By Dr. Walid Phares
What are the strategic reasons behind Western reluctance to support Iran's opposition? One theory is that there are immense Oil interests in partnership with the region's Jihadist regimes obstructing the advance of democracy in the region. The reluctance by the Obama Administration and other European Governments to extend their hand of support to Iran's civil society during the June uprising can be explained through the pressures applied by interest groups, including Oil producing regimes not to "meddle" in Iran's affairs and let go of the democratic movement.
We've seen the Administration pressuring Israel, while talking gently to the Iranian government. When staff of the British embassy and a French researcher, were arrested in Tehran, there was only a lukewarm response by the European Union to this humiliation of two of its member states. How can we make sense of this bizarre situation?
It looks like Americans and Europeans have abandoned Iran's civil society. There are strong political and financial interests which block a significant support of democracy in Iran. Politically, the new U.S. Administration has made a massive change in American Foreign Policy moving away from what was known as “spreading democracy” during the past eight years to cutting “realistic” deals with sitting regimes, including the present Jihadi regime in Tehran. If we don’t understand the change that took place in Washington this year, we will fail in understanding the a-historical U.S. attitudes towards Iran’s latest uprising. Read more ...
What are the strategic reasons behind Western reluctance to support Iran's opposition? One theory is that there are immense Oil interests in partnership with the region's Jihadist regimes obstructing the advance of democracy in the region. The reluctance by the Obama Administration and other European Governments to extend their hand of support to Iran's civil society during the June uprising can be explained through the pressures applied by interest groups, including Oil producing regimes not to "meddle" in Iran's affairs and let go of the democratic movement.
We've seen the Administration pressuring Israel, while talking gently to the Iranian government. When staff of the British embassy and a French researcher, were arrested in Tehran, there was only a lukewarm response by the European Union to this humiliation of two of its member states. How can we make sense of this bizarre situation?
It looks like Americans and Europeans have abandoned Iran's civil society. There are strong political and financial interests which block a significant support of democracy in Iran. Politically, the new U.S. Administration has made a massive change in American Foreign Policy moving away from what was known as “spreading democracy” during the past eight years to cutting “realistic” deals with sitting regimes, including the present Jihadi regime in Tehran. If we don’t understand the change that took place in Washington this year, we will fail in understanding the a-historical U.S. attitudes towards Iran’s latest uprising. Read more ...
Source: FSM
Posts
