Jump to content

You say you want a REVOLUTION


Bellis

Recommended Posts

Unless the Republican saber-rattlers pressuring Obama to leap into the fray get their way.

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/...obama_and_iran/

More GOP simple-think.

"If the President isn't doing anything showy, he isn't donig anything at all!!! And the US MUST act, everytime! We are the World's Police!!!!"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Shryke,

I think Pres. Obama has shown good instincts foreign policy wise so far.

Personally, his staying out of it is the best choice. I don't think McCain's whining is going to get him to change what he's doing.

I loved twitters statement that although they'd change the maintenance time they just wanted to let everyone know that "the State Dept. doesn't influence company policy"

I too love the thread title - but now I can't get that song out of my head!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Watching McCain's comments on Fox and such makes me SO SO happy he lost.

There was an interesting article on Salon a day or two ago, about what things would look like now if McCain had won.

http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2009/...cain/index.html

And he doesn't even mention Palin...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I read this article in the Asia Times that made me understand internal Iranian politics a little more.

This is emerging as a no-holds-barred civil war at the very top of the Islamic Republic. The undisputed elite is now supposed to be embodied by the Ahmadinejad faction, the IRGC, the intelligence apparatus, the Ministry of the Interior, the Basij volunteer militias, and most of all the Supreme Leader himself.

The elite wants subdued, muzzled, if not destroyed, reformists of all strands: any relatively moderate cleric; the late 1970s clerical/technocratic Revolution Old Guard (which includes Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, Mohammad Khatami and Mousavi); "globalized" students; urban, educated women; and the urban intelligentsia.

Apart from Mousavi and Ahmed, other people were running too...

Mohsen Rezai, who ran as a conservative and who is nothing less than a former head of the IRGC, also sent a letter to the Council of Guardians saying the election was illegitimate. This is crucial; it means a serious crack inside the IRGC - because Rezai's former subordinates are still active and will inevitably support him (he remains very influential). "Officially", Rezai had less than 1 million votes. He maintains that according to his own polls, "in a worst-case scenario I should have had between 3.5 and 7 million votes."

Thats seems a little optimistic on his behalf, but I guess its more important that an IRGC member thought the election was illegit.

Well, we'll see what happens after the funeral processions tomorrow, I guess. Would also be interesting to see if Rafsanjani's power play will bear any fruit or not.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

According to Acig, there are rumours in Iran that Khamenei is under house arrest (presumably by revolutionary guards). The rumours seem to originate mostly from Khamenei not appearing in public since shortly after the elections.

Rafsanjani has called for an emergency meeting of the Assembly of wises/experts (or whatever it is called). This was mentioned on CNN.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I find it fascinating that the conservatives in Iran use the US exactly like the conservatives in the US use Iran.

Sometimes I suspect they've been in it together since the days when Reagan was selling them weapons to illegally fund paramilitary operations in Central America.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Tom Cooper" from acig know also writing that "Der Spiegel" claims to have obtained "confirmation" that Lebanese Hezbollah are active in Iran, right now. I guess this is still the same rumours from earlier doing the rounds (depending on what "Der Spiegel" considers "confirmation"), but it's interesting it keeps coming up. Even if not true at all, it seems to indicate a degree of mistrust and dislike between significant parts of the Iranian public and the Lebanese Hezbollah. Nasrallah is closely allied to Ahmadinejad, apparently.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sometimes I suspect they've been in it together since the days when Reagan was selling them weapons to illegally fund paramilitary operations in Central America.

Israel reportedly also, silently, delivered parts for weapons to Iran during the Iran-Iraq war. Then again, Israel also bombed Iraq's reactor during this war.

Despite the west generally supporting Iraq in the war (as did the Soviet Union, though), France especially, US weapons actually found their way to Iran rather than Iraq (where the US had an embargo on weapon systems). Ironic.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I find it fascinating that the conservatives in Iran use the US exactly like the conservatives in the US use Iran.

The best part is, their so damn similar. They both draw their support from poor, rural areas, have a simplistic "Us vs Them" mentality, are highly religious and big on the Country-Worship thing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd also like to echo those thanking the boarders for their insight, knowledge, and analysis of the Iran situation. I has been a fascinating thread to read.

No, if you really want to get me off on a tangent we need to start a Chechnya thread. Iran, North Korea, if you looking for a good brutal conflict no other people can compare to the Russian/Chechen hate and genocide thats gone on for what 150 years?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow, that's just a really dumb statement.

You know the protesters on the street screaming for their voices to be heard and for a non-sham election? Those people STILL fucking hate the US for the CIA led coup back in the day.

That's why Obama is staying the fuck out of this whole situation.

Not really. I lived with a Persian for over 2 years, my wife's best friend is Persian. We spend every Persian New year with their families celebrating for the weekend. I've got a better grasp on people's feelings than most. Most of the youth in Iran don't hate the US, most support open relations and open trade with the US. Most know that Stuff that happened decades ago has little to do with today's global environment. Ya some of them are still bitter about it, but most of them are intelligent enough to seperate the issues and realize that what happened then has nothing to do with what can and will happen now. I think you need to give them a bit more credit than that. Persians are very liberal compared to their middleast counterparts and pride themselves in being more western than their neighbors and the fact that their country is ruled by religious zealots pisses them off to no end.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

More GOP simple-think.

"If the President isn't doing anything showy, he isn't donig anything at all!!! And the US MUST act, everytime! We are the World's Police!!!!"

To be fair, the Republicans are split on this. You have your McCains, you have your Lugars. Was reading an article earlier discussing their uncharacteristic split on foreign policy. So at least it's not full-on pressure from the GOP for Obama to do/say more.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Having spent alot of time with Persian youths as well, I can tell you that, in my experience, they are generally about the same as any of the youths you meet from Europe or Canada or the like. They don't hate the US as "The Great Satan" or anything of the like, but they are well aware of the US propensity for meddling and they hate THAT alot.

Regardless, any overt moves by the US only strengthen Ahmadinejad's position.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

To be fair, the Republicans are split on this. You have your McCains, you have your Lugars. Was reading an article earlier discussing their uncharacteristic split on foreign policy.

I think it's a divide between the Neo-Con/War Hawk types and the Libertarians. But I could be wrong on that, as I haven't seen much on any divide.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just a thought, but Iranian expatriates living in North America and calling themselves Persians may not be reflective of the general mood re: US sentiments, even in urban Tehran. I presume most of the expatriates are monied, elite, educated Iranians or their progeny who had to leave or chose to after the Shah was deposed.

But I think it is true that most Iranian youth probably dont hate the US and watch bootleg DVDs of 'Friends' episodes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
×
×
  • Create New...