lands and powers are occupied. They murder and get murdered so …. But sometimes war happen for peace. This is how men and women fight till death to gain liberation; they die to remain and get captured to find freedom. We have chatted with one of the war veterans which reads so:

Biography

Mohammad Doroodian was born in 1959 in Tehran. He studied in Mozayeni elementary school but due to financial problems he had to work. During 1978-1979 concurrent with the victory of Islamic Revolution his studies were disrupted. He has penned several articles as well as reports and books as "Khoramshahr during the long war", "Khoramshahr till Fav". He entered Shahid Beheshti University in 1989 and graduated in 1992 in History. During these years he authored "From Khonin Shahr till Khoramshahr".

During these years he had many responsibilities as

- Establishing war's historiography in Sepah
- Designing and organizing the project of compiling the calendar of Iran-Iraq's war
- The head of war's research and studies office in Army
- Secretary of the threatening and counter measures in Army's strategic research center
- Advisor to the defense minister
- Secretary of defense deputy office of supreme security council
- Chief editor of Iran-Iraq's specialized journal

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What do you think about war's sociology?

Your question has an introduction. As the war occurred after the revolution, all revolutionary features including popularity, religious and political beliefs were conveyed, in fact war was revolution's alternative. Thus according to sociology issues Iran-Iraq war was spectacular and it could be compared with Napoleon's war as it occurred following France Revolution. In other words all modern developments which were created during the war were impressed by the Islamic revolution. Overall all wars include sociology aspects as they deal with people's life.

War is a kind of life. The main theme is peace is life and progress but war is a matter which deals with preserving life and a challenge to survive. Unfortunately during wars our approach is merely towards politics and propagation but that doesn’t mean that war doesn’t have a sociology theme in fact our perspective lacks such an approach. 

Did your perspective create such a motive in you?

Yes, "An account to war's basic questions", which is a 5 volume collection, kicks off with a sociology approach, somehow sociology theory was its basic and it was rooted in my studies in history. When we review the constitution era counter to what has been mentioned, the constitution movement roots in tobacco movement, the tobacco movement roots in Iran's defeat in Iran-Russia war. Qajar dynasty's power declined following the defeats. During the 50 years of Naser Uddin Shah's empire, new opportunities occurred in the Naseri dynasty which indicated the society's decline. Thus social movement appears in the tobacco movement and following that in the constitution era.

Why did you author a book about war?

In the first phase during the war, the incidents' historiographies were very special. Since 1981 the idea was created in Sepah's political office. In those days the office's director was Mohammad zadeh who asked me to do such a thing, so since June 1981 I was involved with historiography, registering and compiling war's incidents.

Did you inscribe all incidents (day to day) or special events as operations?

When I started my work in 1981 in fact I focused on consequences which means that I used to talk about war with commanders, officials and people. The reports were registered by oral history method which produced almost 700 cassettes. Moreover the interviews contained conversations with martyrs including Hemmat, Jahanara, Shamkhani, Safavi and etc…

Since the 2nd half of 1981 in which the occupied regions were freed and corps and units were created, war wore a new order, thus our work changed as well. Our distinguished work was recording the incidents concurrent with their occurrence. Now as 30 years pass we still have the tapes which hold details of every operation. So from the very beginning we were involved in recording and registering the reports. In 1982 as the occupied regions were freed the first book was wrote which was "2 years of war" and a group of writers had authored it.

What was your first book?

In 1982 as Israel invaded south Lebanon, I was sent to the country in order to establish a group to accomplish Lebanon's historiography works. As I returned back to Iran I considered that Khoramshahr's resistance was a great issue so I wrote a book on it which was named "Khoramshahr during the long war". After that in 1986 as Fav was liberated I wrote "Khoramshar till fav". I left collage after the war and wrote a book about operations which was "From Khoonin Shar till Khoramshar". Furthermore I got interested in writing and compiled a collection tilted "An account on war" which contained 5 volumes.

My books have a problem; readers can't be freed from dominant logic. The matter is a great problem which I have recently discovered.

Please explain more.

I was reading a story some while ago which said that a student is a person who kicks off a new way even if it is against his teacher. If a student repeats his teacher's way in fact he is killing his professor. A good student should be a great beginner and a good professor should open new ways toward his students even if it's against him. You can't find these features in my works; I can't open new ways for my readers.

Don’t you think that these features belong to the war era since you had to write whatsoever happened?

No, you can mention a plan. I haven’t written all about war and the readers shouldn’t consider that that they were all what happened. We are involved in the incident. Due to limitations, facilities and restricted capacities we always encounter fault.

Have you done anything on commanders' behavior and its transference to today's race?

No, our approach was political-martial. On the other hand the Research Center's works were mostly on history and military issues. So the mentioned subject has been ignored.

Why?

Because we thought about nothing, but the Revolution. We were not used to criticize and assessments so we considered war generally. But now when we look back we learn that humans could be categorized in the war and we didn’t consider the matter at all. Clausewitz has categorized them into 4 groups, when I read Clausewitz's works I regretted our ignorance towards war management including behaviorism. Nowadays we see that that today's generation differs with that past one which is natural. Imam Khomeini has said that "Don’t let war and the front fall apart" and nowadays I realize what he said.

So you think if you had had paid more attention would Imam's words come into action?

Yes of course. Although the ignorance wasn’t intentionally, many techniques should be learned through the work and we shouldn’t say that "I wish I would have…" Many experiences just begin with working. In fact a part of everybody's work is to learn something.

If behaviorism existed in those times we wouldn’t have encountered such extremes. How can you amend it?

I have decided to pen a 5 volume collection which assesses all these problems and approaches. I can't convert every thing to a book as some of the subjects are professional; however they have occupied a part of my mind.

Have you penned war from the viewpoint of other countries? If no have you decided to do so?

No I haven’t. We compare ourselves with very one else physiologically when we are involved in war. War didn’t allow us to comprehend Iraqi's mind structure and…A while ago some centers were eager to translate some of my books but since they were all written with a national approach they were not suitable for translation.

But other countries' viewpoint could be useful for our future, don’t you think so?

Yes- we I look back I learn that that it supervised our needs I come to know that I didn’t do any thing for war.

Following the war how was the war veterans' condition and have you written anything about it?

Unfortunately no, and this is a part of our work's problems. War veterans were a part of war but we couldn’t write about all issues as well as other countries' stance. Considering war veterans was a social and humanistic approach as mine was historical and martial.

Currently what kind of books do you read?

I am not interested in poetry and fictions. I like books which provoke my mind and create a new issue for me such as philosophical texts. Recently I have read Clausewitz's "About war".

According to the war's historiography how do you explain war's architecture?

The things we possess now is a result of the incidents which occurred. During the war we were mostly passive and all these are a result of excitements derived from the war and revolution which create individual and group creativity. Thus in war's general architecture we are passive and in thoughts architecture we are weak.

How is the revolution's architecture now?

Revolution means pragmatism based on idealism, although war with its own characters and features reinforces the matter and this is how war replaces revolution. In fact war didn’t give the revolution an opportunity for theorizing. In fact appearance takes help from the inside. The philosopher's situation unveils our condition. Nowadays the power and influence of a mayor, commander and executive manager is much more than a philosopher's while utopia is organized according to thoughts.

If we believe that the revolution is based on pragmatism should this process exceed?

I think that revolution is a condition which has roots in humans inside. It’s an excitement which occurs in people and a will that appears thus it happen occasionally. When energy is discharges and converted into structures and institutes, it concludes. A permanent revolution isn’t possible.

What will happen when it concludes?

Intellectual approaches will dominate. The methods will change as well as thoughts and generation.

If such a thing happens will a revolution occur again?

Through an optimistic approach every generation should have a revolution. The new generation doesn’t have such a motive. The matter could be considered comparing us with the new generation.

If the new generation will be in our condition such a thing will happen? Isn’t it so?

We are a part of the events. Our children don't think about the revolution as we do. We were ready for a revolution but they are engaged with the revolution's results.

How much do you read in a day?

Averagely 8-10 hours in a day

Please tell us about your writing process?

I think about the subject a lot. I create the structure in my mind. Firstly I build my idea's shape and draw their stance and ranks. So I don’t have any problem in writing. When the structures are determined and sources are complete I start writing.

How is the reading situation in our society?

It isn’t good at all. Our generation doesn't study at all. Studying isn’t a leisure even reading a novel. During the war the debuts were released in 100,000 copies but nowadays with a population of 5,000,000 the book's are released in 3,000 volumes.

What do you suggest to promote reading?

The generation's view towards life is effective in promoting reading. With a change the looks alter as well. When the illiterates enjoy a luxurious life while educated people still encounter living problems, naturally education would not grow in such a society and the society's logic structure messes up.

Do you receive orders from anywhere?

I usually work with the Studying center.

Final words…

I appreciate my wife while she accompanied me in many calamities. If she wasn’t beside me I would have reached this point.

Works:
• An account of war:
1. Khooninshar till Khoramshahr
2. Khoramshahr till Fav
3. Fav till Shalamche
4. Shalamche till Halabche
5. The end of war

• Criticizing and assessing war:

1. War's basic questions
2. Inevitable war
3. Reason of war's permanence
4. War's conclusion process
5. Strategic options of war

• Other books

1. Khoramshahr in the long war
2. Beginning till the end
3. War in east Basra
4. Retaining the stability

• Articles (More than 20 articles about Iran-Iraq's war) published in various journals.

5. Conversations about the war with commanders, political and foreign figures

Id : 73675