The opposition leader Mousavi probably wouldn't be much better than the current president of Iran. After all, he would still be a puppet of the mullahs. So in terms of a change in foreign policy towards the United States or Israel, we can't really hope for any breakthroughs. Still, the people seem to be sick of Ahamdinejad and the mullahs who decide how everything goes in Iran. The people want their votes to count and their voices to be heard. Their voices are being heard now and the price of speaking out is a high one.
The thugs of the Iranian regime have unleashed their muscle on the populace. The message is clear. The mullahs will tolerate small bit of dissent and nothing more. People outraged at the initial response to the protests have continued to press the issue for the past week, staging repeated demonstrations and general acts of defiance against the powers that be. The Iranian regime has responded in a violent matter by having their thugs beat, brutalize and murder those who oppose the official position of the state. Yet, as of today the protests still go on.
After taking in the events of the past week a few things are obvious to me. The elections in Iran are a sham and not even worth investigating. The fix is always in there. The opposition candidate wouldn't be much better than the current president so there's no reason to make him a symbol of Iranian independence. The people of Iran want democracy.
I'm under no illusions that democracy in Iran would mean great improvements in relations with the U.S. or Israel. But I think democracy would provide the people of Iran with a chance to chart a course that allows their country to re-join the community of peace loving nations. A democratic Iran may still end up with nuclear weapons. But I would bet that the threat of Iran using those weapons would be much smaller. And I also think that a democratic Iran would eliminate state support for terrorism.
I'd like to say that freedom is on the march in Iran but I don't think that's likely. The regime has a strong hold on the country and they're likely to continue to crack down until resistance appears to be futile. The people of Iran are also lacking support from the United States that is so crucial in their attempts to be free.
I have a hunch that Iranians look to their western border and see that Iraqis now at least have a vote that counts. The U.S. and our allies in toppling Saddam made that possible. President Obama has made it clear since day one of his Presidency that the U.S. is not in that business anymore. Rather than agitate for freedom and advocate regime change the U.S. will double our efforts to seek common ground with the various despots that dot the landscape of the earth. Obama has made the point loud and clear that the likes of Castro, Chavez, Kim Jong Il, Ahmadinejad and others are to be bargained with.
The new U.S. approach will certainly reduce friction in the short term, but in the long run the festering wound that is totalitarianism will continue to breed hatred, violence and poverty in the nations that house those sorts of regimes. Dissidents and true opposition leaders won't find comfort in the new "go along to get along" doctrine of the Obama administration.
And so the roll of nations that support freedom and democracy is not likely to increase anytime soon. But I salute those who fight the good fight even if they don't get the support they need from our current administration.


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