Is the Political Showdown in Iran Good for America?

by SodaHead Politics Posted 2011/05/11 23:12:00

Related Topics: Iran, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Ayatullah Ali Khamenei, Power Struggle, Ahmadinejad, Khamenei, Supreme Leader, Clerical, Nuclear Power, Nukes, United States, Time Magazine, Nuclear, Politics, America, Negotiations

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	Yes	17 votes	68%
	No	8 votes	32%

With Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and clerical Supreme Leader Ayatullah Ali Khamenei at odds over what direction their country should go, political progress in Iran seems to be at a stand still.

But what does that mean for us?

Time magazine suggests that, at this point, it's anyone's guess.

While the two factions have disagreed in the past on nuclear negotiations with the United Nations, their real differences revolve around the future direction of Iran's Islamic system, with the nuclear program only a proxy arena for waging those deeper political battles. The president's pretenses of reaching out to engage the United States and Western governments are solely to increase his power internally, with the hope that the power structure might change and Khamenei might be the last supreme leader.

At the very least, this power struggle is likely to weaken the position of both leaders.

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GINGERBREAD 2011/05/12 14:37:55

Yes

+3
What's the old saying?/ When your enemy is committing suicide, help him get the job done. Let's not be so stupid as to choose which one we want to win. We want those two to destroy themselves. Then we can help some one to pick up the pieces.
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RobertRowe 2011/06/04 20:35:27

No

it's all bush sr.s fault that iran is a world problem for selling them weapons like in the video of Caspian Airlines Tu-154 Crash near the Qazvin. the fighter jet is what the u.s. used in vietnam and georgy porgy and ronny wonny sold after the deal to smear carter's image during the hostage situation in 1980.

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stonefieldt 2011/05/14 08:08:05

No

+2
We need to just get the hell out of everywhere. The world is going to hate us no matter what we do, so let's not give them another reason. When they ask for something from us though, we should make them kiss our asses for it.

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MG-42 2011/05/13 14:38:18

Yes

A-Jad & The Supreme assklown are toast!

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jean 2011/05/13 02:33:32

Yes

+1
It is an infected wound that has to be lanced. The United States (Great Satan ) and Israel (LIttle Satan) must rise to meet the enemy (Iran) or appease them.. May the God of Abraham, Izak and Jacob - THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL be with us.

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Swany 2011/05/12 19:42:06

Yes

+1
A destabilised Iran will help us when we attack China. (I mean when China provokes a war with us).

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The Patriot 2011/05/12 19:22:31

Yes

+1
NUKE IRAN NOW !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?...

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««Ginge... to The Pat... 2011/05/13 05:44:38

+1
I'm utterly amazed and disgusted with people like you. Don't reproduce.

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MG-42 to ««Ginge... 2011/05/13 14:42:38

+1
And we are disgusted by yellow belly cowards!

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MG-42 to The Pat... 2011/05/13 14:41:22

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Pedro Doller ~POTL-PWCM~JLA 2011/05/12 16:18:29

Yes

+2
Looks like the Stuxnet Worm is affecting more than their Nuke Program.

Chaos today would be a lot better than chaos after they get the bomb.

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GINGERBREAD 2011/05/12 14:37:55

Yes

+3
What's the old saying?/ When your enemy is committing suicide, help him get the job done. Let's not be so stupid as to choose which one we want to win. We want those two to destroy themselves. Then we can help some one to pick up the pieces.

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JCD aka "biz" 2011/05/12 12:50:54

Yes

+1
Actually, I don't know, and my question is : is it good for Iranian people? I hope so.

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GINGERB... to JCD aka... 2011/05/12 19:50:19

+2
Anything is better than what they have, First off, let's go back in history a little bit. The shah was a dictator, but, by in large, he was a benvolent dictator. Then, thanks to Jimmy Carter, he was pushed out by the Ayatollah Komeni, a very bad choice by the Iranians. They could've opted for a "FREE-ER" type of government, but it's always the most "ORGANISED" party that will controll any government change, and the Ayatollah's organisation was the most organised. Now, whatever the Iranians choose to replace this monstrocity they have, will, in all probablity, be as bad as the ones they get rid of.

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««Ginge... to GINGERB... 2011/05/13 05:43:46
GINGERB... to ««Ginge... 2011/05/13 13:19:46

+2
During the Shah's time, people in Iran could come and go as they please. They could actually travel outside of their country, without being bothered by the police.Try that now? I didn't say he was an angel, I said he was benevolent DICTATOR. He only got in the face of people that disagreed with him. I was well aware of the SAVAK, his secret police and their torture chambers. But, he also gave land to the peasants, and most important, he was our son of a bitch. What do we have now, in Iran. A nutty president who talks to the 12th Imam every night, and crazy mullahs. Wouldn't want to be an Iranian today.

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««Ginge... to GINGERB... 2011/05/14 06:28:15

"Our son of a bitch" is such an ignorant term. We shouldn't be partnering with any of these sacks of crap.

What Iran originally had in 1953, when they democratically elected Mossadeq who planned to nationalize their oil, was ten times better than the Shah and the theocracy they have now. The CIA organized a coup because we wanted their oil... how greedy America is. America is directly responsible for the government of Iran today.

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GINGERB... to ««Ginge... 2011/05/14 13:10:46

No, Mossadeq wanted exactly what they now have in Iran. But since he is dead, no one will ever know. As for the United States wanting to have someone on their side in any country, that my friend is what is called "REAL POLITIC". If we are going to be a player in the world stage, you must choose who your friend are and protect your interests.

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««Ginge... to GINGERB... 2011/05/14 17:45:54

"No, Mossadeq wanted exactly what they now have in Iran."

This is not true at all. He was a secular leader who was very, very westernized.

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GINGERB... to ««Ginge... 2011/05/14 20:04:47

We will never know will we? He is dead.

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««Ginge... to GINGERB... 2011/05/15 06:16:45

...but I do know. He was educated in Paris and laughed at the idea of an Islamic-ran government. I learned this in my Modern Iranian literature class, and from my father, a full blooded Persian =/

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GINGERB... to ««Ginge... 2011/05/15 14:12:37

Sorry, you are just trying to make 2+2 equal whatever you want it to equal. It aint going to work.

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««Ginge... to GINGERB... 2011/05/15 17:27:49

No, I'm not. You clearly know nothing of Mossadegh, and I'm trying to educate you on him, and you're brushing it off because you don't agree with it, even though it's true.

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GINGERB... to ««Ginge... 2011/05/15 17:29:27

But he is DEAD. Once you are dead, whatever you planned is of no use to anyone living.

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««Ginge... to GINGERB... 2011/05/15 17:45:04

So what? The point is, you were wrong about him agreeing with the Islamic theocracy; he would have been very much against it.

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GINGERB... to ««Ginge... 2011/05/15 17:50:13

Whatever. If you believe it, okay. But I don't.

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««Ginge... to GINGERB... 2011/05/16 06:03:24

It's a fact. My grandparents live in Iran, and know so much more about Mossadegh than probably any American. In fact, the reason why they liked him so much was because he was secular =/

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jean to ««Ginge... 2011/05/13 16:42:02

Terrible things took place under the Shah but unfortunately that was child's play compared to what followed.

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««Ginge... to jean 2011/05/14 06:33:02

No, it was more of the same; just more moral dictation.

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jean to ««Ginge... 2011/05/14 15:35:58

Far worse - we have many ex patriots who fled Iran. They revolution was not for this.........

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««Ginge... to jean 2011/05/14 17:47:00

It was the exact same as Pahlavi's regime, except they now had a dress code. They both tortured and killed people who disagreed.

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jean to ««Ginge... 2011/05/14 22:04:01

Most ex patriots disagree. Since I am not there I don't know. I can only go by what other Iranian nationals are saying. Most people seem to disagree with you though.

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««Ginge... to jean 2011/05/15 06:18:31

I don't think they would. Most people didn't leave Iran because they missed Pahlavi; rather to escape the Authoritarian theocracy. Pretty much all of Iran hated Pahlavi and wanted a revolution, because he was killing so many people.

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jean to ««Ginge... 2011/05/15 16:11:47

More were killed by the NEW REGIME. it made a lot of them nostalgic for the old one.

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««Ginge... to jean 2011/05/15 17:42:36

You can't put a number on how many people were killed in each regime. Probably the same amount. Did you know that the Shah once locked a movie theater (with people inside it, viewing a protesting movie to the Shah's regime) and then set it on fire, trapping and burning alive over 400 people?!

I can tell that you don't know much about the Shah's regime. It was terrible, I can assure you. You're trying to lighten it up by saying that the Islamic regime is worse; while that may be true in some aspects, it doesn't take away from the fact that the Shah was a horrible, disgusting leader whole had a gold toilet while people were starving to death. The Islamic regime is terrible, of course, just as the Shah's was.

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jean to ««Ginge... 2011/05/15 17:45:20

I only know what the many ex patriots have told me about that time. They seem to think that it is worse now. I am not there so I can't say.

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««Ginge... to jean 2011/05/16 06:04:20

My grandparents live there, and my father grew up there. In the social sense, it is worse. But as far as freedom goes, it's about the same.

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jean to ««Ginge... 2011/05/16 15:16:09

For some better for other worse I am sure. Glad that your grandparents are okay though. I do think that things are going to go from bad to worse.

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««Ginge... to jean 2011/05/17 06:07:51

Yes, luckily they live in a small village next to the Caspian Sea

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MG-42 to GINGERB... 2011/05/13 14:44:05

+1
They're all crazy over there.

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jean to MG-42 2011/05/13 16:42:42

+1
write on!

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