Iran, the Tragedy

What should America do about the Iranian Presidential elections? A very tough question to answer. I believe we will end up doing nothing, given our foreign policy toward Islamic countries to date in this administration; to interfere would be inconsistent with the "apology tour" we saw earlier this year by the President during his visits there.

But what should be done? Iran is an "Islamic Republic," which is laughable but allegedly democratic, at least in the sense that the position of President is gained by a general election. True power is held (and has been since 1989) by the Ayatollah Khamenei, who is the Supreme Leader and appoints most governmental officials. Here is a good article if you are interested in their form of government:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Leader_of_Iran

The voter turnout is said to have hit 85% for this election, and that is remarkable. Current President Ahmadinejad is said to have won by a 62/34 margin, which would be a landslide victory. What really happened? Can we trust these results? Based on past behavior, I would say no. For your consideration:

-Several hostages from the 1980 Iranian hostage crisis remember Ahmadinejad specifically being one of their captors.
-Ahmadinejad has publicly called the Holocaust a "myth."
-He has publicly called for the elimination of the Jewish state of Israel.
-He has persisted in the Iran nuclear development program despite repeated UN demands that he stop.
-He is very close, and has publicly sworn allegiance to, Ayatollah Khamenei (by kissing his ring). Khamenei had also stated, previous to the elections, that he saw Ahmadinejad being President for several more years.
-He has consistently sought closer ties to Russia and other Muslim states instead of the West, and Russia has already welcomed him - since the election - as the President of Iran, recognizing the election results as valid before the recount is completed.

Based on the body of his work, I don't see democracy in action. I see the same type of Oligarchy (where a few elite rule the rest) that is developing here in America. Interestingly, Ahmadinejad has already put in place rules to ration gasoline and he limits the interest rates and fees that banks can charge... sound familiar? There, as it will be here, those rules lead to greater centralized control under the guise of responsible government.

And so what should we do? I agree with taking no action in this situation. Iran is a mess that is unlikely to improve, the basic problem being the impossibility of having both Islam and democracy as the twin pillars of any society. I pray for those few Christians living there. I pray that when the time comes, the US stands with Israel against the Muslim world. I believe Ahmadinejad will remain as their 'President,' and I believe the attacks on Israel will increase, not decrease.

The action I would urge America to take is to stand fast with Israel. The stronger we stand with them, and the quicker we come to their aid in an attack (either terrorist or an act of war), the more stable the region will be. The stance we currently have, which seems to be not taking sides and encouraging reasonable dialogue, will not work. You cannot expect unreasonable and selfish people to suddenly act in a manner both reasonable and unselfish, no matter how flowery the words of your speeches.