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A Dangerous Game: Playing Politics with Iran

by Orlando 6/19/2009 - 12:31 pm   |

Congressman Mike Pence (R-IN) and Congressman Howard Berman (D-CA) have introduced a resolution expressing support for Iranian citizens, condemning the violence in Iran, and spouting off about the importance of free and fair elections.

Berman said, “It is not for us to decide who should run Iran, much less determine the real winner of the June 12 election…but we must reaffirm our strong belief that the Iranian people have a fundamental right to express their views about the future of their country freely, and without intimidation.”

When I read this statement, my immediate thought was, “Why?”

Why must we reaffirm our belief in freedom of expression and democracy? It’s not exactly a big secret that the United States holds these beliefs. And, current decade notwithstanding, we can be pretty good at working with longstanding and emerging democracies around the world.

Where we fail, again and again, is trying to overlay not only our ideals but how we put those ideals into practice onto countries whose cultures and traditions are different from ours. Our leaders have not, over the long term, shown much imagination when it comes to understanding that other societies might have their own path to achieving such important ends as freedom and democracy.

Smart, experienced foreign policy experts of all political persuasions have suggested that President Obama has taken exactly the right approach to the situation in Iran, and that any strong response by the United States could be used by the Iranian government against the protesters. Yet, conservative members of the House and Senate, as well as conservative talk show hosts, have been insisting over and over that the President is not going far enough; that he needs to decry the election results and make demands.

In my opinion, these people don’t know anything about Iran, don’t care about Iran or the Iranian people, and couldn’t care less what position they’re advocating for as long as it’s the opposite of what the President is doing. That’s become the Right’s MO on all issues since Obama took office. Whatever Obama says is wrong—reason, public opinion, and even public safety be damned.

And here we go again. Iran is reaching a tipping point. After the Ayatollah’s speech today, protests are now increasingly dangerous. What will happen on Saturday, when protesters return to the streets? I don’t know, but I fear the worst. I fear that the government will put down the protests, brutally and violently.

Pence, Berman, and the like are behaving as if they are blind to this potential outcome. They see an opportunity to score political points, and if it results in the deaths of tens or hundreds or thousands of citizens in a country so far away, who cares? The goal is to undermine the President for the benefit of the Repbulican party.

Such naked narcissism takes my breath away.

Many partisans--Republicans and Democrats--disagree with everything their opponents say for political points, and Pence and Berman may well be among them, but there are also plenty of Republicans that seem to genuinely believe that shouting their opinions about foreign elections is helpful to the opposition. Bush-Cheney undercut sympathetic political parties from Venezuela to Lebanon plenty of times by cheering for their favorite horses. I don't get it. The folks who subscribe to this philosophy seem unable to grasp the subtle possibility that speaking out is not always the most effective way to support your allies.

by Genghis 6/19/2009 - 1:36 pm

You're absolutely right about their being partisans on both sides. I'm so sick of it. I wrote this post before they voted. Now that they have, I hate them all. The resolution passed 405 to 1, with only Ron Paul voting against it.

I hope the Democrats feel all warm and fuzzy tomorrow when the crackdown starts. Assholes.

by Orlando 6/19/2009 - 1:55 pm (re: Genghis)

As of right now, Orlando, Mousavi is not calling for another demo on Saturday. So that ratchets back a bit the risk of bloody confrontations. Instead, he and the two other defeated candidates will be making their legal pitches to the Guardian Council, which in turn promises to respond Sunday on how it intends to proceed.

There are 646 separate complaints, so I can't see any way that they can summarily dismiss all of them. If they did, that' would be pretty solid evidence of a coverup, and would reinvigorate the opposition. So there will be some kind of probe and/or recount. The question is how probing the probe will be.

You're absolutely right about the American right. They couldn't care less about Mousavi, or about promoting democracy in Iran. All they can see is a chance to destabilize the country; if there's a backlash and a crackdown leading to more totalitarian rule, all the more reason to bomb.

 

by acanuck 6/19/2009 - 2:09 pm

In case I haven't made it clear, Obama's approach has been absolutely correct, reasoned and astute. He hasn't burned any bridges to Ahmadinejad, whom he's going to have to deal with if he wants Mideast peace and stability.

I think even Supreme Leader Khamenei recognized this (in a backhand way) when in his Friday speech he singled out Britain, not the U.S., as the biggest meddler in Iranian internal affairs.

By contrast, you've got morons like Krauthammer who are frothing over the prospect of blood running in Tehran's streets: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/18/AR2009061803495.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

Wisely, the opposition apparently backed off the idea of another mass protest today. The 2,000-3,000 who turned out anyway are not necessarily the best representatives Mousavi has to offer. Reports suggest that some torched an Ahmadinejad office, and that a suicide bomber struck at the shrine to Ayatollah Khomeini -- not the kind of actions that solidify public support; Khomeini continues to be widely revered. Still, aside from the bomber, there's been no reported bloodbath -- always a good thing, in my book.

As I said above, today was the day the defeated candidates were invited to make their cases to the Guardian Council. Mousavi and Karroubi didn't show up. If they are abandoning their legal appeal, I think that's an admission they really have lost.

by acanuck 6/20/2009 - 1:10 pm (re: acanuck)

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