A matter of time?
US Defense Secretary and former CIA director Leon Panetta told television interviewer Charlie Rose on Tuesday that an Iranian revolution is 'a matter of time.' "I think we saw in evidence of that in the last election in Iran that there was a movement within Iran that raised those very same concerns that we're seeing elsewhere," Panetta said.Iran might have had a revolution already had the Obama administration backed the 'green movement' in 2009 or 2010. But unlike US ally Hosni Mubarak, whom Obama called upon to resign, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been treated with kid gloves by the Obama administration, which has also allowed Iran to continue the development of nuclear weapons.
"And I think in many ways, it's a matter of time before that kind of change and reform and revolution occurs in Iran as well."
Iranian security forces crushed mass protests in the wake of Iran's disputed June 2009 re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Panetta acknowledged the difficulties supporting such protests given the potential for backlash.
"We should try to take every step to try to support their effort but at the same time, we've got to analyze each situation to make sure that we do nothing that creates a backlash or that undermines those efforts," he said.
...
"I think the reform movement in Iran is learning one hell of a lot from what's happened in Tunisia and Egypt and Libya and Syria," Panetta said.
Supporters of Iran's opposition Green movement are watching the Arab uprisings with a mixture of admiration, regret for their own movement's failure and concern about what might replace fallen regimes.
"One of the issues we were looking at when Tunisia and Egypt happened is ... what sparked this? What made this all happen?" Panetta said, listing factors including social media and populations of youth who lacked hope for the future.
"The fact is when people decide that that moment has come, that's a moment when tremendous change is about to happen," Panetta said.
"And I think it's true, not only in the Middle East. It's going to be true in Iran as well."
It's a matter of time until there is regime change in Iran alright. Sometime after there is regime change in the United States. The real question is whether the Iranians will develop nuclear weapons in the interim.
What could go wrong?
Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, Green Movement, Iranian nuclear threat, Iranian regime change
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 3:26 PM
2 Comments:
Utter nonsense straight up and down. If this is what Panetta believes he should be fired tomorrow. Iran will stop at nothing to ruthlessly suppress dissent. But they are clever enough to foment a small bit of dissent in the first place to placate the fools like Panetta that 'revolution' is possible. Which it is not. These are fascists who executed 300,000 people in the wake of the toppling of the Shah. These are people who sacrificed a million children in human swarm attacks against Iraqi tanks and chemical weapons.
Revolution, please. If anything it will eventually, and by eventually, in a half century, implode from the inside out as did the CCCP.
I disagree. I think there is nothing Obama could do about Iran short of a bombing raid (a good idea). Egypt was another matter and I think it was correct what the admin did in that, for better or worse, Mubarak was going and we better get used to it. But the Green Rev was going to fail in 2009 and foreign relations are always realpolitik.
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