Actually, how to respond to Iran now is serious question. Lets leave the politics aside and think about this one.Against us you have Ayattolahs who hold power, but learned pragmatism in the war vs Iraq. You also have Abedianajad who has drunk the Kool Aid and believes his own noise, but doesn't hold real power. Their base are ignorant farmers and the poor who get paid off by joining official militias. On our side are the mddle class and the educated and the pre-revolutionary generation who have good memories of America. If they take over, the threat from Iran is gone. The more threatened the nation feels, the more they will close ranks behind the government as the Iranians are a very proud and nationalistic bunch who will remind you Ur and the Persian Empire at the drop of a hat. The question is, how do we encourage whats going on without making it seem like the protestors are just US tools which is what government is trying to brand them as. Say to much, you undercut them, say too little, you abandon them. This is an opportunity to solve the Iranian problem peacefully, if we do it right. Thoughts?
FQ13