June 20, 2003
What about Iran?
There have been an increasing number of articles about Iranian youth lately. There has been little interest on the part of the major parties in addressing the problems in Iran, and less interest on the part of the media. Some 32 million Iranians who are contemporaneous with Generation X are beginning to make noise. We need to listen.
These Iranians have been reaching out to the world in blogs, in articles, in interviews, and on message boards. They are no happier with their leaders than the Iraqi people were with Saddam. They are not asking for military action, though it may come whether they want it or not. They simply want to encourage the world to support them publicly, to put pressure on the mullahs to create a democracy. Two decades of war and oppression have taken a toll on the people. There are demonstrations almost daily protesting the regime and demanding freedom.
Why does the Bush Administration (and the Clinton, Bush, and Reagan administrations before them) ignore this? Perhaps there's no profit to be had in liberating the Iranians as there was in liberating the Iraqis. There is and will continue to be brutal oppression in Iran unless the world community takes a stand.
Tell me more.
What you mean by “we need to listen”? Does it mean what is done in Iraq? or there is another way for listening?
There are many ways of listening, and a good many of them are more effective at promoting democracy than what took place in Iraq. A show of support for the demonstrators from American governmental and private organizations, for example, would bolster the moral of the movement and give it more media attention. Steps could be taken to help the movement organize leaders, both inside and outside the nation. Financial support could be given to the U.S. based media organizations that are broadcasting unbiased criticism of the government and uncensored international news into Iran.
None of these things is as dramatic as what happened in Iraq. Democracy is not something, historically, that does well being imposed from outside. We need to show support to movements that promote democracy from within. This is the best source for real lasting change.
The Iranian dissident leaders have stated that they are not opposed to help from the US, but they do not want military interference in their internal affairs. What they want is public international pressure on the regime, funding for dissidents, logistical assistance, and when the time comes recognition of the dissidents as the lawful government. This is the sort of listening I mean.
Posted by: rev_matt at June 23, 2003 02:47 PM
