Dr. Brzezinski Debunks False Representations Of The Iranian Society
Dr. Brzezinski, on Morning Joe, called out the media and the past administration for grossly misrepresenting the Iranian society as “fundamentalist” and “middle aged.”
For some reason, the previous administration latched on to the idea that broadly vilifying Iran as part of the “Axis of Evil” was a good idea.
The “Axis of Evil” label was only one of many attempts by the Bush administration to label all of Iran as radical and backward, while never trying to distinguish between the minority of Iranians, who are in fact backward and radical, from the majority of Iranians who are relatively modern and moderate. For example:
Bush equated Iran with Hezbollah and Al-Qaeda. I’m sure the moderate Iranians greatly appreciated that.
Bush, on many occasions called Iran a threat to world peace. Nothing says we care like saying “you are a threat to world peace.”
Seymour Hersh, in a New Yorker article, exposed the Bush administration for actively planning some sort of invasion of Iran before the end of his presidency.
Many on the right would say that you can’t distinguish the moderate Iranians from radical Iranians, and if the majority of Iranians were truly moderate, they would have gotten rid of their current government long ago.
Although that logic is used quite often by the right, it is glarinigly simplistic, and ignorant.
History is fraught with examples of majorities being supressed by minorities.
- South Africa, during Apartheid.
- Iraq, under Saddam Hussein (Hussein was Sunni leading a country that was 70% Shiite).
- Iran, under the Shah. Before the Shah was overthrown in 1979, he ruled for over 20 years.
- The list is endless.
Today, we are seeing that all of the chest thumping and rhetoric that came out of the previous administration was actually disenfranchising the moderate majority of Iran. It almost seems like all of these moderate Iranians resented having their entire country be looked at as monolithic.
As much as it pains politicians and pundits (how’s that for alliteration?) to admit it, but the speech Obama gave in Cairo just weeks ago, you know, the speech many were calling the “apology speech,” seems to have emboldened the moderate majority of Iran to stand up to the oppressive Ayatollah.
The fact that one speech by Obama is having a more positive affect on Iran than eight years of finger wagging and posturing, further validates the belief that testosterone driven foreign policy, like the kind implemented by the Bush administration, never works.
June 19th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
Sweet Jesus, I hate Mika Brzezinski.
How did someone so intelligent have a hand in creating her?
I hate beady eyed Joe even more though.
Actually hate is a strong word, but sweet Jesus, she is annoying.
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