THE MAINSTREAM media narrative of events unfolding in Iran has been set out for us as clear as a fairytale: an evil dictatorship has rigged elections and now violently suppresses its country's democrats, hysterically blaming foreign saboteurs the while. But the Twitter generation is on the right side of history (in Obama's words), and could bring Iran back within the regional circle of moderation. If only Iran becomes moderate, a whole set of regional conflicts will be solved.
I don't mean to minimise the importance of the Iranian protests or the brutality of their suppression, but I take issue with the West's selective blindness when it gazes at the Middle East. The "Iran narrative" contains a dangerous set of simplicities which bode ill for Obama's promised engagement, and which will be recognised beyond the West as rotten with hypocrisy.
>>>The Islamic Republic has been a great - if seriously flawed - experiment in economic and strategic independence, its engines oiled by class consciousness and national pride as much as by religion. Iran is at least a semi-democracy, and has held 10 presidential elections in 30 years. Iranian women are obliged to cover their hair, true, but women in US-client Saudi Arabia are obliged to cover their faces. In Saudi Arabia of course there are never any elections to dispute - but there are US military bases, so we don't dwell on the issue.
Here's the nub of it. Iran opposes the US military presence in the region, and vigorously supports resistance to Israeli expansionism. On these two points, the Iranian regime is closer than any other to the true sentiments of Middle Easterners.
And this, fundamentally, is why Iran is imagined to be such a problem in the West: because it's a Venezuela or a Cuba of a country. Iran is troublesome not because it's any more obscurantist or dictatorial than its neighbours, but because it is less submissive.
Iran is accused of backing terrorism because it helps to arm Hizbullah and Hamas, grassroots anti-occupation groups with a legitimate, even legal, cause. Both groups have targeted civilians (rarely, in Hizbullah's case) but not on as grand a scale as Israel, which is armed and funded by the United States. And Iran doesn't export Wahhabi-nihilist terrorists of the Taliban or al-Qaeda-in-Iraq variety. Again, that would be our ally Saudi Arabia.
Person | About | Day |
---|---|---|
نسرین ستوده: زندانی روز | Dec 04 | |
Saeed Malekpour: Prisoner of the day | Lawyer says death sentence suspended | Dec 03 |
Majid Tavakoli: Prisoner of the day | Iterview with mother | Dec 02 |
احسان نراقی: جامعه شناس و نویسنده ۱۳۰۵-۱۳۹۱ | Dec 02 | |
Nasrin Sotoudeh: Prisoner of the day | 46 days on hunger strike | Dec 01 |
Nasrin Sotoudeh: Graffiti | In Barcelona | Nov 30 |
گوهر عشقی: مادر ستار بهشتی | Nov 30 | |
Abdollah Momeni: Prisoner of the day | Activist denied leave and family visits for 1.5 years | Nov 30 |
محمد کلالی: یکی از حمله کنندگان به سفارت ایران در برلین | Nov 29 | |
Habibollah Golparipour: Prisoner of the day | Kurdish Activist on Death Row | Nov 28 |
Gholam-e Ali gueda (aka Gholam Shah)
by Mardom Mazloom on Thu Oct 01, 2009 05:49 PM PDTTwo questions for you:
1. Some days ago Kordan told that ministry agents under IRI were dogs, and he was suggesting to train better such animals. The question here is, what kind of an agent are you? The one who barks when there is nothing to say, or, the one who repeats Keyhan's position here? - ok that's the same question.
2. And, what kind of bones they give at the end of the month? Mamooti or Shotor ones?
Shah Gholam, You
by Farhad Kashani on Thu Oct 01, 2009 05:36 PM PDTShah Gholam,
You maniacal pathological liar. How desperate are you trying to save this Fascist IRI regime? The only thing left for you is to sell yourself to save them.
No one paid Americans in Iran just because they were Americans and Shah just loved them! Those American military advisors helped Iran have one of the biggest and strongest armies in the world where idiots like Saddam wouldn’t even dare to think about attacking Iran. When your Fascist Khomeini took power, by dismantling that powerful army, our country was left defenseless, because Khomeini’s idea was that anyone who does not worship him does not need to exist!
And as far as the BS about living in America and your audacity to make up these stories, this system has been in place and served this country and others greatly for 200 years, it has went through depression even, but it bounced back, because it is the best possible system in the world. As we speak, unemployment is only about 10% here, what is the rate in Iran you think you fool? U.S still has the highest GPD and still the best way of life. Still as we speak, millions and millions people from Iran, Cuba, Russia and elsewhere dream about coming here escaping the hell that their governments, whom you bend over backwards to support, created and come to the promise land.
The parallel universe of Shah Gholam
by Faramarz_Fateh on Wed Sep 30, 2009 10:10 PM PDTThe parallel universe of Shah Gholam. Living in an imaginary world has and will keep Iran from progress
Shah Gollam
by HollyUSA on Wed Sep 30, 2009 09:56 PM PDTI have NO argument or disagreement with anything you are saying my freind. Read my post again. I use my ' ' marks carefully!
HollyUSA
by Shah Ghollam on Wed Sep 30, 2009 09:51 PM PDTIn some parts of the US, certain groups of our Iranian 'brothers and sisters' blatantly cheat on their taxes (yes EVADE, not avoid), use government assistance when they need none but are legally qualified to recieve it due to their 'Panahandeh' status, steal millions upon millions from institutions and companies that you and I pay into (such as Medical, Medicare and the insurance industry in general) and so on and so forth. The real problem is that these people HAVE no loyalties other than to the all mighty dollar...and the sucker of the day that is paving their way to it.
You know, it may be so, although, I have not seen any example in my neck of woods. Then again, what is the population of such group among Iranians? or within the total population? Is the percentage of these people greater than what the statistics show for the whole country? I don't beieve so. Also, those who break the law will not be spared here. In Iran under the Shah, there existed a law called 'capitulation'. Based on that, an American could murder, rape, kill and so on w/o seeing a single day in Iranian court or jails. Show me a simialr case here in the US. capitulation law made Iranians under class in their own country and the Americans as a superior entity. It was a racist program against Iranians.
I know for fact (reliable sources), that American high school age, children of the US GI's, were given summer jobs in Isfahan helicopter assembly plant for $12.00/hr to paint iranian Cobras. How many Iranian students could dream of getting 50 cents/hr paid by Iranian government?
Shah Ghollam well put but...
by HollyUSA on Wed Sep 30, 2009 09:05 PM PDTsomething you said didn't sit well with me. I have to point out that you are generalizing when you talk about Iranians in the US giving back to this country. In some parts of the US, certain groups of our Iranian 'brothers and sisters' blatantly cheat on their taxes (yes EVADE, not avoid), use government assistance when they need none but are legally qualified to recieve it due to their 'Panahandeh' status, steal millions upon millions from institutions and companies that you and I pay into (such as Medical, Medicare and the insurance industry in general) and so on and so forth. The real problem is that these people HAVE no loyalties other than to the all mighty dollar...and the sucker of the day that is paving their way to it. Before 1979 the sucker was known as Iran. Today the sucker is the US (chon in ghoha ro dar Europe nemisheh khord!). The only constants are our blood and our blood sucking 'brothers and sisters'. So let's all remeber this as one of the many lessons learned over the 30 years and not repeat our mistakes when our beloved bothers and sisters fighting for freedom inside of Iran finally pave the way for all of us to return.
Let me give you a lesson
by Shah Ghollam on Wed Sep 30, 2009 09:35 PM PDTA planet that it says I will neglect what America has done for me providing me with new life, and I will bash it and trash it non stop, because I don’t have character nor integrity nor any sense of logic to be thankful and stand up for this great country who gave me a new life.
In the 70's, there were 50,000 American GI's living in Iran on constant basis (non military not included). The Shah was paying every single one lavishly. A simple sargent was getting paid $2500.00/month w/o tax. That was whole lots of money. The Americans in general looked so down on iranians and their culture then and only handful really mixed with Iranians and learned Farsi. In other words, they were provided with a lavish life unthankfully.
Almost w/o doubt, no iranian is in the US having any special arrangement because he is here. In fact, all iranians live and practice the same rules and regulations like native americans. They earn their money having no special treatment if not worse. We all pay taxes, go thorugh months of unemployement, loose our homes, loose our jobs, suffer and so on. This is while we have to be better than others in our occupations or businesses, know the English language and sometimes be discriminated against because of our looks, national origin or our names.
Iranians give a lot to the US for what they get back. I can assure you, Iranians are for more thankful and giving to this nation than any American that was lavishly paid by our national resources during the Shah times and none of them are near greatful to Iran as an average Iranian is and has been in the US.
Just thought to put your non-sense in perspective!
Boldly expose Zionists, help humanity!
Payam jaan, He’s from
by Farhad Kashani on Wed Sep 30, 2009 06:07 PM PDTPayam jaan,
He’s from this planet: a planet where its people are so filled with hate, that it makes them support “hate”, “hate” in form of IRI’s religious Fascism and other dictatorships like Chavez, China, Castro and others. A planet that its people believe that Iran should be sacrificed in order for Socialism to prevail and for America to go down. A planet that its people suffer from a severe case of conspiracy theorism.
A planet that its people openly perpetuate hate on a specific race, Jews, and want them according to Shah Gholam himself “sent back to slavery the same way Cyrus find them in Babylon”.
A planet that it says I will neglect what America has done for me providing me with new life, and I will bash it and trash it non stop, because I don’t have character nor integrity nor any sense of logic to be thankful and stand up for this great country who gave me a new life.
A planet that its people are oblivious to the non stop butchering of the Iranian people, and other people suffering from dictatorships like Cubans, Chinese, N Koreans and other, and see the only injustice in the world committed by Israel.
A planet that think a minority of Jews control the destiny of 7 billion people all around the world. A planet that its people say its not OK to have relations with America, but its OK if we give 39% of our territory in the Caspian sea to Russia since it treats Iran as its whore, and its OK for china to sign a 20 year agreement with giving them full access to all of Iran’s oil and gas fields.
A planet that its people think its OK for IRI to treat its citizens as sub humans, as long as it satisfies the anti Semitic and Anti American desires of a few people, like Shah Gholam, around the world.
Payam jaan, I call that planet “Mustarah”! Khomeini was from there too!
.
by Shepesh on Wed Nov 25, 2009 02:13 AM PST.
Iran a semi-democracy? On which planet have you been living for
by پیام on Wed Sep 30, 2009 08:36 AM PDTthe past 3 months? BTW, Iran is not demonized, at least not anymore after the recent election. It is the dictators running the country that are demonized.
Shah Gholam, that is a good summarization of the situation
by Bavafa on Tue Sep 29, 2009 07:51 PM PDTI totally agree.
Mehrdad