[Marxism] The consequences of reading Garcia Lorca in Tehran

[Louis Proyect]

Jscotlive at aol.com wrote:
> Interesting that just as the US has Iran in its sights, we are  subjected to 
> a rash of anti-Iranian regime books, newspaper articles and  political 
> commentary.

Yoshie redux?

> It really is very simple: any contradictions that are present in Iranian  
> society between progressive and regressive tendencies are there as a result  of 
> the devastating and dislocating impact of Western imperialism.

I imagine that this would also hold true for Zimbabwe. When Mugabe's 
cops tore down the shanties, it was really the IMF that made him do it. 
And Stalin had Trotsky assassinated because he was criticizing the 
Soviet government at the very time that Time Magazine was doing so. 
Trotsky and the shanty dwellers had it coming to them.

> Of course, with regard to Iran, our focus turns to the nature of a state  
> which calls itself a democracy and makes a mockery of the word; a  state that 
> oppresses women, workers, that spies on its students,  that punishes dissent, 
> that imprisons those who dare oppose its rule, a  state committed to nuclear 
> weapons and which constitutes a clear and present  danger to the security and 
> stability of the Middle East.
>  
> We are of course referring to the United States and its allies. 

Oh, I am rendered naked before the jury of radical opinion. By 
neglecting to condemn American capitalism, I am implicitly supporting 
it. My bad.

> The dagger that was plunged into the heart of Iraq remains unsheathed  and is 
> now pointed at Iran.

Er, the dagger was pointed at Syria as well, wasn't it?

According to people who speak regularly with Syrian officials Syria is 
not only willing but is in fact keen to be drawn away from their 
alliance with Iran. From the information that we have Syria would be 
sincerely willing to take real steps to limit the power of Hizbullah and 
Hamas. But all of that can only be possible as part of a deal with 
Israel and with the inclusion and involvement of the United States.

Syria would be ready to replace its Iranian alliance with a new alliance 
with the United States as long as it also includes a renewal of the 
Israeli-Syrian track and progress toward an agreement on the return of 
the Golan.

Jerusalem Post, Sept. 16, 2007

For that matter, Iran is being perceived differently today, now that it 
has shown its ability to put a leash on the Mahdist fighters:

Los Angeles Times, December 1, 2007

In Iraq, U.S. shifts its tone on Iran
Officials have backed off the accusations of arms smuggling and agreed 
to talk. It could be each side needs the other.
By Tina Susman

BAGHDAD — Not long ago, U.S. military officials in Iraq routinely 
displayed rockets, mortars and jagged chunks of metal to reporters and 
insisted that they were Iranian-made arms being fired at American bases. 
Collaboration between Tehran and Washington on stabilizing Iraq seemed 
doubtful at best.

In the last two months, though, there has been a shift in U.S. military 
and diplomatic attitudes toward Iran. Officials have backed away from 
sweeping accusations that the Iranian leadership is orchestrating 
massive smuggling of arms, agents and ammunition. Instead, they have 
agreed to a new round of talks with Iranian and Iraqi officials over 
security in Iraq. The meeting is expected to take place this month.

The U.S. also freed nine Iranian men last month, some of whom it had 
been holding since 2004. Iran denied U.S. accusations that many of them 
had been assisting anti-U.S. militias in Iraq, and had demanded their 
release in a series of testy exchanges with U.S. officials.

When the U.S. freed them, it did not allude to the Iranian demands. It 
said only that they no longer posed a threat.

Pentagon officials and analysts cite several reasons for the change, 
including U.S. concern that provoking Iran could set off a confrontation 
that military commanders are keen to avoid, and the realization that 
better relations with Iran would help stabilize Iraq.

"I do think that the military and civilian leadership in Washington has 
by and large come to the realization that it's going to be impossible to 
stabilize Iraq without Iran's positive contribution or cooperation," 
said Karim Sadjadpour, an Iran expert at the Carnegie Endowment for 
International Peace in Washington.

full: 
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/la-fg-iraqiran1dec01,1,1695032.story

> Enough of this garbage about how evil the Iranian regime is. 

If you don't want to be exposed to such garbage, please contact me or 
Les Schaffer privately and we will unsub you just as we have repeatedly 
in the past.