The Iranian government appears to be laying the groundwork to arrest Mir Hossein Mousavi, who this week released proof of extensive fraud and government interference with the June 12th elections. Hossein Shariatmadari, a special adviser to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, accused Mousavi of being a “foreign agent” working for the United States and a member of a “fifth column” determined to topple Iran’s Islamic system of governance. The Iranian government has also announced a crackdown on satellite providers in an effort to block citizens from hearing any news other than what the government approves. It appears that in the paradise of Islamic rule the government cannot risk people hearing about their government and its actions.
Mousavi released a 24-page document on his Web site detailing his allegations. Among the various charges, Mousavi’s people noted that commanders of the Revolutionary Guard Corps indicated that they would not accept victory by any candidate except Ahmadinejad.
The Iranian revolution seems to be following the same pattern as the French Revolution, which like Saturn devoured its own children. Mousavi was not exactly a beam of light as someone supporting the hostage taking at Iranian embassy, the execution of dissidents, and the fatwa against author Salmon Rushdie. Now, he appears like a less articulate and less inspiring version of Georges Danton — who helped overthrow the French monarchy only to later fell victim to the Revolutionary Courts.
For the full story, click here.
This happens in countries that embrace tyrants. To bad more Iranians did not have time to get of town before the Mullahs took over. At least in Venezuela some people are getting out.
“For just a moment, in the early days of his presidency, Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez looked almost like a healer. “Let’s ask for God’s help to accept our differences and come together in dialogue,” he famously implored his conflicted compatriots in 2002. Instead what Venezuelans got was an avenger. The government is seizing privately owned companies and farms. Labor unions have been crushed. Political opponents are routinely harassed or else prosecuted by chavista controlled courts. And now after a decade of the so-called Bolivarian revolution, tens of thousands of disillusioned Venezuelan professionals have had enough. Artists, lawyers, physicians, managers and engineers are leaving the country by droves, while those already abroad are scrapping plans to return. The wealthiest among them are buying condos in Miami and Panama City. Cashiered oil engineers are working rigs in the North Sea and sifting the tar sands of western Canada. Those of European descent have applied for passports from their native lands. Academic scholarships are lifeboats. An estimated million Venezuelans have moved abroad in the decade since Chávez took power.”
This typically happens when the left takes power, it is to bad there is no where left to go. Although I hear Germany is embracing free markets and lower taxes.
This is from a link from Glenn Greenwald. I hope Glenn is correct that this is a Bidenism instead of an Administration policy. If this is policy it is insane. Let’s hope it is reputiated immediately:
” It’s hard to tell exactly what Joe Biden was trying to say this morning on “This Week” with George Stephanopolous. But his remarks are being widely interpreted as a green light for an Israeli strike on Iran. If that isn’t the case, Biden needs to issue a strong clarification immediately. If it is, then he has just committed the worst foriegn policy blunder of the Obama administration.”
http://lynch.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2009/07/05/say_it_aint_so_joe
Mike A.,
I don’t know about standing out of the fray. I don’t think we should be in there manipulating things under cover, but an up front diplomatic action protesting the arrest, torture and executions for treason seems like the right thing to do. The EU is considering recalling their people as a protest against the govt. crackdown. As long as it’s upfront and coordinated with other nations I think this could give space to people who would like to know who really won the election. I’m worried about silence in the face of torture and executions.
People that would take an upfront, coordinated international action as a plot against the Iranian govt. likely believe this is occuring anyway. The Iranian govt. can only get mileage out of that with their true believers at this point. I’d also like to see a coordinated, international effort because this might keep our country in line as well. Forcing the US to act openly instead of through the CIA, may prevent us from interfering in our usual, ” we’ll support this group or that one because they are best for us” way and actually do something of help to the people.
Iran has begun to trudge down a path which will produce purges and bloodletting. What we do not know at present is whose blood will be let. From a foreign policy standpoint, however, I believe that we should be content to let this drama play out internally without any outside interference. The legitimacy of what emerges will be dependent upon the extent to which events are driven solely by Iranian political and social forces. I sense that Khamenei has overplayed his hand.
Many of the analysis I have heard agree with rcampbell. I am also quite certain that the US is up to no good in Iran. We have interfered there many times and we have links through the CIA with one part of their govt., so we are no innocents. What is striking about this govt. is how effective it has been in silencing all opposition. It is said that dictators around the world are taking notes and I believe this. Just now China shut down twitter and many other forms of communications over a protest by Uhigers. Hondorus is doing it’s own rather fine job with their coup. This could happen here as well. Here is an very interesting and moving interview done by Terry Gross with Roya Hakakian on Iran:
“Iranian-American author, activist and filmmaker Roya Hakakian discusses political upheaval in Iran.
Hakakian grew up Jewish in Tehran, an experience she recounts in her memoir Journey from the Land of No: A Girlhood Caught in Revolutionary Iran.
A 2008 Guggenheim fellow, Hakakian is a founding member of the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center and a fellow at Yale University’s Whitney Humanities Center. Her most recent film, commissioned by UNICEF, is Armed and Innocent, a documentary about child soldiers in wars around the world.”
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106157755
The movie Persepolis has also been updated to try to conver the newest protest. I high recommend this movie. It may be found under You Tube.
Over the weekend some more very prominent and powerful clerics denounced the recent election results as being questionable. This is a much bigger problem for Khameni than Mousavi or the street protestors. There appears to be a very real split within the power structure of the clerics.
Apparently, there is a philosophical debate going on about the involvement of Islam in governing (seperation of mosque and state?). There are also accusations that Khameni assumed his Supreme Learder position through political manueuvering and had not actually achieved the status of Ayatollah through the customary, and one assumes the required, religious route. Therefore his qualifications for his position are being questioned. He holds onto power through manipulation and by using his considerable political and military force. The fate of Iran could go either way right now.
This is part of a one-two punch strategy.
The other part is the public dialogue being called for … talks with the U.S. designed to placate the moderates who were in the streets recently.
My guess is that it will not work except to solidify and increase the divisions swirling within Iranian politics and governance.
http://blogdredd.blogspot.com/2009/07/who-would-allah-vote-for.html
You mean that the US would have any involvement in a foreign election. I am shock, dismayed, aghast, broken hearted, depressed, crying my eyeballs out, wettin my sheets with all this grief.
I cannot believe that someone would accuse this fine just nation of such international treason. Just remember that Gary Powers was lost because his hyper-diameter-gyros-eating compass was stuck because of the sauce.