Iranian Democracy Movement

Fire of Liberty

Michael Ledeen has a good piece over @ National Review Online on the burgeoning democracy movement that is sweeping the streets of several cities of Iran. Ledeen notes that the MSM has presented the events in the streets as a rabble-rousing crowd of soccer hooligans playing with fire during the Zoroastrian New Year festival of fire known as Norooz who had to be put down by the police, the truth is that large crowds of young Iranians have taken to the streets protesting the regime, burning various mullahs in effigies, and shouting for America's help while enduring beatings, tear gas, torture and indefinite stays in Iran's infamous prisons.

During these massive rallies, you also have countless individuals in these crowds demanding help from the US to end the mullahs' grasp on their throats. The only problem is that the US seems to be resting on its laurels after the spread of freedom and the democratic process in Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestinian Territories, and especially in Lebanon. The problem with this, is that the US has gone somewhat soft in making accommodative gestures with the EU and other international organizations with their appeasement policies, just to look nice in the World for the time being. By letting up on the forces of evil in Iran, Syria and those vile thugs in Hezbollah, President Bush just allows a longer window of time for these mavens of terror to stamp out the Fire of Liberty that burns in the hearts of the brave souls in these Outposts of Tyranny. I think Mr. Ledeen puts the argument in a better light with the following paragraphs:

But above all, the clever stratagem adopted by the administration ignores Machiavelli's greatest lesson: Leadership is all about winning and losing, not about elegance and deep thinking. If we win the Europeans and lose the Middle East, we will have lost. But if we win the Middle East, the Europeans will hail us, as we see from their grudging tributes to Bush's successful liberation of Afghanistan and Iraq. "If you are victorious," Machiavelli says in his uncompromising way, "people will always judge the means you used to have been appropriate."

Syria and Iran are tottering, and if they fall, the terror network will break into relatively impotent shards that we will be able to destroy. Forget about diplomacy, this is war. Every day we hear about plans to attack the United States directly, and every day more Americans die in Iraq. Is it not too clever by half to resort to cunning diplomacy at such a time? Is it not immoral to leave American fighting men and women in harm's way an hour longer than is absolutely necessary?

I just wished President Bush had more people like Mr. Ledeen in his council than the milquetoast diplomats in the State Department and the National Security Council who are too scared to ruffle the feathers of the EU and the tyrants in The Middle East who ride roughshod over these freedom/democratic movements. Hopefully the newly appointed Karen Hughes and Nina Powell at State and John Bolton at the UN is a start. I prefer the creation of a new USIA, an increase in VOA/Radio Farsi's budget, financial and vocal support of the freedom/democracy movements in these nations by our leaders than the silly Kabuki dance with Europe. One day they'll catch on, I hope it's not too late.