Iran

Yahoo story on ongoing Iran protests.

The fact that protests are still raging has got to be a good sign. This is the most fervent the youth and liberal elements of that oppressed country have been since the 1979 Revolution which brought radical Islam into power there.

The Shah was corrupt and the US's reasons for supporting him were entirely political as 1979 was a very hot time in a very cold war. It never surprised me that an extreme faction came to power as a reaction to that. The same thing happened in Cuba, Nicaragua, and on the other side, Afghanistan. All these smaller countries that the US and USSR propped up or destabilized for all those years have a right to be pissed off and want autonomy.

But with the Cold War over (in name anyway), average Iranian citizens, with the benefit of the Internet, cellular, and satellite technologies, are starting to see they don't have to put up with these dickheads currently in power either. They want self-rule, moderate politics, freedom to practice Islam but (for the most part) tolerance of other faiths and peoples (like Turkey has), and modernity in their economy, which means freedom from sanctions and trade and diplomatic relations with the rest of the world. They don't want radical clerics who censor every voice of dissent ruling them.

That's what this is all about, and more power to them. I don't think the governments of Iran, China, and North Korea as they are currently constituted can stand much longer. If they're smart, they'll begin liberalizing and moving toward the center, as China has done economically, if not in terms of human rights. If they're not smart, they'll fall like the Soviet Union and all its satellite regimes did in 1989-1991. The next 5 years should be very interesting.

And for the US, the UK, France, Germany, and other Western countries, the best thing would be to look inwards and correct our own flaws, forge stronger alliances, and lead by example, not by words or by force. Let the oppressed people of these countries overcome tyranny themselves, only then will they succeed and have pride in themselves. Look at Iraq - we can't force freedom on people who aren't ready for it or don't want it. All we can do is set a good example and people will do what they want. And as they are sovereign countries, they have that right.

Western countries can hope for the spread of democracy but can't force it. And when it comes to enforcing human rights, that should be coordinated through the UN. No more vigilante (Bush-style) politics, please! Civilization needs to be just that: civilized. The RULE OF LAW must be respected, always. If we invade a sovereign country and change their institutions at the gunpoint, well then we're really no better than any other warmongering nation, are we? The best we can do now is to nonviolently support these protesters in Iran and people around the globe like them, and then hope for the best. If World Peace EVER becomes a reality, it won't be achieved with weapons!!