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Iran students stage first large anti-government protests since deadly crackdown

bbc.com

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Re: Iran students stage first large anti-government protests since deadly crackdown

#361

Post by watwut »

jazz9k wrote: post #191
justsomehnguy wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Dear American, kindly solve your own internal issues first and then - maybe - you can talk on how to "help" some other countries on the literal other side of the world TYM.

I'm cool with that. Let them fight their own battles...but also don't ever ask or expect the US to help. The problem with your stance is that too many people want it both ways: They don't want the US to intervene, but then also want support in terms of money and special treatment for people emigrating from these countries (and blame the US for the deaths that occur for a terrible government).

Like USA literally abandomed allies and those who helped it in countries like Afghanistan and Iran. Literally betreyed them and put them in danger.

What special treatment are you talking about, really.

Re: Iran students stage first large anti-government protests since deadly crackdown

#362

Post by breppp »

mikkupikku wrote: post #179
philwelch wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How many of those African regimes sponsor terrorism and piracy against Americans, or adopt “death to America” as a motto?

Iran occasionally attacks Americans in the region or abroad generally, but they don't attack Americans in America despite all of their "death to America" rhetoric (which they are more than entitled to.) If you add up who's fucking with who and who's being fucked with, the imbalance between America and Iran is enormous.

recent examples

https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/manssor-arbabsiar-se...

https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/member-irans-islamic...

Re: Iran students stage first large anti-government protests since deadly crackdown

#363

Post by hunterpayne »

don_esteban wrote: post #292
hunterpayne wrote: post #246

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Empathy in this case apparently meaning allowing continued funding of terrorism across the ME and continued killing of any and all political opposition inside of Iran. So empathetic you are. Also, I'm totally sure your memories of what life was like when you were 5 are totally and completely accurate and captures the entirety of the geopolitical realities of the situation.

Empathy means understanding that nationalism is a powerful force and even people who are against their government would support their government against external aggressor. Empathy means that you understand that what YOU consider terrorism might mean 'supporting self-determination of oppressed and occupied people' by somebody else. Is it so difficult to understand that ordinary Iranians do not see their government as…

> "almost all people I knew being (low-level, passive) anti-communists"

Nice pet elephant

Re: Iran students stage first large anti-government protests since deadly crackdown

#364

Post by don_esteban »

martin-t wrote: post #192
don_esteban wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Re: Sometimes - sadly - violence is the least worst answer. The least worst for whom?! For normal Iranian people who just want to leave their life? I hate my current government. Do I think an armed uprising or a USA bombing campaign would would improve things? Heck NO!

Differentiate legal, practical and moral reasons. Hitler was so bad that anybody is willing to publicly talk about killing him, there are movies glorifying it, people talk about going back in time and killing baby Hitler. He was so bad that the very strong taboo against killing does not work on him. So, when _exactly_ did it become OK to kill him? Think about it. What cumulative sum of his actions between 1889 and 19…

I do not understand what point are you making.

Are you comparing Iran to Hitler?! That does not make sense whatsoever.

If you mean 'At some point, you have to step in and make the change by force. Like we did with Hitler'.

I will say: Yes, at some point it is justified to step in. But, there must be a realistic chance that you will make things better, and low chance that you will make things much, much worse. International consensus would be highly desirable, as well.

In case of Iran: How sure are you that you can make a positive change in Iran by bombing only? If you kill (directly or indirectly, e.g. starvation/ruined water supplies) much more Iranians than Iranians killed themselves (like we did with Saddam), are you really helping?

I don't think there is a will (and maybe not even a capability) for boots on the ground. So, you are just hoping that the new regime would be a better one. Not many positive historical examples there.

Last, but not least: There are serious escalation dangers. What if China/Russia provided Iran with targeting data and/or missiles (not that Iran does not have their own) and Iran hit/sunk a carrier and some destroyers? Are you now in war with China/Russia? At what moment do you cross that line? Will you retreat with the tail between you legs, like from Afghanistan? Or will Israel decide to toss a nuke or two?

The idealism of helping the poor protesters is a noble one, but the road to hell is paved by good intentions.

Re: Iran students stage first large anti-government protests since deadly crackdown

#365

Post by fortzi »

DANmode wrote: post #310
hunterpayne wrote: post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Iran is the major cause of political instability in the the ME. They are the primary funders for the 3 most active terrorist groups in the ME if not the world. Every single westerner pays more for things because of the instability Iran funds.

Which things?

Houthi attacks on trading ships, for example

Re: Iran students stage first large anti-government protests since deadly crackdown

#366

Post by fortzi »

Razengan wrote: post #261
halflife wrote: post #236

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The country that’s a pillar of the Russo-Chinese axis, which controls vast amounts of oil, which can cripple a shipping channel that moves 20% of the worlds natural gas, which supplies high end drones to Russia and North Korean, which funds terrorist faction across the entire Middle East (that closed the Red Sea shipping lane), which operates terrorist cells in Europe. That Iran is irrelevant?

Oh please are we back in the 2000s all over again

What a substantial comment!

Re: Iran students stage first large anti-government protests since deadly crackdown

#367

Post by fortzi »

smashah wrote: post #161

Hopefully the Iranian government doesn't take a page out of the US Epstein regime playbook and start trampling on students free speech for daring to speak against their mass Holocaust and baby bloodletting in Gaza and shooting protestors dead on the streets.

Epstein regime? Sure enough, the rest of your comment maintains the same line of incoherent meme fueled rant.

Re: Iran students stage first large anti-government protests since deadly crackdown

#368

Post by xphos »

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #7

“To simplify greatly, the strategy of non-violence aims first to cause disruption (non-violently) in order both to draw attention but also in order to bait state overreaction. The state’s overreaction then becomes the ‘spectacular attack’ which broadcasts the movement’s message, while the group’s willingness to endure that overreaction without violence not only avoids alienating supporters, it heightens the contrast…

I saw acoup and preceded to read the 11,000 word essay in full. It gave an excellent overview of Clausewitz theory of war and how it maps to the civil rights movement and the modern non violent anti ice protests. Highly recommend to passerbys as regardless of your political affiliation it makes understanding why protests like the one these students engage in are so prevalent

Re: Iran students stage first large anti-government protests since deadly crackdown

#369

Post by dataflow »

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #257
jfengel wrote: post #252

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even setting aside my disagreements with the current President, the US has an atrocious track record when it comes to following through with support. Why on earth would they believe him?

> Why on earth would they believe him? One, we have no evidence they did. The claim that kids put themselves in front of guns forty days ago and again today because of Trump's tweets is extraordinary. Two, if they did, it's because they're desperate. I can't imagine Iranians actually want the shah back. But they know rallying around the shah's image pisses off the regime. In that way, it's actually smart to wave his…

> One, we have no evidence they did.

What? https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/18/why-protesters...

Re: Iran students stage first large anti-government protests since deadly crackdown

#370

Post by fortzi »

tehjoker wrote: post #199

A reminder that American economic sanctions are a primary cause of the situation that causes protests against the Iranian government. Our government is attempting to destroy Iran, an independent nation that is not our enemy. When will American students stage a large scale anti-government protest against the regime? Oh right, the billionaires and zionist lobby cracked down on the encampments with the (violent) help of…

What’s all that burning of American flag, chanting “death to america”, and calling the USA “the great devil” all about then? Playful banter?
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