I’m concerned about what appears to be a stolen election in Iran, and even more concerned about government violence and suppression of dissent. It’s encouraging, even exciting, that Iranians are finding ways around government censorship to get their story out to the rest of the world.
In this country, conservative politicians are criticizing President Obama for not “doing enough,” whatever doing enough is. Carpetbombing Iran with mimeograph machines, maybe? Look, the rulers who stole the election, the rulers who are shooting Iranians in the streets right now, are already blaming the Great Satan for fomenting unrest . . . how many more of their own people will they kill if the USA actually does begin to foment unrest?
We have a long history of meddling in Iran, but beyond enriching American weapons manufacturers and oil companies I’m not at all sure what we got out of it. Overall, I’d say, we lost more than we gained. What has changed to make anyone think there’s any possible benefit to be had by meddling again?
I think President Obama is doing exactly the right thing. Deplore the violence, ask the Iranian rulers to show restraint and allow free speech, but otherwise stay hands off. It’s an Iranian problem, and it’s up to the Iranians to solve it.
And don’t forget, the Iranians wanted an Islamic republic. As far as I’m concerned, they are reaping what they sowed.
You are absolutely right: “It’s an Iranian problem, and it’s up to the Iranians to solve it.” Right now, it does look like the President is doing the right thing. But if the events in Poland and Eastern Europe of the 1980s are any indication, we won’t know for ten to twenty years. Like then, there are many things we can do behind the scenes. One of the most important is talking to the dissidents, finding out what they need, and providing critical support. Most of this is on a low level and takes place outside of Iran. Further, there are many ways we can keep the pressure on the ayatollahs economically in the international arena. While this will not cause a cataclysmic failure, it chips away at their base, slowly weakening it.
Finally, one thing we must wait for is that moment when a large percentage of the Iranian internal security forces will not respond to the ayatollahs and kill their own people. Then it gets interesting.
Is this meddling? Sure is. But the ayatollahs have chosen to present a threat and like the man said, “Honor the threat, always.” It’s just a matter of being smart about it. That’s one of the big lessons Europe had to learn in the 1930s when Hitler first became a threat.