by Bill Kavanagh: The continuing uprising in Iran is a hopeful sign for that beleaguered nation, but hardly a sure bet that the regime will fall anytime soon. It’s inspiring that the activism of ordinary Iranians has kept even an old pol like Moussavi from abandoning claims to legitimacy in the face of the overwhelming power of the state. However, the Revolutionary Guard has the force to make the streets of Tehran unsafe for protest and it is clearly willing to use violence on Moussavi’s supporters— and possibly on him as well.
The nightly shouts from the rooftops of “God is Great” and “Death to the Dictator” remind the Iranian people that they are not alone but simultaneously that they cannot protest in the bright light of day without severe consequences. The resistance to the Supreme Leader and to the militarization of Iranian life is now entering a precarious phase, during which reform leaders must decide how to sustain themselves and their movement in the face of increased repression and further violence.
As for Americans who support the Iranian people, there is much we can learn about their country’s history, but little we can do to change it. It’s instructive to remember that our meddling in Iran has already led to decades of dictatorship there. In 1953, the democratically elected government of Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh was deposed by a CIA and MI6 sponsored coup. Mohammed Reza Palevi, known in the West as the Shah, was installed from abroad in what became a brutal 26-year rule against the will of the Iranian people. The cries of Iranians against the US do not come out of nowhere.
While the 1979 Iranian revolution had the wide support of the people, from socialists to hard core Islamists, theocracy and the exigencies of war with Iraq soon took a heavy toll on more secular groups. During the 1980’s, religious fundamentalists in Iran tired of the messiness of democracy after the revolution and blood ran in the streets while the Revolutionary Guard accumulated power during Iran’s long war with their neighbor Saddam Hussein. The dictatorship of the military and the Ayatollahs today stems from that period of reaction and battle.
What happens now? We don’t know, but we can keep lines of communication open, people to people. What we can’t do is to ask our government to become involved. With our country’s history in Iran, the US government can only cause harm to the Iranian democracy movement by demanding it be recognized. Condemning state violence against protest is about as far as our government should go in inserting itself where it clearly cannot change the balance of power inside Iran.
Gail Collins has this to say about the US Administration’s limitations:
…Obama has to be very, very careful not to offer any kind of encouragement that might lead some of the dissidents to believe that the United States has their back if they take to the streets. That would be incredibly cruel, not to mention dangerous. We all remember what happened to the Shiites in Iraq in 1991 when they thought that the first George Bush would come to their rescue if they rose up against Saddam Hussein.
As people, however, we can help spread news out of Iran and let the sunshine of truth help thwart the repression against the Iranians. It’s not much help to a student being beaten bloody or being shot for his/her resistance, but the ripples of our solidarity may have unforeseen consequences down the line. Let’s hope that by staying in touch and speaking out internationally, we as citizens can show some small reflection of the courage of Iran’s people as they face their own struggle.
(Bill Kavanagh cross-posts at Bill's Big Diamond.)
All these people want is the same thing that a chance for life, Liberty. Long live freedom!
Posted by: runescape money | July 01, 2009 at 05:27 AM