The name "Persian Gulf" long recognized by the United Nations as the only historically and legally valid term for the waterway separating the Iranian plateaus from the Arabian Peninsula.
Those who use term "Arabian Gulf" are missing several important points. First and foremost, the name "Persian Gulf" reflects millennia of history, and disrespecting this name inevitably diminishes the histories and civilizations that grew around this strategic waterway. Second, the name "Persian Gulf" has been legitimized by the highest international legal body, namely the United Nations. This legal premise is diminished at our peril; just imagine the crises that would erupt if nations took it upon themselves to rename the historical and legal names of seas and oceans. Imagine the Pakistanis calling the Indian Ocean the "Pakistani Ocean"; Texans renaming the Gulf of Mexico to reflect the identity of their own state; or the Iranians calling the Gulf of Oman the "Gulf of Iran". Clearly, renaming the historical identifications of places is no trivial matter and can have very adverse political consequences. Third, the campaign to change the name of the Persian Gulf, although rooted in the frustrations of a collapsing British Empire, has been driven by the politics of Arab nationalism. This nationalism is now almost universally condemned as a failure, and any lingering dreams of pan-Arabia dissipated with the fall of Baghdad and the ouster of Saddam Hussein on 2003.
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{K:26013} 12/30/2008