Struggles for Freedom in the Middle East

A clasical negative view of the war in Iraq stated that the citizens of other countries around the region would turn against the U.S. Recent developments are more consistent with the view that once the citizens of dictatorships realize that it is possible to live in freedom, they will want a taste for themselves. In Iran students look toward the west

Iranian college campuses, however, offer glimmers of hope. The leftist, anti-imperialist ideas of the 1970s have given way to a more pragmatic discourse about economic and political dignity based on Western models of secular democracy. Iranian youth largely dismiss the radical ideas of their parents' generation, full of half-baked leftism, Marxist economics, Third World anti-imperialism, Islamist radicalism and varying shades of utopian totalitarianism.

demonstrations against the Iranian goverment are being reported

Demonstrations are reported to have begun on March 13, in the small town in the northern Iranian province of Mazandaran. The demonstrators attacked and were able to liberate a building used by the Islamic Republic's security forces.

and in Syria, a human rights protest was also reported and the Kurds are protesting and expressing their discontent as well

The peaceful demonstrations are now wide spread in all Kurdish areas including outskirts of Damascus. Around noon Syrian times demonstrators in Amude burned down police station and buildings of security branches. Also in Derik city the marshes broke out. The number of casualties in both cities is unknown.

The question now is if the Western European peace demonstrators will be as vocal in their support for these efforts.

Update: Instapundit has posted additional links about the situation. Coverage by mainstream media remains scarce.

Update: More information here

Update: Mainstream media sources are starting to pick up on the story. More info here, here and here. The Jerusalem post reports that Syria might have the situation under control. Still no word from Western European peace movements.

Comments

[Mygod]

Could the Iraqi dominos be falling?

[TC-LeatherPenguin]

Hey! I had dibs on the domino thingie!

[Sharps Shooter]

The cruelty, short-sightedness, blindness, ignorance, cupidity and general churlishness of Muslim clergy, long castigated by The Glory of God in His published Writings, is wearing thin with the victims of those very clergy!

And after 160 years, about TIME, too!

[Buddy Larsen]

In re: earlier posts concerning a breakout of human-rights in Iran and Syria: This sounds serious. Blood is being spilled. Oppressed peoples are in the streets facing the armed military might of unelected governments.

Now is the time for street protests in the Western capitals !!! Everything that bothered those hundreds of thousands who were marching against the Iraq war, is being played out again, in broad unmistakable matters of fact: Powerful interests versus "the people"!!!

And this time, dear Fellow Human Rights Advocates, you do not have to ask the world to simply take your word for it that there is evil afoot (besides Saddam).

There is no doubt anymore, it's happening right now, right in front of your collective eyes. What are you going to do about it ? Better hurry, your sisters and brothers in the streets of Teheran and Damascus need you as no one has ever needed you before. MARCH NOW !!!

[dick]

You can't be serious about the Europeans marching. If they marched their handlers would not get anymore lucrative oil contracts and the US could not be held up as being imperialistic. They will wait until the situation gets so bad the US goes in to help and then they can break out their US is a threat to world peace and US is an imperialistic power and US is causing wars and US is endangering the rest of the world with terrorists. Then they will be out in force in Europe, San Francisco, Boston, New York. You know how they are. They have to wait for ANSWER to tell them they should march. Besides they want to wait until maybe they can have an impact on the presidential campaigns.

[Hermit]

Seems to me the progressive forces in Iran were a lot farther ahead a year ago than they are now; since the Iraq adventure they've been marginalized by the conservatives who have made great propaganda and political use of the presence of American forces on their borders. If the gains that were being made peacefully now have to be pursued violently I'm not sure that's a good thing....

[Kim Peterson]

>Seems to me the progressive forces in Iran were >a lot farther ahead a year ago than they are >now; since the Iraq adventure they've been >marginalized by the conservatives who have made >great propaganda and political use of the >presence of American forces on their borders. If >the gains that were being made peacefully now >have to be pursued violently I'm not sure that's >a good thing....

OK. Now I see how the leftists will spin the coming Iranian liberation. And if Kerry becomes President first, he will get ALL the credit. I see.