This is a story every American should heed with regard to the continual SCOTUS assault on our Establishment clause and to the forces of Christian Nationalism which had so much to do with re-electing Donald Trump.
If I understand the situation correctly, the Iranians are open in rebellion to catalyze revolutionary change in the way the country is governed. Unfortunately, revolutions tend to consume their young, which is what happened after the Shah was deposed. Let's hope the Iranians are successful in government change without a concomitant bloodbath. Too many Iranians have already lost their lives.
Roohola, Thanks for this op-ed piece. Of course the problem that you did not face was your undergirding claim that you know what the vast majority of Iranians now (in exhaustion) desire. Please understand that Americans have been naively influenced by minority interests to believe ‘the majority’ of (you name the country) desire to live in normal western systems—including ongoing pluralistic value contestation. We should not make that mistake again. What credible evidence do you have for your claim that you speak for ‘the Iranian people?’ Please share it if you have it. Thanks,
Thanks, Randall. I appreciate your caution. I don’t claim to speak for every Iranian, but my essay draws on extensive conversations with activists, students, and ordinary citizens—both inside Iran and among the diaspora—as well as patterns I’ve observed in reporting and social media.
When I say that Iranians “want a normal country,” I mean first and foremost that they want to live in a country that is part of the world, not isolated. This is about real life, not ideology: being under crushing sanctions for years affects daily existence—how people travel, access money, buy goods, and see their country participate in global trade. Few Iranians are happy having to carry cash abroad because they cannot access functional bank accounts, or seeing their country sell oil and not receive payment, or paying extra via middlemen to buy goods from foreign sites. Few are satisfied that the country’s budget is a fraction of comparable neighbors’.
So while I don’t claim to know the desires of every Iranian, these shared frustrations point to a widespread aspiration for a country that functions normally in the everyday, material sense, alongside broader political hopes.
Thanks for this response. Your analysis is likely accurate for the majority—but those with the guns have not yet decided to risk loosing power by turning their aim on their bosses instead of their fellow citizens.
Absolutely—while the vast majority of Iranians want a normal country, the government still relies on a small but committed group of hardline supporters to maintain power.
What a passionate and thoughtful article. I wonder what resource we in the US will have to overthrow the ascendant Christian Nationalism. We have no Shah to appeal to.
As to Iranian atrocities going on for 4 decades, note that once an extremist theocracy takes hold of State violence, there is no escape!
Their religious zealots have no known path to cede violent power to a non- religious sect. It was so in christian countries for more than 1000 years. They have engendered another in the midst of ME- which is on its way to successfully decimate/ misappropriate a whole un- armed subdued nation , with your help in WMDs and billions.
Historically, the only passage out of religious tyranny has been gradual disassociation with theology/ theocracy...takes a few centuries.
That happens when fervor of religious bigotry is defeated by people giving up on its
One must ask : what is " western" style of government?
In demonstrations across the "christian" nations, there is no such system- if just one rogue character can act out like " good fellas" and most importantly, there is no remedy other than the thug's own " morality"? Such claims only arise out of you- know- where from?
The pathetic unscientific, uncivic desires have infected every field the world tries to get up to - while the most powerful WMD wielding rogues have no such pretensions- their gun trotting section of the maga population wants to get back their country of glory of the past- which would that be ,the one shown in " Best of Enemies" or Birth of a Nation or Death of a Nation?
On the other hand EU countries have shown lot of tolerance but their Western moat is shaken!
Yet, note that apart from self- guided Secularism of some Countries in Asia, colonialism looted TWCs but in most cases worked hard to break the colonised nations, propped up ex- nazis all over, installed a religious extremist people that christian nations did not want to deal with after designed progroms for some 2000 yrs, yet continue to mete out the same treatment with the ex- persecuted with zeal and genocide.
So which western values in gov do you have in mind?
More power to the insurgents!
This is a story every American should heed with regard to the continual SCOTUS assault on our Establishment clause and to the forces of Christian Nationalism which had so much to do with re-electing Donald Trump.
If I understand the situation correctly, the Iranians are open in rebellion to catalyze revolutionary change in the way the country is governed. Unfortunately, revolutions tend to consume their young, which is what happened after the Shah was deposed. Let's hope the Iranians are successful in government change without a concomitant bloodbath. Too many Iranians have already lost their lives.
Roohola, Thanks for this op-ed piece. Of course the problem that you did not face was your undergirding claim that you know what the vast majority of Iranians now (in exhaustion) desire. Please understand that Americans have been naively influenced by minority interests to believe ‘the majority’ of (you name the country) desire to live in normal western systems—including ongoing pluralistic value contestation. We should not make that mistake again. What credible evidence do you have for your claim that you speak for ‘the Iranian people?’ Please share it if you have it. Thanks,
Randall Paul
Thanks, Randall. I appreciate your caution. I don’t claim to speak for every Iranian, but my essay draws on extensive conversations with activists, students, and ordinary citizens—both inside Iran and among the diaspora—as well as patterns I’ve observed in reporting and social media.
When I say that Iranians “want a normal country,” I mean first and foremost that they want to live in a country that is part of the world, not isolated. This is about real life, not ideology: being under crushing sanctions for years affects daily existence—how people travel, access money, buy goods, and see their country participate in global trade. Few Iranians are happy having to carry cash abroad because they cannot access functional bank accounts, or seeing their country sell oil and not receive payment, or paying extra via middlemen to buy goods from foreign sites. Few are satisfied that the country’s budget is a fraction of comparable neighbors’.
So while I don’t claim to know the desires of every Iranian, these shared frustrations point to a widespread aspiration for a country that functions normally in the everyday, material sense, alongside broader political hopes.
Thanks for this response. Your analysis is likely accurate for the majority—but those with the guns have not yet decided to risk loosing power by turning their aim on their bosses instead of their fellow citizens.
Absolutely—while the vast majority of Iranians want a normal country, the government still relies on a small but committed group of hardline supporters to maintain power.
What a passionate and thoughtful article. I wonder what resource we in the US will have to overthrow the ascendant Christian Nationalism. We have no Shah to appeal to.
As to Iranian atrocities going on for 4 decades, note that once an extremist theocracy takes hold of State violence, there is no escape!
Their religious zealots have no known path to cede violent power to a non- religious sect. It was so in christian countries for more than 1000 years. They have engendered another in the midst of ME- which is on its way to successfully decimate/ misappropriate a whole un- armed subdued nation , with your help in WMDs and billions.
Historically, the only passage out of religious tyranny has been gradual disassociation with theology/ theocracy...takes a few centuries.
That happens when fervor of religious bigotry is defeated by people giving up on its
rituals and go ultra- scientific.
That aint happening neither in maga nor in iran.
Very interesting comments here .
But allow me to shake the "western " cart.
One must ask : what is " western" style of government?
In demonstrations across the "christian" nations, there is no such system- if just one rogue character can act out like " good fellas" and most importantly, there is no remedy other than the thug's own " morality"? Such claims only arise out of you- know- where from?
The pathetic unscientific, uncivic desires have infected every field the world tries to get up to - while the most powerful WMD wielding rogues have no such pretensions- their gun trotting section of the maga population wants to get back their country of glory of the past- which would that be ,the one shown in " Best of Enemies" or Birth of a Nation or Death of a Nation?
On the other hand EU countries have shown lot of tolerance but their Western moat is shaken!
Yet, note that apart from self- guided Secularism of some Countries in Asia, colonialism looted TWCs but in most cases worked hard to break the colonised nations, propped up ex- nazis all over, installed a religious extremist people that christian nations did not want to deal with after designed progroms for some 2000 yrs, yet continue to mete out the same treatment with the ex- persecuted with zeal and genocide.
So which western values in gov do you have in mind?
sorry, there must have been a mix up ...