Quote:
Originally Posted by Iowa_Flames_Fan
I think the world community does too. The only antidote to repression like this in a country where most of the influential forces in the world community have no diplomatic presence is to shine the light of day on the actions of the regime that is attempting to protect their own power.
Every time we waste our attention on trivial matters, (read Michael Jackson, Mark Sanford, Jon & Kate plus 8), we do Iran a disservice by averting our eyes from their regime. I don't want to be alarmist, or preachy--but I think it's our duty to stay tuned into this situation to the extent that we can. Hopefully we can bear witness to a revolution and a new, liberalized regime in Iran--but if not, we must bear witness to the brutal suppression of dissent in the interests of power.
If we learned anything from Rwanda, it's that tyrants are emboldened by the feeling that no-one in the world cares what they do.
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I think we're fooling ourselves if we think that any diplomatic pressure is going to cause a change in Iran's stance against these protests. The Western powers have zero influence on Iran, neither do the Arabian powers. In fact the only powers that do have any stroke with Iran are the Chinese or the Russians, and they don't have effective stroke.
You also have to remember that most of the senior clerics and members of government in Iran lived through and took part in the revolution that put this theocracy in place, so they know that this has to be crushed quickly and effectively.
The world can't do anything about Iran unless they're willing to publicly support the protesters.
The UN has no stroke with Iran, and sanctions don't matter because they don't effect the government, they're more then likely going to affect the average person.
Iran's government has shown that the rule of law is what they define, they've shown that they don't care about international power. All they care about is holding their power.
Look for an increase in the use of force against the protesters, and in a couple of weeks look for the so called leaders and convenient enemies of the state to be given gaudy show trials and then publicly shot or hung or however they like to execute people over there. Look for other protesters to mysteriously vanish only to die in some basement of the dungeon.
We have no influence, no power and no market to effect.