I’m going to ask a dumb question. This is not necessarily directed at you TomGuy, but your post fit it the best.
I’m probably going to be flamed for this but I’ll try anyway.
Could this be the fruits of Bush’s policy ideas. I know I heard somewhere, at the beginning of the Iraq war, the statement was made that “if we were able to establish a democratic government in Iraq, that the rest of the Middle Eastern countries could also move towards that goal” (paraphrased). I think Iran is trying to move away from “ineedadinnerjacket”, and we have supported that (not the idiot in the WH), but couldn’t it be that the rest of these countries have seen it can be done, and have gotten the taste for Freedom?
Obviously, it will not be the Representative Republic, that we have here, Iraq is not the utopia we hoped for, but they, and Afghanistan are continuing to struggle towards that goal.
Is this concept possible, or am I being naive?
Even the so-called experts seem baffled at what is going on.
Are these rioters wanting to establish the more radical Islamist sharia law? or are they wanting a more democratic, less tyrannical government?
It seems to early to answer.
Some of the protests apparently are bloody and have several deaths; others are basically peaceful.
I guess we have to wait to see who/what comes to power in 6-12 months.
Civil unrest has been going on a while in Iran, but the Iranian theological government seems to be able to quell the unrest.