Posted on 06/18/2009 9:35:21 AM PDT by wiseprince
Iranians are protesting and I suppose that is something lovers of freedom can take pride in but these protests leave me somewhat baffled. The Iranians are contesting the elections under the Ayatollah controlled regime but they are not contesting the regime itself which begs the question: what policies are Mousavi planning to enact that are so drastically different than Ahmadinejad? The answer is his policies cannot and would not stray too far from what the current President is doing because Mousavi, as the rest of the candidates, were prescreened by the "power that be" in Iran. Are they going to change their foreign policy? Personally I don't see much point of that as whatever Ahmadinejad has been doing is obviously working because now even the President of the United States agrees that they have a right to nuclear technology and that the Mullahs are the legitimate rulers of the, in the words of Obama, "Islamic Republic of Iran". That is no small victory won by the President of Iran. At this point one would imagine that a more conciliatory approach by a new President would be counterproductive. Now is the time one would imagine the regime smells western blood and should be going for the kill. Are they going to change economic policies? Again, the idea that prior to the rule of Ahmadinejad Iran was not a beacon of economic prowess (under the reformer Khatami) is ridiculous. Maybe they want their Persian carpet makers to receive bailouts or maybe they want to Denationalize their banks (I’m sure they are controlled by the Mullah now as it is) It is silly to assume that under the reformer Mousavi anything would be drastically different. Maybe the people are hoping that social policies would be less conservative but again president suggest that reformers under the Mullahs tend not to be drastically different than what is considered pure Islam by the Guardian counselors (the Iranian overseers of legislation). So again I will ask, what is the purpose of these protest? To be able to vote for your destruction rather than having it imposed on you? Needless to say this is not a revolution I would put my life on the line for. The fact that the Iranian reformers would rather protest the vote than the ideology doesn't suggest to me that anything will change for sometime in Persia
NEWS??????
A very wise observation !
I think some of the pressure on the present administration to react on Mousavi’s behalf was created by folks who (a)didn’t do their homework; or (b)hoped against hope the administration WOULD back Mousavi, so they could pull the rug out with a “Obama-Backs-Tyrant Mousavi !” theme.
It’s also interesting that some of the folks who want us to express “solidarity” with the Iranian people are the same ones who want us to bomb the bejabbers out of them.
The old saying: “Measure twice-cut once” is still worth keeping in mind.
Great points for sure. You and wiseprince are speaking words that need speaking, but I would try and answer you this way:
1. The history of these kids of revolutions shows that they often start out one way and end up another, so the assertion the the other guy is no better than the current guy is valid, but not an absolute indicator of where this thing might end up. (you can’t win unless you play)
2. The moment the dictator is shown to have no clothes, he’s finished. If the people win here, they are more likely to win next time they take to the streets - maybe to overthrow the mullahs. If they lose, they lose for another 30-years.
3. Even if the other guy is no better, nothing has been lost and the people empowered.
Its not perfect, but we should not make perfect the enemy of (potentially) better. The ultimate goal is freedom for Iran. I think the kids out in the street know that, as do many of their supporters here in this country. If they can roll the government now, they can and will roll them in the future.
Anyway, that’s my best shot at trying to present a different side to your discussion.
A good, thoughtful comment !
Big question: How do we encourage without seeming to ?
Folks in Iran tend to be a tad paranoid about Western influences , and about the integrity of their revolution.
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