When Do We Invade Iran?
Once we take out Iran there will be three democracies in row in the middle east. That should hopefully pave the way from some reform in that region of the world.
Once we take out Iran there will be three democracies in row in the middle east. That should hopefully pave the way from some reform in that region of the world.
April 29th, 2006 at 12:49 am
Define Democracy.
April 29th, 2006 at 4:12 am
People vote for the political leaders that are in charge of the government.
April 29th, 2006 at 3:39 pm
Really. that’s it. Does it matter if heavy influences are present when voting.
May 1st, 2006 at 9:33 am
As that essay you forwarded to me showed, you don’t really get a strong democracy just by knocking out a regime and then leaving people to their own devices. We need to have an economic impact on these countries to re-shape the power base before the people with money will allow a democracy to work, and I’m not sure that going to war gives us anyr real leverage in this area.
Honestly, I’m pretty convinced that the best way we could foster democracy and tolerance in the middle east is to make american satellite television available to every citizen in every country in the region. MTV may be mind-rotting but it has at least as firm a grasp on the mind of children and teens as any given religion or rhetoric.
May 1st, 2006 at 10:24 am
I agree with you, we need to keep the troops in Iraq for as long as it takes for Democarcy to take root.
I also agree with you that if intereted in invading Iran to the purposes of Democarcy then we need to expect to have troops station there for a very long peroid time. Probably even longer than Iraq since religion has played a much larger role in controling government in that country than in Iraq.
Television does not determine the market, television simply finds the market. MTV rots no brain.
May 2nd, 2006 at 6:20 am
American television ‘finds’ a market anywhere it is allowed to penetrate; obviously what we ultimately need to do is overturn the power structure in Iran before democracy can work, but I think you’ll be amazed how much easier and briefer the invasion will be if everyone in Iran has been wathcing american television for a year or two before our troops show up. The invasion of a country with an opressive regime should always be the US army vs. a couple of assholes at teh top of the power structure and their peersonal bodyguards. The problems come when those assholes convince the civilians of the country that the US is an evil invader and get them to fight us. American culture will fill the cultural void that such a restricitve religious culture leaves; this is not to say it will overturn religious beliefs or cultural taboos in just a few years, but it will be watched because it is very efficiently designed to make people want to watch it, and once everyone in the society has enouhg simple exposure to american culture it will be impossible for the assholes in charge to demonize us so easily.
May 3rd, 2006 at 5:58 am
I stopped watching MTV in my late teens. Around 16 and 17. I have seen neither of my parents specificaly switch to MTV to watch the programing.
MTV’s content is meant to appeal to teenagners and young adults who are usually uninterested in making religion a central part of their life. I was lead to believe that religion plays a much larger role in the lives of Iranians and therefore must conclude that MTVs affect would be superficial.
Again, its worth mentioning televsion finds markets it does not create them.
More to the point is the fact that you believe American television can have some kind of brain washing effect on the citizenry of Iran. It was always my knowledge that brain washing is only effective, assuming it is at all, when the person is forced to watch propaganda. In the scenario you described the only people capable of such coercion is ‘the assholes at the top’. It strikes me as unlikely that they will force their citizenry to watch television that will lead to attitude of complicity when America does invade.
In point of fact, one of the commmon rhetorical points used to justify action against the US by islamic fanatics is the importation of our culture into their culture through the mirale of satelite television. The clerics in Iran, code for ‘assholse at the top’ are the ones prohibiting the brain washing content you wish to penetrate the country with.
May 3rd, 2006 at 10:30 am
You know that before the current “President” took over there were “pop” radio station on the air in Iran. Once he came to power her turned that crap off right away. So there is a market for that and I think that could help.