The point is they never had much of a real choice to begin with. Both Mousavi and Ahmajinidad are corrupt. Giving them Mousavi is a waste of time, it changes nothing. All you accomplish is reinforce a fundamentally corrupt system.
Whether this ought to be the case or not, it doesn't matter. The financial situation will not allow it. This is the price you pay when you spend so much. Be it war, stimulus or bailouts.
A choice between the lesser of two evils is STILL a choice, as an American you should understand it.
And I find this to be an opportunity for America to improve relations with Iran. If we help protect the Iranian's ability to elect their leaders, they will remember. If their leadership, not matter how flawed, remembers America helped give them power, it will help America's position with them as well. Considering Rafsanjani is more moderate on American relations than the current leadership, his success is, in effect, our success in Iran.
That is our purpose in the world? According to who? America was not made to be the world's police force. IIRC our Constitution says nothing about that. The reason why America was made was to provide a safe haven for those who desired freedom, not spread it throughout the world by marching through it piecemeal.
The Constitution does not, but another important American document state:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
Iran has a culture that we will never understand. It's one of the oldest civilizations in the history of humankind. It's very difficult for such a place to make changes, and it cannot by done by a country which pretty much started with a clean slate less than 300 years ago.
Sure it can. The history of German is great, America was able to change it. The history of Japan is great, America was able to change it. The history of Iran was not any less complex in the 50's, and America was able to successfully change it. Operation Ajax was a tremendous success and had the possibility to be a major victory for America - the problem was the leader we selected. America, during that time, was very short sided - they believed that a leader who was Pro-American was more important than a leader the people could support.
This is what's different now, we wouldn't be forcing a leader on a people - we would simply be securing the people's voice on their government.
And it's also foolish to assume that America and Iran exist in a vacuum.
Where did I assume that?
Someone on another forum pointed out that if our government officially gets involved in Iran, countries like China or Russia may interpret that as a threat to THEIR OWN government and security and way of life.
(Just as some people think an unstable Iran is a threat to the US....) And then go to war against us.
I disagree. As others have pointed out, Mousavi isn't so much a change of the system, but a different product from the same system. China and Russia would be foolish to overreact. America is not trying to change the Iranian government, or infringe on their security and alter their way of life - they are simply trying to ensure that the people's wishes are listened to, that peaceful protesters are protected.
Iran is not comparable to either China or Russia. China and Russia would have no more fear of an American take over after intervention in Iran than they would after Iraq.
Cause if the US goes after Iran and their non-democracy, what's going to stop the US from going after China/Russia and their non-democracy? I mean, sure there aren't any civilian protests going on in China or Russia right now, but such a move by the US can be interpreted however they want. And I assure you, war with the Iranian government will not be pretty, but war with China and/or Russia will be World War III. Period.
Russia has a Democracy. China has no reason to fear American military action because they own America. Again, this is all slippery slope.
Anytime a country gets involved with another country's political matters, it opens up a very big can of worms.
Not when the case is so black and white.
We already tried removing a tyrannical regime in Iraq and it didn't turn out so well. We've got enough problems as it is and I'd rather just leave Middle Eastern countries alone.
