01-06-2020, 04:00 PM
(This post was last modified: 01-06-2020, 04:00 PM by Warren Dew.)
(01-06-2020, 01:06 PM)John J. Xenakis Wrote: [*]Applying the same abstract reasons, everyone over age 25 in Iran
today has some personal memory of the Iran/Iraq war, and how their
fathers, uncles and brothers were tortured and killed by Iraqis. For
these people, Solomeini is a war hero, and those feelings haven't gone
away. So feelings about Solomeini are going to be mixed -- many
revere him for fighting the Iraqis, and also loathe him for torturing
and killing peaceful Iranian protesters. Once again, this is way too
nuanced and abstract for anyone in Washington to understand.
This is a good point. It's a lot safer to participate in the eulogies when someone is safely dead, so there's no chance that someone you praise today will be doing something you hate tomorrow. The rest of your points here are good points, too.
That said, it's notable that the current "mourners" are all men, and are in the big cities that are seats of government, while the protests against the government include lots of women, and started in the boondocks before breaking out everywhere. These are not the same people, and they don't represent the same parts of society.
It does seem most of the experts are coming around to the conclusion that Iran is not going to do anything drastic immediately. Of course, that's an easier conclusion to come to when it has been four days and Iran has already not done anything drastic immediately.
