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What do you think the U.S. should do with regard to the current situation in Iran?
You'll be spanked later for your answer. :mrgreen:Verbal support. This election is none of our business. The only thing we should do is let the Iranian people know that we stand with them in support of their right to choose their next leader, and not be taken for fools.
As it stands, I think the US should ratchet up international support in favor of the protestors. Should things in Iran turn towards civil conflict, I say we go in and offer overt military support to those that oppose the current regime.
No country should interfer with what is a internal issue. Only Iranians can swing it one way or the other, we can only observe
Very true....but realistically what is the alternative? Saddam Hussein was at least as much of a regional threat as Iran might become once nuclearized, and unlike Iran actually took the step of invading one of his neighbors. If any nation was a fit candidate for regime change, it was Iraq; without discussing the merits of Operation Iraqi Freedom, six years of nation building as an aftermath is not a price that can be paid with regularity.But when it threatens to affect the surrounding areas outside those borders? A Nazi Germany grew to affect the entire world. North Korea internal issues affect the entire Pacific, which draws in the U.S. And a nuclear Iran in the hands fo the current regime is a dangerous thing for many.
You'll be spanked later for your answer. :mrgreen:
Very true....but realistically what is the alternative? Saddam Hussein was at least as much of a regional threat as Iran might become once nuclearized, and unlike Iran actually took the step of invading one of his neighbors. If any nation was a fit candidate for regime change, it was Iraq; without discussing the merits of Operation Iraqi Freedom, six years of nation building as an aftermath is not a price that can be paid with regularity.
The virtue of standing aside to see what develops is prudent. If the protesters gain significant ground, and threaten the mullahs on their own, then is the time to weigh in with material support. In this horse race, America needs to back the winning horse or not bet at all.
Good points.I completely understand your point of view and see the reality of it. But we are Americans and gambling is what we do. Our problem has always been that we sometimies choose to gamble on the safe side no matter what it does to our values and our image. We are already in this horse race and we do have a favorite. Backing the current regime because they "won" will not slow their nuclear quest. One of the very real issues Muslims in the Middle East has against America is its hypocracy to deliver freedom and equality to its own while practicing apathy or "support" towards their oppresive regimes. The "winning horse" is exactly what America did wrong during the Cold War.
Good points.
However, there is also the very real concern that premature backing of the protesters could de-legitimize them in the eyes of the muslim world. They need to prove themselves, prove they are the real deal, before any come rushing to their aid. Backing the protesters too soon could strengthen the mullahs' hand not just in cracking down on the protesters but in their dealings with their Mid-Eastern neighbors.
Absolutely.I doubt there's much uncertainty as to whether or not America overall wants the mullahs overthrown--and I doubt Khamanei is unaware of this. That's why I wish Dear Leader were taking a clearer stand on the principles of democracy; without giving direct endorsement of the protesters, speaking to American democratic values and using the seminal documents of American democratic traditions, he can show common cause with the protesters, giving them much needed encouragement, while at the same time building a case for direct support if and when their movement reaches that level of maturity.
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