Posted by
EWRoss on Monday, June 22, 2009 7:00:00 AM
No one, not even the protesters on the streets of Tehran, knows how the popular uprising in Iran will turn out. The Iranian people, who have had enough of the oppressive theocracy that runs Iran, are up against the formidable forces of an autocratic police state. Regardless of the outcome, however, the protesters and everyone who supports them is on the right side of history.
We’ve seen all this before many times in the capitals of Eastern Europe, Moscow, Manila, Beijing, and elsewhere. It doesn’t always end well. Shouts and hastily drawn posters are no match for bullets and tanks. What tips the scales in favor of freedom and democracy is the contagiousness of the desire for them burning in the hearts of those who take to the streets to demand them. If enough people catch the fever, no government can stand against them. Support from free peoples around the world is the medium by which that contagion spreads. Whether you twitter, email, or just express that support when you talk to your friends, I assure you, Iranians on the streets will feel it.
What President Obama should or shouldn’t say about the uprising is for his national security advisors and experts on Iran to debate. It certainly wouldn’t hurt, however, for him to take his cue from Ronald Reagan who figured out how to support the dissidents while dealing with the Soviet government. Regardless of what our government does, however, those of us who believe in freedom and democracy should do whatever we can to support the Iranian people who are risking their futures and their lives. This opportunity may not come around again any time soon