In Iran in 1979 most people were truly against the Shah and thought that overthrowing him would result in freedom and democracy. They were naive. Yes Mubarak is a pig, but those who are leading the overthrow are fooling the public into thinking they will bring freedom to Egypt.
I think you are mistaken when you say most people wanted the Shah gone. No. The students at the local university wanted him gone. Those who didn’t like him cozying up to the West wanted him gone. Many people didn’t mind him at all.
By Middle-Eastern standards the Shah was a fairly enlightened guy. Women were not forced to wear Islamic garb. They didn’t have to hide their faces. They could attend school and the university.
We try to impose our circumstances on the Middle-East. It won’t work.
Look folks, we live in a stable society. And even in our stable society you and I can see how easily the system is gamed.
In the Middle-East you rule with an iron fist, or you don’t exist long. Those people war with other nations. They war with other factions. They war with their leaders. They war with each other.
There’s a faction on every other block. They’re like a bunch of gangs all vying for power. You let your guard down for a few weeks and you’re done.
In this atmosphere, ruling like a Western leader will get you dead and your nation a death sentence along the lines of Iran’s.
Thanks for bringing that up, it’s what I was thinking about.
Perhaps. But the US has no business defending the indefensible. We just have to stand on principle, and I think it goes without saying that cutting off all Internet and phone service while teargassing everyone aren't pricniples we can get behind. We have to condemn those things and just hope for the best.