A picture from the Iranian revolution in 1979

[mogster]

The shah regime was weakened through huge demonstrations that lasted for many months, and in February 1979 ayatollah Khomeini was on his way back to Iran. Many of the protesters hoped for a more democratic and just system of rule, but Khomeini quickly took control over all power and set him self up as the supreme leader.
This was the young hopeful people then - it is thirty years ago.
What about the young and hopeful of today? They must suffer violence and oppression, just like the revolutionaries then. Today, the revolutionaries from '79 are in the reversed position, defending a system just as oppressive.

[lyonn]

1. Interesting and thoughtful pic and story. nt

[dipsydoodle]

2. Since you mention the young and hopeful

Have you paused to consider why 25% or so of Iran's population are under age 18 now. Update by c. 3 years this link to get to that figure http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demography_of_Iran

Do you think that maybe the number of Iranian DEATHS , estimated to be up to a million deaths , in the IRAQ-IRAN War contributed to that statistic ?

U.S. green light for Iraq

In a secret 1981 memo summing up a trip to the Middle East, then-Secretary of State Alexander Haig wrote: "It was also interesting to confirm that President Carter gave the Iraqis a green light to launch the war against Iran through Prince Fahd" of Jordan."<33> U.S. National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski met with Saddam Hussein in July 1980 in Amman, Jordan, to discuss joint efforts to oppose Iran, Kenneth R. Timmerman and former Iranian President Abol Hassan Bani-Sadr. According to Saddam Hussein biographer Said Aburish however, at the Amman meeting Saddam Hussein met with three CIA agents, not Brzezinski personally.

In June 1980, students in Iran revealed a 1980 memorandum from Brzezinski to Secretary of State Cyrus Vance recommending the "destabilization" of the Iranian government by using Iran's neighbors. The U.S. has denied that it gave Iraq a "green light" for its 22 September 1980 invasion of Iran. Five months before Iraq's invasion, on 14 April 1980, Brzezinski signaled the U.S.'s willingness to work with Iraq: "We see no fundamental incompatibility of interests between the United States and Iraq... we do not feel that American- Iraqi relations need to be frozen in antagonisms."

Iran's president Abolhassan Banisadr wrote that Brzezinski met directly with Saddam Hussein in Jordan two months before the Iraqi assault. Bani-Sadr wrote, "Brzezinski had assured Saddam Hussein that the United States would not oppose the separation of Khuzestan from Iran." The Financial Times reported that the U.S. passed satellite intelligence to the regime of Saddam Hussein via third countries, leading Iraq to believe Iranian forces would quickly collapse if attacked. Therefore, it has been argued that the U.S. may have encouraged Saddam Hussein to attack Iran, not merely giving him a green light.<33>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran%E2%80%93Iraq_War#U.S._green_light_for_Iraq

Whilst the young and hopeful of Iran certainly deserve better than what has come about as a result of the '79 revolution I have no concept of them welcoming any outside interference from the west once the matter is resolved to their satisfaction.

[mogster]

3. I think that terms like 'the west' is a thing of the past

And wasn't it them that interfered with us? Suddenly they were all over the place, lol. The place being the Internet, of course, where borders doesn't matter that much.

The new generations has a more natural approach towards this, and as world citizens they will bring their internet ways into real life. The only thing standing in the way of this development is nationalism, where we again are being 'zoned' artificially by use of travel restrictions, both virtual and real. The Iranians will be a part of that way of relating to the world as everybody else, in fact they already are claiming their rights in that respect.

Over time this will reform the Iranian society like it reforms our societies. But I do think they always will be on watch from foreign interference, they should at least have some grunge attitude towards who and what they let influence their politics from abroad.

[dipsydoodle]

4. Currently "we're" a sort of convenient distribution outlet

which is a truly great thing given the shutdown over there in Iran of all the news offices etc and denial of internet connections.

And just as good is the fact the equally screwn populations of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Belarus will all have learned from this to help prevent the reoccurence of their previously equally bent elections in the future.