I tried to follow this article which really is above my pay grade. However, a centrist is really a neo liberal who causes austerity and pain to working and poor peoples but I am sure you are aware of that. 0 respect to centrists and they are responsible for a lot of bad shit in the world. It needs to end.
ANITA HILL that is one reason and one of many why Biden is further bad news to the people of the world.
The Iranian government had a democracy in the 1950s with a prime minister that the people voted for. Short story - the USA wanted their oil and/or control of their country and had the CIA overthrow their government and install a brutal dictator the SHAH. I understand that is why they have their present regime.
So the USA is to blame for the present unfortunate circumstances that IRAN is in and which the Trumpian regime imposes on them.
@2. They have been trying to redo Operation Ajax since Trump returned to power, in order to get the Pahlavi Dynasty reinstated through the Shah's son Reza Pahlavi. They are gaining leverage.
@4 The entire reason the Theocracy gained power was due to the Shah exiling Khomeini and squelching all dissent with the SAVAK after Mossadegh was put under house arrest after he was democratically elected President and because he nationalized the Anglo Iranian Oil Company (bp) which was charging the Iranians more in taxes than it was paying in royalties. They realized they were being exploited and screwed, so they attempted to gain control over their own natural resource production, but the British wouldn't allow that.
While the Shah was in power, he brutally oppressed his own people, and although he modernized the country, he was a puppet of the west who made infinite concessions to the west at the cost of his own people's way of life. It was due to this radicalization and oppression that the fringe tribal elements that students were receptive to the theocratic alternative and putting an even worse government in charge, all with the goals of being free from puppetry. Meanwhile, we sponsored Saddam to invade Iran, armed him with chemical weapons and intelligence, and as soon as he retreated after 8 bloody years that killed a million people, he turned to kuwait for it's oil. Thatcher wouldn't have that, so then he went from the Great Regulator of the Middle East to Hitler overnight. That was when we fought the Gulf War.
Meanwhile, during the Gulf War, the Bush Sr. Administration with Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz and Cheney implemented the Wolfowitz Doctrine which became the Bush Doctrine in order to complete their goals in 2003 after 9/11. It's clear that our continued meddling in their affairs for lies and WMD that was based on the tech and gas we provided Saddam was the casus belli for an even greater quagmire that enriched Halliburton and threw the entire region into chaos, leaving ISIS to fill the gap and the levant to be fucked even further through Syria. All of this is interconnected, and if Trump were serious about getting out of endless wars and not entangling ourselves in the Middle Eastern chaos, then we would have been able to achieve a much more robust America First program instead of encouraging a massive world war that will leave none of us unscathed.
4 Its a big problem for the Iranian people because they (like many others) prefer not to have a brutal police state rule over them and have many of their people disappear into the secret police prisons and never hear from them again for example.
Its also a big problem for the American people who do not which to have their hard earned tax money spent on a brutal dictatorship but would rather have universal health care.
I got all the way to the end still waiting to find out where did this feeling come from. Maybe I missed it along the way? Well, I always liked a good shaggy dog story. :)
I'm of the opinion that where this feeling comes from is stacks of cash in paper bags dropped in the laps of American elites by the House of Saud and MEK.
9 They had a democracy just as other countries have in the world. That was destroyed by US intervention period. You are stuck in your demented idea of other peoples in the world of which obviously you know nothing about. You are part of the problem because you are buying into bigotry. The US doesn’t have real democracy right now.
Let me get this straight - the USA can ask the coronavirus to mess with Iran? - I don’t think one can negotiate with this pan endemic. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
Ironically the two states vocally advocate toppling the current Iranian regime are the same who cemented its rule in its early days.
After the Tehran University “students” took over the US embassy and held its employees hostages back in 1979 the Reagan campaign cut a deal with the regime a year after not to release them before the election in return for military supply, desperately needed in the war against Iraq.
The deal was negotiated and later delivered through Israel, terrified that a second Carter term will force them to comply with the second phase of the Camp David accord, the peace treaty with Egypt, that also called for a Palestinian autonomy in the west bank and Gaza.
The deal was made, hostages were freed on Reagan’s inauguration day, arms were supplied, the regime was saved, Israel got the west bank.
Good Evening Charles,
I was wondering what caused your current "interest" if you will, in Iran recently on your postings. At least three or four dealt with Iran and the USA going to war since the hit on Gen. Soulemani. Then in this post, you disclosed that you completed a book on Iranian history. I was impressed with your info on Iran but clearly, the book helped. That makes sense.
After reading your piece, I thought about your rhetorical questions "But where did this feeling come from? Why is Iran "the perennial target of hate.". Well for starters, calling the USA the "Great Satan" and holding several American hostages for 444 days doesn't help. Yeah, the Shah was a jerk but the Ayatollah wasn't much better. A reactionary theocracy was developed over the 41 years and it hasn't benefitted women, gays or political opponents. And a terrible bloody war with Iraq ensued in the mid-80s. Pre-teen boys were recruited as foot soldiers:
https://iranwire.com/en/features/5997
I'm reminded of that axiom "revolutions devour their children". No, I didn't read Caschetta's article in NR. I don't believe Coronavirus & the USA are scheming to overthrow Iran. I don't watch TV so I won't watch "The Expanse". Although that Iranian actress was excellent as I did see "House of Sand and Fog", I don't believe that connects to current tensions between the USA & Iran.
On the other hand, I was charmed that you met Cyrus Habib. That's quite a coincidental encounter.
Yes, the Iranians did have a shot a democracy when they elected Mossadegh, which the CIA under Dulles duly strangled in tis cradle.. But that dirty move wasn't made because Iran was seen to be getting too cozy with the USSR. Persian/Iranian enmity with Russia goes as far back as when they both emerged from under the Mongols. No, the US wasn't stupidly red-baited into destroying Iranian society: rather, they saw an opening for US oil companies to grab what the Iranians had taken from British Petroleum. That, along with the US pulling the rug out from under the UK's attack on Egypt in the Suez Crisis, really, really pissed off the Brits. But, being a polite people, instead of storming our embassy, they encouraged Kay Summersby to come out after Eisenhower died and announce that he'd been unable to achieve an erection in 1944.
Some White folks INSIST on controlling/owning EVERYONE & EVERYTHING . . . still . . . ( & what an excellent Global environment to perpetuate a coup d'etat than one jacketed by widespread fear of a new contagion? Missing trillions and classified patents, y'all ? )
It's disheartening how little most Americans know about modern Iranian history. The Shah's regime, the 79 revolution and Khomeini's ascension to power, and finally the Islamic regime that currently holds power? The CIA and British intelligence are wholly responsible for this mess.
I tried to follow this article which really is above my pay grade. However, a centrist is really a neo liberal who causes austerity and pain to working and poor peoples but I am sure you are aware of that. 0 respect to centrists and they are responsible for a lot of bad shit in the world. It needs to end.
ANITA HILL that is one reason and one of many why Biden is further bad news to the people of the world.
The Iranian government had a democracy in the 1950s with a prime minister that the people voted for. Short story - the USA wanted their oil and/or control of their country and had the CIA overthrow their government and install a brutal dictator the SHAH. I understand that is why they have their present regime.
So the USA is to blame for the present unfortunate circumstances that IRAN is in and which the Trumpian regime imposes on them.
@2. They have been trying to redo Operation Ajax since Trump returned to power, in order to get the Pahlavi Dynasty reinstated through the Shah's son Reza Pahlavi. They are gaining leverage.
And that's a problem why?
@4 The entire reason the Theocracy gained power was due to the Shah exiling Khomeini and squelching all dissent with the SAVAK after Mossadegh was put under house arrest after he was democratically elected President and because he nationalized the Anglo Iranian Oil Company (bp) which was charging the Iranians more in taxes than it was paying in royalties. They realized they were being exploited and screwed, so they attempted to gain control over their own natural resource production, but the British wouldn't allow that.
While the Shah was in power, he brutally oppressed his own people, and although he modernized the country, he was a puppet of the west who made infinite concessions to the west at the cost of his own people's way of life. It was due to this radicalization and oppression that the fringe tribal elements that students were receptive to the theocratic alternative and putting an even worse government in charge, all with the goals of being free from puppetry. Meanwhile, we sponsored Saddam to invade Iran, armed him with chemical weapons and intelligence, and as soon as he retreated after 8 bloody years that killed a million people, he turned to kuwait for it's oil. Thatcher wouldn't have that, so then he went from the Great Regulator of the Middle East to Hitler overnight. That was when we fought the Gulf War.
Meanwhile, during the Gulf War, the Bush Sr. Administration with Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz and Cheney implemented the Wolfowitz Doctrine which became the Bush Doctrine in order to complete their goals in 2003 after 9/11. It's clear that our continued meddling in their affairs for lies and WMD that was based on the tech and gas we provided Saddam was the casus belli for an even greater quagmire that enriched Halliburton and threw the entire region into chaos, leaving ISIS to fill the gap and the levant to be fucked even further through Syria. All of this is interconnected, and if Trump were serious about getting out of endless wars and not entangling ourselves in the Middle Eastern chaos, then we would have been able to achieve a much more robust America First program instead of encouraging a massive world war that will leave none of us unscathed.
4 Its a big problem for the Iranian people because they (like many others) prefer not to have a brutal police state rule over them and have many of their people disappear into the secret police prisons and never hear from them again for example.
Its also a big problem for the American people who do not which to have their hard earned tax money spent on a brutal dictatorship but would rather have universal health care.
....the American people do not WISH to have their hard earned tax money spent on a brutal dictatorship........
Or it could just be most mohammedan countries are still stuck in the mid 18th century.
But yes, unlike the rest of the mohammedan world, Iran was going to be a democracy!
Or more likely, not, with or without US intervention.
I got all the way to the end still waiting to find out where did this feeling come from. Maybe I missed it along the way? Well, I always liked a good shaggy dog story. :)
I'm of the opinion that where this feeling comes from is stacks of cash in paper bags dropped in the laps of American elites by the House of Saud and MEK.
9 They had a democracy just as other countries have in the world. That was destroyed by US intervention period. You are stuck in your demented idea of other peoples in the world of which obviously you know nothing about. You are part of the problem because you are buying into bigotry. The US doesn’t have real democracy right now.
10 I think you may well be right.
What a great article and tale, CM. Terrific!
Let me get this straight - the USA can ask the coronavirus to mess with Iran? - I don’t think one can negotiate with this pan endemic. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
Ironically the two states vocally advocate toppling the current Iranian regime are the same who cemented its rule in its early days.
After the Tehran University “students” took over the US embassy and held its employees hostages back in 1979 the Reagan campaign cut a deal with the regime a year after not to release them before the election in return for military supply, desperately needed in the war against Iraq.
The deal was negotiated and later delivered through Israel, terrified that a second Carter term will force them to comply with the second phase of the Camp David accord, the peace treaty with Egypt, that also called for a Palestinian autonomy in the west bank and Gaza.
The deal was made, hostages were freed on Reagan’s inauguration day, arms were supplied, the regime was saved, Israel got the west bank.
Good Evening Charles,
I was wondering what caused your current "interest" if you will, in Iran recently on your postings. At least three or four dealt with Iran and the USA going to war since the hit on Gen. Soulemani. Then in this post, you disclosed that you completed a book on Iranian history. I was impressed with your info on Iran but clearly, the book helped. That makes sense.
After reading your piece, I thought about your rhetorical questions "But where did this feeling come from? Why is Iran "the perennial target of hate.". Well for starters, calling the USA the "Great Satan" and holding several American hostages for 444 days doesn't help. Yeah, the Shah was a jerk but the Ayatollah wasn't much better. A reactionary theocracy was developed over the 41 years and it hasn't benefitted women, gays or political opponents. And a terrible bloody war with Iraq ensued in the mid-80s. Pre-teen boys were recruited as foot soldiers:
https://iranwire.com/en/features/5997
I'm reminded of that axiom "revolutions devour their children". No, I didn't read Caschetta's article in NR. I don't believe Coronavirus & the USA are scheming to overthrow Iran. I don't watch TV so I won't watch "The Expanse". Although that Iranian actress was excellent as I did see "House of Sand and Fog", I don't believe that connects to current tensions between the USA & Iran.
On the other hand, I was charmed that you met Cyrus Habib. That's quite a coincidental encounter.
Yes, the Iranians did have a shot a democracy when they elected Mossadegh, which the CIA under Dulles duly strangled in tis cradle.. But that dirty move wasn't made because Iran was seen to be getting too cozy with the USSR. Persian/Iranian enmity with Russia goes as far back as when they both emerged from under the Mongols. No, the US wasn't stupidly red-baited into destroying Iranian society: rather, they saw an opening for US oil companies to grab what the Iranians had taken from British Petroleum. That, along with the US pulling the rug out from under the UK's attack on Egypt in the Suez Crisis, really, really pissed off the Brits. But, being a polite people, instead of storming our embassy, they encouraged Kay Summersby to come out after Eisenhower died and announce that he'd been unable to achieve an erection in 1944.
The movie "American Coup" does a good job of describing Operation Ajax and surrounding events.
17 Thank you for your summary of what really happened.
15 Thank you for your understanding of the horrific damage done to the Palestinian people at that time.
Some White folks INSIST on controlling/owning EVERYONE & EVERYTHING . . . still . . . ( & what an excellent Global environment to perpetuate a coup d'etat than one jacketed by widespread fear of a new contagion? Missing trillions and classified patents, y'all ? )
It's disheartening how little most Americans know about modern Iranian history. The Shah's regime, the 79 revolution and Khomeini's ascension to power, and finally the Islamic regime that currently holds power? The CIA and British intelligence are wholly responsible for this mess.
Mossadegh was a hero.
Signed, a proud Iranian American.