I’ve been following the uprising in Iran quite closely over the last few days. I think one of the most interesting things I’ve noticed during this conflict is how interested and involved Americans seem to be. I think that’s great and it is inspiring to see people half a world apart show such solidarity with the people of Iran. But I also think it’s important for people to know and understand the issues and history of the Iranian republic and what led to these peotests — not just jump blindly into a cause simply because CNN is showing images of people dying. Hundreds of people are dying in Pakistan and in Palestine. What is it that is drawing Americans so passionately to this cause?
Barack Obama issued another statement today declaring that “[t]he Iranian government must understand that the world is watching” and “[w]e call on the Iranian government to stop all violent and unjust actions against its own people.” This, to me, is a much stronger statement than what he’s said previously, and this is enough. It is not the American government’s place to interfere in what, at this time, is strictly a domestic affair. It is absolutely ludicrous for John McCain to critisize Obama for his weak stance on Iran. Mousavi and the Iranian people have made it clear that they do not need or want any external support. If the US was to take a firmer stance, they would become the issue and it would give the Iranian government an ‘out’, so to speak — a way for them to deflect blame for the protests and place blame on the US.
It’s a difficult event to watch on TV and Youtube and to read the updates on Twitter. I honestly wish that I were in Iran to experience this moment in history, a protest that may soon become something much bigger. I do stand in solidarity with the Mousavi supporters, though I do not necessarily support Mousavi as a strong leader of Iran. He is an accidental figurehead and had he been elected, I don’t believe that he would have reformed Iran’s policies in any significant way. After all, it is not the president who holds the power in Iran — it is the ayatollah.
