Iran Elections: Religious Hard-Liner Victory, Is Domino Effect at Work?

[vanesch]

The elections put a religious hard-liner forward:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4621249.stm

I particularly like the quote:

The US said the election was "flawed" and described Iran as "out of step" with regional trends towards democracy.

Is this the domino effect at work ?

 

[Pengwuino]

lol yah, this throws a monkey wrentch in everything...

 

[SOS2008]

The elections put a religious hard-liner forward:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4621249.stm

I particularly like the quote:



Is this the domino effect at work ?

Exactly. They elected a leader who is a religious hard-liner, just like the U.S.

Seriously, it isn't whether countries practice democracy, it is whether countries elect pro-American leaders. This is why Iran is "out-of-step."

 

[Art]

Exactly. They elected a leader who is a religious hard-liner, just like the U.S.

Seriously, it isn't whether countries practice democracy, it is whether countries elect pro-American leaders. This is why Iran is "out-of-step."

Yes. It is a simple fact of life, Extremism breeds Extremism.

 

[Smurf]

Does that mean that Centrism breeds Centrism? I hope not, I think the latin translation of that is "We're doomed".

 

[Informal Logic]

If we look at the neocon domino concept in general we can see there is no validity to it. In the Middle East alone, look at Lebanon or even more moderate states such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, etc. If Iraq were allowed real democracy (real control of their government), it is very likely they would elect a religious leader as well.

Trying to make every country fit a certain mold is ridiculous, for example Afghanistan, where the culture doesn't correspond with women's rights. The neocons are idiots. And anyone who believes it is US foreign policy to spread democracy is naive. The US will support any leader who espouses pro-American rhetoric/sentiment--look at Pakistan, or who serves our interests at a given time, such as Saddam during the war with Iran.

As for nation building, I believe Rumsfeld just admitted we will need to be in Iraq 12 more years. If we do the math (lives, money, troops) over 12 years--sounds like a great idea, huh? Freedom and peace! We're spreading democracy! It's propaganda by the Bush regime as a cover-up for destroying our country.