Article

2009-06-17 Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Thousands rally again in streets of Iran's capital

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Posted by Steve White 2009-06-17 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11131 views ] Top
File under: Govt of Iran

#1 The people who fixed the election have promised to investigate the question of whether or not the election was fixed. Hmm, I wonder what they will conclude.

Posted by Odysseus 2009-06-17 07:36|| 2009-06-17 07:36|| Front Page Top

#2 It would be nice if BO had a statement of support for the people of Iran. A statement of support for democracy and fair elections.

Posted by JohnQC 2009-06-17 10:34|| 2009-06-17 10:34|| Front Page Top

#3 JohnQC,

One he can't. Its all about him not them. So why would he so soon contradict himself from his Cairo speech? Secondly, he is not a democrat in terms of Democracy/Liberty/Pursuit of Happiness - he is a Marxist radical with the largest narcissistic ego in the history of our great Republic. None of this works for HIM.

Posted by Jack is Back!">Jack is Back! 2009-06-17 10:50|| 2009-06-17 10:50|| Front Page Top

#4 If anything significant is going to come of all this they are going to have to do more than just rally. At some point they will either get organized and take some kind of action or else let the whole thing fizzle. Waiting for a recount of the votes is pointless unless they use that time to get organized and come up with some kind of a plan. Mousavi may have been the spark that ignited the protests but it sounds like he is ready to knuckle under after a bogus recount shows that he lost the bogus election. The fix was in from the get go and he had to at least suspect as much. The question is: will anyone have the skills and support from the masses to organize a putsch and, if so, who?

Posted by Ebbang Uluque6305 2009-06-17 12:22|| 2009-06-17 12:22|| Front Page Top

#5 ebang

by rally and showing the regime cant stop them, they rob the regime of its image of power and authority. That is the first step, and the biggest. Where they head next depends on many things, including how the regime security forces break. There are videos showing uniformed police smiling at crowds - at the same token the folks breaking heads in all seem to be baseegi militia, and some spec riot police. The reg army is quiet, and so far the uniformed Rev Guards seem to be mainly quiet. Which way they go has a huge impact. Think Tiananmen and Burma - but also think Moscown 1991, and Bucharest 1989.

If all of the security forces stay loyal to khameni and dinnerjacket, that makes things very, very hard. But the situation is almost certainly fluid. Certainly grabbing for control of govt ministries now is probably not a good idea.

note also, there are rumors Rafsanjani is trying to get the expediency council to fire Khameni. that is nominally legal under their islamic constitution, but its never been done.

Posted by liberal hawk 2009-06-17 14:27|| 2009-06-17 14:27|| Front Page Top

#6 Pre-Islamic Persia had an historical event that sort of translates to "The day they killed all the priests". One can hope the spirit lives on.

Posted by Bertie Ebbuns4652 2009-06-17 14:49|| 2009-06-17 14:49|| Front Page Top

#7 I guess I'm thinking more along the lines of Moscow 1917 where there were competing forces waiting to wrest control from Czar Nicholas II. It'd be a bummer if the Iranians swapped mullahs for commies.

Posted by Ebbang Uluque6305 2009-06-17 14:58|| 2009-06-17 14:58|| Front Page Top

#8 1. I havent heard a word out of the Tudeh party, the old mainstream Commie party in Iran. I think they sort of went dud a while ago. There is an active labor movement (bus drivers, for example) who have done strikes in the past - I think they support Moussavi, and are not totalitarians. MEK, the commie group that used to be based in Iraq, and which we have supported from time to time, has a website, but I dont think they are real strong in country.

Really, a commie takeover most unlikely, and even if they did, given the absence of a genooine commie regime to give them support (dont call billionaire supporters in Beijing commies, please) I dont think they would be real strong.

If there is an analogy to 1917, its Moussavi as Kerensky, and genuine pro-western secularists as Lenin. Except in this case Moussavi is rather more ruthless than the secularists, and the peace land bread issues arent there.

No, best analogy of all is Romania, 1989. Genuine hunger for liberty on the street, being manipulated by moderate elements of the regime to dispose of the dangerous loony elements of the regime. In romania it eventually worked out relatively well. No assurance it will get that far in Iran, but likely not to get worse.

Posted by liberal hawk 2009-06-17 16:23|| 2009-06-17 16:23|| Front Page Top

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