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Thirty years of enmity
Relations with Iran have not improved since hostage crisis of 30 years ago
Friday, Nov. 6, 2009 | 2:05 a.m.
Thirty years ago this week hundreds of Iranian students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, touching off a hostage crisis that lasted 444 days and beginning an era of enmity between Iran and the United States that continues today.
The students’ action grew out of the Iranian revolution, in which supporters of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini overthrow Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, who had long ruled Iran.
After Khomeini, revered in the Muslim world, rose to power in January 1979, he led the Iranian people into believing that the U.S. — once well liked and respected in Iran — was the “Great Satan” and an enemy of Islam, which helped fuel the students’ action.
U.S.-Iran relations are no better today than they were in Khomeini’s time, although President Barack Obama has tried to set up talks so the countries could move beyond “suspicion, mistrust and confrontation.”
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said during a speech this week that he thinks negotiating with the U.S. would be “naive and perverted.”
Such a flat rejection of a reasonable entreaty from Obama shows the extent of the Iranian government’s extremism, even in the eyes of many of its own citizens.
On past anniversaries of the hostage crisis, Iran’s government has invited its citizens into the streets to demonstrate their continuous hatred of America. This year, however, still outraged over the June election that they believe was stolen, many demonstrators shouted slogans against their own government. Iranian police responded to those peaceful demonstrators by trying to beat them into submission.
Iran’s domestic harshness, its refusal to be frank about its nuclear program and its president’s statements that Israel should be wiped off the map show that — 30 years after the hostage crisis — the country still represents a grave threat to world peace.
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A large portion and probably a majority of Democratics are anti-Israel and yet the top of the Democratic Party is mostly pro-Israel.
The Jewish people give tons of money to the Democratic and vote for it in droves (they only make up less than 1% of the population). It is the money and free media like this is the reason why the leaders of Democratic Party support Israel.
The Republican Party supports Israel because they want to and because almost like 70% of the members strongly support Israel.
The Jewish voter plays a dangerous game supporting Presidents like Obama.
His adminstration goofed up with it demanded Israel to stop ALL construction in the settlements. This completely stop both parties from coming to the negotiation table. It took away a bargaining chip from Israel. Now the Palestinians are refusing to come to the table unless Israel complies with the new USA standard.
This goof up has frozen and will continue to freeze negotations probably for years.
At least before, they were talking to each other at the table. That is no longer true.
It is one big mess and it was all started by an administration that has anti-Israel people within its body who come up with amateur and bone-headed ideas like this that essentially sticks it to Israel.
Hey, I thought Jimmy Carter got a Nobel Peace Prize for fixing the Iranian Crisis.
And, Barak Obama got a Nobel Peace Prize for fixing the Iranian Crisis.
I feel so much safer these days...
The US should always stand for individual freedom and the rule of law, in Iran and anywhere else in the world. But that doesn't mean we have to commit American blood & treasure everywhere in the world -- we have to pick our fights carefully, and direct interference within Iran would be counter-productive. Our policies should deny the regime whatever outside succor it recieves, pressure them with coordinated international efforts to open their society, and maintain sufficient coalition forces in the region to discourage military adventurism on their part (i.e. containment).
However, we really can't talk about Iran unless we're prepared to talk about Iraq, Afghanistan, and Israel. American involvement in the region is everywhere, extremely costly in blood & treasure, and reflexive support for this strategy or that in Iraq or AfPak, or Israeli intransigence in negotiations with the Palestinians, is not in the best interests of the American people. (Despite what AIPAC-sponsored Berkley says.)
The Dem & GOP party establishments both need to come up with more intelligible and American-oriented policies for the region, ones that are sustainable over the long term, minimize our losses in the region, and avoid the sort of foreign despot entanglements that the founding fathers warned us about. Or look for a new line of work.
Pssst... Larry... Your ignorance is showing!
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace...
I wish the greatest president of modern times, Ronald Reagan, were still in office. Notice that at the time he took office the hostages were released by Iran. Reagan, if in office now, would undoubtedly tell Iran to destroy their nuclear plants or else. Iran knows what "or else" meant to President Reagan. Iran also knows what a weasely cowardly little whimp is President today and laugh their a$$ off at him. Most Americans are laughing at him too. Obama-America's loser.
Thanks for setting the table, jlb101. Ronald Reagan (and 60 other foreign leaders) supported the Geneva Accord's "road map to peace", which dictates the freeze on settlements (http://www.globalpolicy.org/component/co...).
The Obama Administration may be "goofy" on this subject, but he has good company including the "greatest president of modern times".
OpenRange is a great Obama supporter who posts that "The troops in Afghanistan are a waste of time, resources, and money."
OpenRange thinks just like our fearless leader...
EXCUSE ME, LARRY?
I have not heard anything remotely close to what you are saying from the Obama Administration.
Do you have a source reference, please? thank you.
Larry,
Our troops in Afghanistan are wasting their time, their lives and our money. You cannot win an insurgency like that one, anymore than you could win Viet Nam.
Cut your losses, GTFO, and play defense (using special forces and CIA 'combat' types to continue the war in the shadows).
All the afghans have to do is wait us out. And cherry pick the best ambushes that will kill the most soldiers.
In the meantime, we have no targets of any value and are basically sitting around waiting to get shot at. That is an insane strategy.
We left Viet Nam and the domino theory proved to be total horseS^&%. We leave Afghanistan and the idiot Cheney's "the terrorists will follow us home" theory will also prove to be total horseS$%^.
If Karzai and his corrupt pals get tossed out of office who cares? It's their country, let them run how they want to.
But of course none of that will happen. The trans-afghanistan pipline is too important to Daddy Warbucks (stock symbol ATK) and the oil industries of the western powers.
So we will stay there and protect the pipeline until the oil runs out, then leave. I hope that oil is worth the blood and money it will cost us.
But back to Iran. We need to do nothing. Nada. Zip. Any move we make now will simply galvanize the resistance there behind the military junta of the Revolutionary Guards who are running the place.
Keep up the sanctions, freeze their assets internationally as much as we can, and keep the attack dog (Isreal) on the leash, and we can sit back and watch the Iranian Junta/theocracy crumble from within.
Today's social studies lesson is concluded. I hope you took notes Larry.
All of you Obama supporters who think that Obama is thinking and theorizing how to win the Afghanistan situation is as nutty as the fruit cake I will get for Christmas.
Obama, with the support and input from "move on" are trying to come up with a sale-able plan to remove our troops and abandon Afghanistan back to the Taliban. The women and children in Afghanistan don't need to go to school or have any rights. It's just none of our business according to those on the left.
Obama will say that we don't need troops on the ground, we can do it from the air. Just like Vietnam... Then when nobody's watching, he and his buddies at move on will get the funds cuts for any military assistance to Afghanistan. Hey, that's also just like Vietnam.
Then a year or so after, we have abandoned Afghanistan and mass genocide has occurred, our friends on the left will blame George Bush again.
Larry,
Just maybe we should concentrate on getting our kids to go to school (and graduate) before we indoctrinate every little village in the third world according to your beliefs. Upon getting our house in order, I might support your manifest destiny.
Why is it that the anti-Obama crowd are so adamant about spending our money on women and children around the world, but won't support spending money on their own citizens?
All the same, Afghanistan will never have a non-corrupt, centralized government, so good luck with winning over the hearts and minds of 1,000 warlords. Hope you (and the rest of the taxpayers) have deep pockets.
OpenRange,
Just maybe we should just concentrate on ourselves and forget about the rest of the world. Quit all foreign aid and pull all of our troops back to the Continental U.S. No need for the United Nations either.
Then build up our nuclear forces and be prepared to wipe any country off the face of the earth that attempts to harm us.
And you may be correct. Maybe we would have been better off not invading Afghanistan in the first place. Maybe we should have sent over a few dozen nuclear bombs and eliminate any threat from them for the next thousand years...
Don't worry about Iran and their nuclear capabilities. The Jewish National Guard will take them fuzzy lil' bastiges out. Just like they did in Iraq. When was that? please refresh my memory please, anyone?
The Middle East Plantation playing field isn't hardly leveled. WASP have given the IDF nukes, so they can control the plantation. PLANTATION: a vast number of COLOREDS, being controlled by a few heavily-armed white folks. Former congressman Tancredo, "let's NUKE Mecca". GWB, "we will use all weapons at our disposal". GWB, "Iraq is a crusade". McCain, "bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran". U.S. Sen. Kerry, "the President cherry-picked the intelligence to get us into this war". During one of my three deployments to Vietnam, I actually saw Kerry using combat military intelligence. WARNING to Arabs and Persians, Git some NUKES!
lcdrmandingonamvet:
There are 3 things a man lies about
His sexual prowess, His miles per gallon on his car, and his tours of duty in Viet-Nam.
Them that talk about usually do w/o it.
I'm wondering what that RACIST mandingo will say bout Ft Hood shootings? Mr Sun, remove all future posts of the RACIST mandingo. He doesn't have combat stress, he has RACIST stress. Please remove his posts!!!!!!!!!
.
..
...You all have very intelligent writings here and I suggest you put Rick Steves in the search box of C-Span book channel and watch his one hour special on Iran.
...I was amazed at the hospitality of the people of Iran and am astonished how a handful of political, business and ideological types can bullship a country into radical camps of perverted thoughts and philosophies. I remember watching Canadian Television filming American Television during the hostage crisis thirty years ago on a Grand Prix weekend in Montreal.
...When the red light went on ,local Iranians demonstrated waving signs and shouting anti- American slogans, this was taking place in a small area in front of our Embassy and Americans at home watching it got the impression the world was coming to an end. As soon as the red light went out it was back to normal as these shoppers and merchants quietly went back to the business of buying and selling dates, olives, cheeses and other local commodities.
...Watching Canadians filming U S T V networks it was like watching a film crew on the Strip,
no big deal.
...Later that week after watching the Rick Steve Iranian Special, I attended a Defensive Seminar at the Adelson Center in Summerlin and heard Jewish Hawks telling the Horrors of the Coming Iranian Threat. Congresswoman Shelley Berkeley was a featured speaker. It sure helps to hear both sides of an argument. I believe that travel is the best education and I sure haven't done my share and caught up with a half dozen Mexican bullfighting weekends recently and have softened my opinions of the Mexican residents.
...As Americans it would be nice to change from an Imperialistic frame of mind and pursue an aggressive Fiesta altitude and spend more money on butter and less on guns...
..
.