From www.PoliticalBlend.com
It has been referred to as the ‘the best kept secret in international politics’ namely: the Iranian student. When Americans (or Westerners in general) think of Iran, the last image that comes to mind is that which has been so prevalent in the media these past few weeks (though less so recently due to the passing of a middle aged, effeminate, accused pedophile whom shall remain nameless). That image is that of the pro-American Iranian student. The late Tony Snow once made the comment that the ‘average Iranian student is more pro-American than the average American student’. This comment (which I admittedly paraphrased) is closer to the truth than most people know.
For those of you that have been overwhelmed by the avalanche of media coverage of the death of the aforementioned pederast; I will briefly explain the turmoil that is going on in Iran currently and why it is important. The cause of the conflict is the outcome of the recent Iranian Presidential election. Incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is the declared winner. However, the overwhelming majority of onlookers, observers, and Iranians believe the election to have been rigged, as the main opposition candidate (Mir-Hossein Mousavi) did not even carry his home district in the official tally. This has caused a huge upsurge in civil disobedience and protesting among the Iranian youth whom demand a recount and further democratic reforms. These pro-democratic protesters risk their lives, their families, and their jobs by calling for these reforms and by doing what only a few years ago would have been unthinkable; calling into questing the legitimacy of the Supreme Leader: Ayatollah Kamanie. The importance of the current civil unrest is not the ultimate result or the outcome of the election, as anyone familiar with the bizarre Iranian system of governance knows, the Iranian elections are shams by design. One may not run for public office if not first approved by the Mullahs and the Supreme Leader. The significance of these events is the fact that these demonstrations are taking place and that these statements are being made publicly, openly and defiantly. Each day, more Iranians take to the streets with chants of "death to the dictator" despite the promise Iranian authorities made to "smash" any new protests.
Why is civil unrest in a distant theocratic nation a concern to us? Well, two reasons. First and foremost the Iranian theocracy is a prime sponsor of Shia based terrorist groups, including Hezbollah (largely based in southern Lebanon) and therefore an overthrow of that regime would be a welcome blow to the finances and infrastructure of a large number of Muslim extremists worldwide. Secondly, and far more importantly, Iran has been and continues to try to acquire nuclear arms. If it succeeds in doing so, the entire world will live at the pleasure of Shia extremists. I hope I do not seem melodramatic when I write that. The Shia Theocracy in Iran is just that: a Theocracy. It believes that the hidden Imam has been hiding in a well for nine hundred years and will only return in a period of enormous bloodshed. If Iran acquires a nuclear weapon we will have the coincidence of the very thing that all thinking people have been dreading all their lives: the merging of a messianic regime with apocalyptic weaponry. In other words, a group of extremists with an apocalyptic vision of the future will control the means to carry out their desires. A regime that does not understand deterrence, that does not understand détente, and that does not understand (or care) about self-preservation will have the means to impose suicide murder on a scale never before seen. It is frustrating that so many people do not know, care to acknowledge or understand this simple truth. Those who look at the world today and do not see a nuclear Iran as the gravest threat to humanity simply do not understand the concept of what a true threat is even as it glares them in the face.
I do not however, mean to advocate war. The United States Military has neither the ability nor the public support to carry out such a campaign at this time. Besides, even if the military could muster the will and the arsenal to carry out such a campaign, I do not find that option to be the most appealing one for obvious reasons better left imagined than described. Which brings me back to the protests. An internal democratic revolution would be the most advantageous way to eliminate this threat from the world. It would not be unreasonable for the American president to issue a statement of support for the protestors and their cause. Iran’s nature and past actions have made these elections an international issue, not just a provincial one.
For weeks now, brave Iranians have been risking their lives and families just for the right to participate in a legitimate election. I am reminded of a statement by an author of whom I am fond. One Christopher Hitchens once said of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, "You see lots of splotchy ugly young men, who can’t get a date, being given guns and told that they’re special... and that they can do what they like to young women on the street". Please, the next time you find yourself pondering how much a deceased middle-aged singer changed the world; remember that there are millions of people risking their lives at this very moment to actually change the world, daring to oppose forces most of us have only experienced through history and fiction.
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