Topper (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} toppercub) wrote,@ 2009-06-18 22:22:00 |
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The Devil We Know...
It's easy to think of this Moussavi guy in Iran as being a total reformist. In hearing people talk (in person and on the Internet), there's a misconception that he and his supporters want to overthrow the Ayatollahs, the Guardian Council, establish a regime friendly to the West, and play nicey-nice with the world.
You know, this is not true. He is not looking to do any of that. He has stated that he does not "recognize the existence" of Israel (an unrealistic position at best). He does not want to stop Iran's nuclear program, and he's not trying to establish a secular republic. He was vetted by the Iranian authorities before he ran for office, meaning he did not present any real threat to the existing power structure. In short, he's really no different than Ahmandinnerjacket or whatever his name is, except maybe Moussavi would be a bit more eloquent (then again...maybe not).
That's not to say that there aren't Iranians who don't want friendlier relations with the West. I wonder what percentage of the people protesting in Tehran DO want friendlier relations with the West. It's just Moussavi isn't the guy to fulfill those hopes. What he is, though, is the focal point for some nose-thumbing at the current Iranian authority by all sorts of people with all sorts of ideolgies.
So a message to the guys around the water cooler I overhear emphatically endorsing Moussavi: Moussavi's not our friend. Regardless of who "wins", when the dust settles I think we'll find that things are not much different.
It's easy to think of this Moussavi guy in Iran as being a total reformist. In hearing people talk (in person and on the Internet), there's a misconception that he and his supporters want to overthrow the Ayatollahs, the Guardian Council, establish a regime friendly to the West, and play nicey-nice with the world.
You know, this is not true. He is not looking to do any of that. He has stated that he does not "recognize the existence" of Israel (an unrealistic position at best). He does not want to stop Iran's nuclear program, and he's not trying to establish a secular republic. He was vetted by the Iranian authorities before he ran for office, meaning he did not present any real threat to the existing power structure. In short, he's really no different than Ahmandinnerjacket or whatever his name is, except maybe Moussavi would be a bit more eloquent (then again...maybe not).
That's not to say that there aren't Iranians who don't want friendlier relations with the West. I wonder what percentage of the people protesting in Tehran DO want friendlier relations with the West. It's just Moussavi isn't the guy to fulfill those hopes. What he is, though, is the focal point for some nose-thumbing at the current Iranian authority by all sorts of people with all sorts of ideolgies.
So a message to the guys around the water cooler I overhear emphatically endorsing Moussavi: Moussavi's not our friend. Regardless of who "wins", when the dust settles I think we'll find that things are not much different.
