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Turmoil in Iran
Obba TriceTurmoil in Iran
I was very surprised by the protest to Ahmadinejad in Iran. I was even more surprised when it continued after the supreme leader ordered the protest to stop and Mussavi to accept the results. By defying the supreme leader his position is weakened and so is the regime. What has occurred over the past few days is truly historic and Iran will never be the same. My heart and prayer goes out to those that put their lives on the line in order to have a voice. To be honest I don’t know if I could do something like they did. The crackdown by the government only served to enrage the protesters. If there is a wide crackdown than people could feel anyone could be next, thus they have nothing to lose by protesting. This situation could have been resolved had the regime address the concerns of citizens. There are those who speak of the Obama effect I think to some degree it is the truth. The pictures and videos placed on YouTube and other internet sources are inspiring. At the same time they are horrific because of the bloodshed. I wish I could do something even if I am not Iranian because it is young people my age who are protesting. The courage presented by them is truly inspiring. The president is striking the right tone when he speaks of Iran. The Republicans who favor a tougher almost hawkish stance are wrong. The president can’t take ownership of this situation because we don’t know how it will end. No matter who truly becomes president we have to deal with Iran. The regime could say that the protesters are supported by the US; hence the legitimacy of the protesters will be eliminated. Considering the history of Iran and their distrust of the U.S we can’t appear to be interfeing. This has to be an Iranian domestic issue we can’t politicizes the situation. As far as I am concern American interference in the situation is arrogance. The Iranian people know what they do. They do not need American backing because they know what we stand for; US is for Democracy, freedom of assembly, speech and religion. This whole situation started from the grassroots let them continue on the path towards freedom. Iran is not the Soviet Union so for those who say the president needs tougher language much like Reagan said to bring down the Berlin wall are wrong. We can’t say we have your back only to turn our backs on the Iranian. What we can do is provide moral support but no political interference. The use of technology after the election is truly amazing. Who knew that Twitter and Facebook had such power? The Iranian government is not Islamic because it does not take religion to shoot civilians who are only asking for a revote. It does not take religion to release a bunch of thugs to terrorist protesters. It does not take religion to have home evasions. The next strongest action should be nationwide strikes. If there is a sustainable protest without concerns of demonstrators being addressed the tone could change from re vote to a regime change. The good news is that there seems to be a divide at the leadership level. This divide makes the next events difficult to predict and complicates the whole situation. The divide also gives some protection and support to protesters. Allah Akbar , the world stands with Iran and peace be upon you all.
