Friday, February 20, 2004
Interesting article on Iran
You can see it here.
It's really a shame that the reasonable majority is being sat upon by an unreasonable minority (that sounds weird, but I'll leave it, cuz this is a blog). Iran has a long history of tolerance and openness dating back to the Persian empire. Iran would be a dynamic addition to global culture...if only it's leaders would let them.
I find it interesting that most young Iranians have little problem with America. The older generation probably still remembers that America helped Britain install the Shah as a way to stop the nationalization of Iranian oil companies. That was a Bad Idea ™, and we've been paying for it ever since. For younger Iranians, though, America's past policy foibles are ancient history. It's like people today having an antipathy for the Japanese because they bombed Pearl Harbor.
I'd be all for getting rid of trade sanctions and letting Iran make its own decisions if its current government weren't playing with beakers of uranium and plutonium. When did the possession of nuclear weapons become a status symbol in the developing world? They have STATUES of nuclear missiles in Islamabad, and Khan, the guy who ran the biggest nuclear arms smuggling ring EVER, is considered a hero in Pakistan (truth be told, I find Khan to be just about the most evil person currently living; who the f*ck lines their pockets by helping to spread nuclear weapons technology?).
Even so, I think we have far less to fear from Iran, our supposed enemy, than Pakistan, our supposed ally. It's pretty clear that a majority of Iranians want freedom and progress. It seems that a majority Pakistanis want some approximation of the Taliban to take over in Pakistan (though three cheers for Musharraf, who is finally doing something to end the conflict over Kashmir).
You can see it here.
It's really a shame that the reasonable majority is being sat upon by an unreasonable minority (that sounds weird, but I'll leave it, cuz this is a blog). Iran has a long history of tolerance and openness dating back to the Persian empire. Iran would be a dynamic addition to global culture...if only it's leaders would let them.
I find it interesting that most young Iranians have little problem with America. The older generation probably still remembers that America helped Britain install the Shah as a way to stop the nationalization of Iranian oil companies. That was a Bad Idea ™, and we've been paying for it ever since. For younger Iranians, though, America's past policy foibles are ancient history. It's like people today having an antipathy for the Japanese because they bombed Pearl Harbor.
I'd be all for getting rid of trade sanctions and letting Iran make its own decisions if its current government weren't playing with beakers of uranium and plutonium. When did the possession of nuclear weapons become a status symbol in the developing world? They have STATUES of nuclear missiles in Islamabad, and Khan, the guy who ran the biggest nuclear arms smuggling ring EVER, is considered a hero in Pakistan (truth be told, I find Khan to be just about the most evil person currently living; who the f*ck lines their pockets by helping to spread nuclear weapons technology?).
Even so, I think we have far less to fear from Iran, our supposed enemy, than Pakistan, our supposed ally. It's pretty clear that a majority of Iranians want freedom and progress. It seems that a majority Pakistanis want some approximation of the Taliban to take over in Pakistan (though three cheers for Musharraf, who is finally doing something to end the conflict over Kashmir).
