Capitol Hill Blue Forums Political Issues Foreign Policy & News Iran launches Holocaust miniseries

Ideas are too dangerous. Best to preempt them.
I'm sure the Founders would agree.

Mal, it seems to me what goes on inside Iran is the kind of hate generating rhetoric that goes on in other countries, with the primary goal being maintaing or expanding internal power. With the escalating accusations on the part of the US government, a smaller country will almost always overstate its own threats.

Look at the behavior of Hussein near the end when he overstated his own power. I would not want to overgeneralize, but this appears to be a common pattern among smaller governments faced with the juggernaut of Western power.

Phil,

Good points.

The only things that I am pretty much certain of regarding Iran is that the vast majority of Iranian citizens are just like every other person in the world, she (Iran) seems to be a very beautiful and justifiably proud nation and its current leaders represent the very thing that most in the west fear regarding the encroachment of church and state.

Other than that – I’ve never been, so I can't judge, but it's a shame that I probably wouldn't feel safe planning on vacationing there with the family anytime soon.

That's a mighty hard question to answer, but I'm sure there are reasons because I believe Iranians are, by and large, reasonable people. I would hazard a couple of guesses:

• Britain did not supply Iraq with logistical support in wiping out Iranian civilians with WMD's;
• America is now viewed - and has been for at least two decades or longer - as the global hegemon;
• Britain is now viewed as a follower rather than a leader;
• Among Muslims, America symbolizes wretched excesses, abject hedonism, and lack of moral scruples, hence the perception of America rather than Britain as the Great Satan.

You've created a hornet's nest of straw man arguments here, Mal. Who are those "so many Americans" who are "ashamed" of America's past foreign policy decisions? I believe it is a common misperception that Americans, particularly those on the political left, are "ashamed" when actually "outraged" is a far more accurate term. It isn't about shame or guilt. It's about self-righteousness.

And who the heck is the nation "we seem to be apologizing for"? Who "seems to be apologizing" for them? And what the heck is their "current foreign policy"?

Lotta straw men there. You could swing blindly and hit at least one of them.

What do you mean by "legitimate"? If you mean "not fake", the answer is "absolutely". If you mean "morally justifiable" you're entering my favorite territory, which is the need to divert our current structure of global decision making from warmongering to reconciliation.

I'm not familiar with all that criticism, Mal, so I'll have to take a pass on that "given". I daresay if I read the right wing press, I'll find a lot of praise for that labeling.

Yes, all I have to do is look at the outcry over our destruction of Iraq. Absolutely right. Many people are outraged, and are openly critical.

Of course, the major difference there is that the military style demonstrations are taking place in an occupied foreign country, using actual ordnance, rather than just parading down the streets of the Capitol. But your point is well taken. The outrage is definitely there.