The morning after
: Pedram distantly echoes Alireza — but in a much nicer way — in a lengthy post about July 9 and Western and weblog support for Iranian democracy. He concludes:
In short, we DO want your help, your solidarity, your sympathy. But if you want to lend a hand, let us be the ones deciding what help we may want or need. Talk to us, as a community and as individuals, find out about our aspirations and our objectives. Then assist us in our endeavor, if you see fit. Under our banner, carrying our message.
It’s almost as if both gentlemen are suffering morning-after regret, finding themselves waking up in bed with Americans and feeling just a bit claustrophobic about it. But I don’t think that’s it.
They do not want to see direct American intervention — that is, invasion or the installation of an externally chosen regime. We should be the first to concede that they have good cause for such concern, given American history in Iran. And they are a bit more concerned considering the war in Iraq and the fact that bloggers who supported that war are, in general, the ones most loudly supporting Iranian democracy.
I just want to say that they shouldn’t assume that the support of individuals in America and on blogs comes carrying that exact baggage.
I say the last thing we should do is install another shah! I say that I don’t want to see us militarily intervening in Iran.
But I do say that the mullahs need to go. I do say that Iranians deserve freedom in their politics and speech and even dress. I do support the efforts to gain that freedom there. Just because I’m an American, that doesn’t mean I’m ready to call in the CIA and/or the Marines.
All it means is that I respect the rights of the Iranian people and I hope that someday soon, their leaders will, too.
