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Originally Posted by crosvs
Eric, I was going to ask whether YOU are a professor. My Dad -- born in Washington, raised in LA -- is 100% American, and his family has been for many generations. He has a Ph.D. in cultural geography from UMich, and like most PhD's, his very education necessitated his learning the fine art of "reading behind the news," and learning how to filter the "true" news from the "propaganda news," if you will.
Anyway, your reasoning sounds almost verbatim to what he tries to teach me. For a guy who's never been very politically inclined, I've definitely tried to learn more about the state of affairs in recent years, especially since now that I'm in law school, I rather feel it's my duty to better educate myself with politics.
Anyway, I'm finding much of this discussion fascinating. That I happen to be 50% Persian obviously increases my interest too, of course. Thank you.
(BTW: I can contribute SOMETHING I have at least SOME knowledge on: as far as i know, Iran, at least, was an AWESOME country until the 20th century when its government started to fall to the Islamic regime, most of which, to my knowledge, was propagated by the US, correct me if I'm wrong. As for Iraq, I'm not sure. But I know this: notwithstanding political views, none can here deny the tragic loss of history that has been suffered during this "war" -- Iraq had some of the world's most ancient building, temples, etc. If we're not careful, we'll not only lose a significant number of PRESENT life, but a huge piece of our HISTORY as well.  ) |
Very well said. Iran was an awesome country. I am not Persian, I am armenian but my family has lived in teheran since the genocide.
Much of the regime was propagated by the US. But the US and the British had their hands deep in Irans pockets well before the revolution.
What happened in Iran will happen in Iraq. There are rumours about a bill that Ms. Rice hopes to pass for oil drilling rights in Iraq which would allow foreign oil companies (i.e US companies) to drill in Iraq for the next 20 years.
For those who think the war in Iraq is for democracy think again. History has a way of repeating itself.
From WIKI:
During
World War II,
Britain and the USSR invaded Iran from August 25 to September 17, 1941, to stop an Axis-supported coup and secure Iran's petroleum infrastructure. The
Allies forced the Shah to abdicate in favor of his son,
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, whom they hoped would be more supportive. In 1951, an eccentric pro-democratic nationalist, Dr.
Mohammed Mossadegh rose to prominence in Iran and was elected
Prime Minister. As Prime Minister, Mossadegh alarmed the West by his
nationalization of
Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (later
British Petroleum, BP) that had controlled the country's oil reserves. In response, Britain immediately embargoed Iran. Soon after, members of the British Intelligence Service invited the
United States to join them in covertly overthrowing the democratically-elected Mossadegh. Initially,
United States President Harry S. Truman refused, but after
Dwight D. Eisenhower was elected the British proposed the plan again. After convincing Eisenhower that Mossadegh was sympathetic to
communism (even though he was an avowed anti-communist), the United States agreed to assist Britain in
Operation Ajax. President Eisenhower authorized the CIA to take the lead in the operation of overthrowing Mossadegh and supporting a US-friendly monarch.
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi overthrown in the 1979
Iranian revolution.
Farah Pahlavi former Empress of Iran
Dr.
Mohammad Mossadegh, founder of Iran's first democratic government, overthrown in a
CIA-backed coup in 1953
The CIA faced many setbacks, but the
covert operation soon went into full swing, conducted from the US Embassy in Tehran under the leadership of
Kermit Roosevelt, Jr. Agents were hired to facilitate violence; and, as a result, protests broke out across the nation. Anti- and pro-monarchy protestors violently clashed in the streets, leaving almost three hundred dead. The operation was successful in triggering a coup, and within days, pro-Shah tanks stormed the capital and bombarded the Prime Minister's residence. Mossadegh surrendered, and was arrested on
19 August 1953. He was tried for treason, and sentenced to three years in prison.