NYT Magazine: The Secret History of the Push to Strike Iran

I don't agree with the views you expressed on any level. I find them totally out of touch with the reality in Iran.

The historical and cultural undercurrents in Iran are stronger, and more powerful, than any potentate that might come to power in Iran. Those historical and cultural undercurrents, and not the exaggerated and often false accusations and stereotypes about the Shah, were ultimately what led to the demise of his own regime. This even though the Shah's successes had actually helped unleash many of them. Those historical and cultural undercurrents turned various invaders Iran has faced in the past and tamed them in Iran's own cultural traditions. But the current threat to Iran comes from a power that Iran will not be able to tame easily if it succumbs to it. And I am not talking about the regime in Iran.

As for my attitude towards the regime: I was among the 2-3% who did not support the revolution and who wouldn't have voted for the Islamic Republic. At the time, I was too young to understand some of the issues the way I do now. I came from a thoroughly westernized, entirely secular, background and everything about the revolution alienated me. It took me a long time and a lot of effort and study to understand my own country and what had happened. As for my attitude towards the regime now: I am disgusted, above all, with the corruption that permeates its ranks. I am opposed to any aspect of the regime that does not allow the natural evolution of political and cultural currents in Iranian society. Fundamentally, I don't support any political leader or voice in Iran, whether in the regime or against it, as I have my own views on all these policy issues and none are reflected sufficiently in any of the voices around me. But on one issue, I support the regime more than any of the voices arrayed against it: I stand with the regime, and with all those in Iran (a majority still), who would resist any foreign encroachment or foreign conspired agenda to subdue Iran. Especially now, and during the past 18 years, where the blue print for American foreign policy -- which can be summarized by the acronym for an organization that helped implant it there, namely PNAC -- is one that I consider the most urgent, immediate, and real threat to Iran. But not just Iran: to America itself as well. American politics has been corrupted beyond recognition, with anything good about it buried under a mountain of lies and propaganda, by the success of a coalition of interests groups (led by the pro Israel lobby and the military industrial lobbies) taking over its political institutions and more.

 

Talking about taking sides, this is what I posted elsewhere and which I like to post here as well.
-------------------------------------------------------------

We can and go back and forth on a lot of these issues, but regardless of what I say here. unless you get to visit Iran, you will never realize how true this statement I quote below really is. True, even though there are hundreds of thousands of Iranians, or even millions, who would like to immigrate from their own country in search of a paradise painted for them with signs pointing westward. This despite the fact that if there is any sign of paradise anywhere, it is still found in Iran -- notwithstanding all the lies, ugliness, and darkness (of both foreign and domestic origin) that have managed to cover it up.

But of course, among the mostly laudatory comments and reactions, there was also this comment which was equally true and all the more authentic in broken English as the voice of many young Iranians -- young people caught in the crossfire of lies, who like to reject both but haven't found how that can be done without ultimately siding with one or the other.

.