This report from the Washington Times:
According to the Cyrus News Agency, Tuesday morning 16 senior members of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps were arrested. “These commanders have been in contact with members of the Iranian army to join the people’s movement,” CNA reports. “Three of the commanders are veterans of Iran-Iraq war. They have been moved to an undisclosed location in East Tehran.” This report has not been confirmed by other sources. If true, it shows that the regime is losing the loyalty of some members of its control appartus, which is necessary if the opposition has any chance of achieving fundamental change. Mass rallies can easily be broken up and revolutions crushed, as we saw at Tiananmen Square in 1989. But if members of the armed forces, police and especially Revolutionary Guards decided to switch sides, then one can begin speaking of revolution.
If indeed significant numbers of Iran’s ‘control apparatus” are looking to side against the Mullahs, it might nit be easy to suppress. One wonders whether or not enough members of the military and police are willing to fire on protestors. It won’t be as easy as it was for the Chinese at Tiennemen Square as they were able to call upom Army Units of a different ethinic origin than the protestors.
While President Obama’s general take on the evil that is the rulling class of Iran, his response is tepid. Contrast his response with that of President George W. Bush made in 2006. From Flopping Aces
Iran is a nation held hostage by a small clerical elite that is isolating and repressing its people, and denying them basic liberties and human rights. The Iranian regime sponsors terrorists and is actively working to expand its influence in the region. (…) as we confront Iran’s nuclear weapons ambitions, we’re also reaching out to the Iranian people to support their desire to be free; to build a free, democratic, and transparent society.
To support the Iranian people’s efforts to win their own freedom, my administration is requesting $75 million in emergency funds to support democracy in Iran. This is more than a fourfold increase over current levels of funding. These new funds will allow us to expand radio and television broadcasts into Iran (…) so Iranians can organize and challenge the repressive policies of the clerical regime(…) By supporting democratic change in Iran, we will hasten the day when the people of Iran can determine their own future and be free to choose their own leaders. Freedom in the Middle East requires freedom for the Iranian people, and America looks forward to the day when our nation can be the closest of friends with a free and democratic Iran.
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This post was written by bobsikes on June 16, 2009
