Sunday, January 10, 2010

World's Shortest Response to the Leveretts

Recently in The New York Times Hillary Mann and Flynt Leverett had some questions about Iran's Green Movement:

First, what does this opposition want? 

Marg bar dictator. It's pretty clear on the vids, maybe try using headphones if you can't hear it. Could be time for a hearing aid.

Second, who leads it? 

You'll find out when it's safe for them to reveal themselves.

Third, through what process will this opposition displace the government in Tehran?

Wait and see. They're the experts.

[These questions were also answered in great detail by other people but I feel short answers are more suited to people of the Leveretts' mental caliber.]

4 comments:

  1. I honestly have not read the article yet you are referring to, but do think I understand where this is coming from. These are the fundamental questions that any movement must know if they expect to actually succeed. Perhaps as you are suggesting they know the answers but they have been terrible at communicating any of this. If they don;t want to be considered a disorganized mob there must be focus, demands, and leadership. You can try and sell me on some new, modern, cyber-based revolution the likes of which the world has never seen, but I don't buy it. There are certain basic answers any movement must be able to answer, and the Greens' seems to lack this structure.

    Again I say I may be wrong, and it may be a well organized philosophy, but if that is the case what they lack is a clear communication of whatever it is they hope to achieve and how they propose to achieve it.

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  2. Anyone who believes the opposition in Iran is an unorganized, leaderless mob is seriously naive. It takes very little observational skills to realize that a highly sophisticated, horizontally structured cellular organization exists... not that different from the partisans of World War 2.

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  3. Anonymous, why on earth should Iranian freedom fighters have to answer these questions for you, the Leveretts, or anybody else? Don't you think that would be just a tad inconvenient given that they are being ruthlessly hunted down by a murderous regime? I would think they would want to keep the "how are they going to overthrow the Regime" part a surprise.

    All we need to know is, they bring millions to the street when they want to, protests are kept alive every day on campuses, and every night anonymous people repaint the freedom graffiti that the Regime paints over each morning. The Regime can't go on paying active duty pay to Basiji to stand on the street and look out for gathering groups every single day from now on. That is not some kind of new status quo that can be sustained.

    Eventually the thug-money runs out, the wall-painters go on strike, and the Greens inevitably win. They are the majority and they do this, historically speaking, all the time. They know how to get rid of a dictator and they don't need to explain themselves to anybody.

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  4. 2 reasons. First they will need outside support in order to win. Second, (and this was my original point) if their purpose and organization can't be explained MAYBE they are not organized well enough. I hope you and hawaiianbear are right and it is becuase of secrecy, but it seems to be to me the truth is lack of leadership and accepted goals. The overthrowing of the current leadership is a goal, but it's just not a very a good one as it's accomplishment will only result in a power vaccum to be filled by next oppressive regime.

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