If you live in the U.S., Canada or another solidly democratic nation, I hope you'll watch what's going on in Iran this weekend and thank your lucky stars that you live in a place where the voice of the people isn't a pipe dream.
I always have to laugh when I see nations like Iran hold so-called elections under the obvious-to-anyone-else premise that they actually give a damn about democratic process. That President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stole the election shouldn't come as a surprise. Nor should the fact that Iran's iron-fisted religious leadership is perfectly happy to have this nutbar remain in power.
There's no such thing as democracy in a nation that has never in its history understood the meaning of the word. Why Western powers think they can actually open up meaningful dialog with these buffoons is beyond me.
it was a very short lived hope for many Iranians who wanted these elections to make a difference....
ReplyDeletethis is what an Iranian friend posted on her pr0file today...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZI9gvy-G3U
My Iranian friend from work and her husband were really hopeful for this election. I'm sure she is very disappointed now. They had been watching the news on youtube from Iran nightly leading up to the election.
ReplyDelete"I hope you'll watch what's going on in Iran this weekend and thank your
ReplyDeletelucky stars that you live in a place where the voice of the people
isn't a pipe dream."
Nope. I live in New York. We had something similar (but not that extreme) happen in the state government less than a week ago.
And the same kind of thing happened in Tennessee a few months ago.
ReplyDeleteIt can happen anywhere.
Maybe by opening the dialogue, the emperor will show his true colors to all.
ReplyDeleteI was listening to NPR on Friday and hoping that this supposedly close election race would end well.
ReplyDeleteI'm saddened, but sadly not surprised.
This past week, as Stephen Colbert has been broadcasting his show from Iraq, he asked one of his guest generals about Iran. The answer was deftly steered away from the question. The military in both of our countries is already stretched to the breaking point. Families here are exhausted. And I fear that we've only just begun over there.
Very sad that this is allowed to go on. I will not even get into what our current President and Congress will do about this...nothing...oops did I say that.
ReplyDeletewestern ations are just trying to figure out how best to use these nations for their own advantage....
ReplyDeleteHave started a new meme Pet Pride where you can display your or your friends' pets every week beginning every Sunday! Do join in and share your pet pride with the world!
Western society is partially responsible for the state of the Middle East today.In 1953 Britain, aided by the U.S, overthrew the moderate government in Iran, because they had wanted to Nationalize the oil industry.
ReplyDeleteMohammed Mosaddeq was ousted and the Shah Reza Pahlevi was installed and began a brutal dictatorship that was friendly to the West.In the 70's this regime was forcefully overthrown by the Ayatollahs and radicals.
( The Americans had also done the same thing in South America, again when the banana and coffee plantations were to be Nationalized)
Corporate profits are more important than Sovereign or human rights.
So yes,though Iran and other countries have mock elections and commit many abuses, the West cannot divest itself of culpability in shaping history.
This is not the only example of meddling in the affairs of foreign governments, I had just stated this one as it is pertinent to your post.
Klaatu's right up to a point, but in the interest of accuracy the destabilization of Persia/Iran didn't begin in 1953.
ReplyDeleteMohammed Reza Pahlavi did in fact depose Mosaddeq in 1953. But the Pahlavi Dynasty actually began in 1921 -- without any help from the West -- when his father Reza Pahlavi usurped the Qajar Dynasty.
It was the elder Pahlavi that was so cozy with Hitler, and petitioned the international community to refer to Persia by the name used within the country: Iran (Land of Aryans). Ironically, it was an Anglo-Soviet (ahem) "intervention" that forced the abdication of the elder Pahlavi after WW II and effectively placed Mosaddeq (again ironically, a descendant of the Qajars) in the position of Prime Minister.
(And to think all I really wanted to do when I came here was catch up on Thematic Photographic...)