Tightrope walking in Tehran (and Washington, D.C.)
Via Nico Pitney’s indispensable liveblog at the Huffington Post, President Obama has edged a bit further off the sidelines regarding the Iranian post-election protests:
I’m very concerned — based on some of the tenor and tone of the statements that have been made – that the government of Iran recognize that the world is watching. And how they approach and deal with people who are, through peaceful means, trying to be heard will, I think, send a pretty clear signal to the international community about what Iran is and — and is not.
Meanwhile, the immense crowds that have been gathering daily in Tehran and the authoritarian regime they’re protesting against continue to watch each other, waiting to see who will blink first.
Despite threats from “supreme leader” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei of violence in response to further demonstrations, messages of continuing resistance are being passed along via new media (thanks, Attackerman) and word of mouth.
The mood of the protesters seems to be both courageous and fatalistic. Anecdotes cited in Nico Pitney’s liveblog and elsewhere on HuffPo reveal individuals uncertain of their chances of success — or even survival — and not viewing Mousavi as a savior, but nonetheless recognizing what may be a singular opportunity to affirm that the voice of the people matters in their country.
The government’s reluctance so far to respond with a direct crackdown is explained by Jon Lee Anderson in the New Yorker:
Thirty years ago, during the demonstrations that led to the Shah’s downfall, one of the dominant images was scenes of uniformed soldiers firing live ammunition at protesters. This week, Iran’s clerics seem determined, at least, not to repeat that historic mistake. They remember that the daily news coverage of the Shah’s soldiers shooting and killing unarmed protesters precipitated the collapse of the regime.
The regime’s attempt to quell the dissent has thus been limited to the work of shadowy plainclothes militias, whose thuggery appears to have been met in some instances with reverse vigilantism.
In this context, Obama’s reminder that “the world is watching” is timely and important as a way of (hopefully) deterring wider bloodshed.
(Cross-posted at Firedoglake.)
Stumble it!
Tags: Ahmadinejad, iran, Mousavi, President Obama
June 20th, 2009 at 10:28 pm
Its not enough. Its time to increase pressure. I remember when Bush did not do anything with Tiananmen Square. The Party Elite brought in the tanks and we let them. Conservative mulahs are going to do the same thing. Obama should disengage with all contact with the Iranian regime to
June 21st, 2009 at 9:58 am
I read the letter from Mousavi to his people. I am sure rhetoric is commonplace in any “civilisation” that is in fact ruled by religion, so it is hard to make out what the point of the letter is. Since the Persians are more educated than any other country in the region, I must remain mystified at the pandering to the supreme creator crap.
I am reminded of the early days of our colonial experiments. You were either “in” a religion that allowed you to be a part of their regime, or you weren’t. If you weren’t, you were a savage, and cast out, or if you opened your trap, killed.
I am hoping that the people of Iran have had enough of their “cretins in charge” and are truly moving to democracy. It is sad that they can’t break the chain that prevents this from happening, no matter how much protest and death awaits them. As long as you have some sort of idiot god to bow down to, you will never have anything but shit for a government. Note our country and it’s problems with the 386 types of god and the ritual killings demanded to appease them.