Thoughts on the Iranian Affair

First of all, I want to congratulate the Iranian people for taking to the street to protest against a government that clearly no longer represents their interests. It reminds us Americans of our own core principles that so often get lost in the cynical political maneuvering of today.

If the unconfirmed reports of Iranian military personnel being arrested for expressing a desire to support or even join the people's 'green' movement, its entirely possible that any moves by the establishment to crush these protests in a Tiananmen Square-style military move will collapse. With any luck, we can witness a fairly bloodless revolution like the one that broke apart the Soviet Union and brought down the Berlin Wall. Sadly, from the pictures that I have seen, there seems to be no end of street thugs willing to take hints from the government and crack some heads at the demonstrations.

I'd also like to comment on the use of technology by the Iranians to announce and expand their movement. I find it particularly interesting that a nation as repressive as Iran has such a dense population of bloggers. With the Iranian government actively repressing global media, sites such as Twitter and countless foreigners are reaching out to help these bloggers carry their story to the world. The international support they are garnering will be invaluable.

Politicians in the U.S. are currently pushing President Obama to declare official support for the reformists in the street. While I applaud their enthusiasm, I do have to agree (rather to my dismay) with the opinion of an article in the ultra-liberal magazine The Nation. They point out the fact that Americans are more than capable of showing their public support for the reformists without needing a government proclamation. An official government stance on the matter would only give the Iranian government a target for its blame. It would allow them to stir up anti-Western sentiments, blaming the unrest on 'western lackeys' and whatnot.

So, best of luck to the Iranian reformers, lets just hope that they can take hold of this opportunity to secure their FULL rights as people and not just oust a dictator in favor of a more subtle dictator.

Peace and strength to those on the streets tonight fighting for their rights,

Jaedon


Some interesting links:

http://bit.ly/iraJc

http://301.to/23o