Iran's government has used violence, intimidation, and incarceration to keep the country's opposition at bay since the flawed election there last June. Now, the news trickling out of Tehran this week suggests that a more sophisticated ideological effort is underway -- the "soft war" reported in the New York Times. This goes further than closing opposition news outlets and now reportedly includes placing Basij militia instructors in elementary schools, more media controlled by the country's Revolutionary Guard, and expanded surveillance of the Internet.
Iran's leaders claim they are facing nothing less than a Western-directed "color revolution," just as Russia's allies did in Ukraine, where the Orange Revolution of 2004 and 2005 swept the streets with democratic fervor. But the Orange Revolution was a genuine expression of popular anger, not a plot orchestrated from Washington or Brussels. It was however, aided by diplomacy. Western diplomats can draw on experience learned in Kiev to help the "green movement" in Tehran. The United States and particularly Europe should be doing much more to engage and cultivate this newly vocal "other Iran," sustaining its calls for a democratically chosen government.
Despite obvious differences, the Ukraine of the 1990s had some similarities to today's Iran in its nondemocratic character. Athough Ukraine held regular elections during that period, the U.S. NGO Freedom House noted in 2001 that fewer than 25 percent of Ukrainians considered their country a democracy. Reform-minded politicians had been ousted, and civil liberties were trampled.
But the situation began to evolve in 2002. For the first time, Ukrainian voters expressed strong support for the opposition in parliamentary elections, despite irregularities, government tampering, and violence against reformers. Following that, Washington and European governments joined the Ukrainian opposition to apply pressure for fair and independently observed elections. Election-monitoring organizations also helped amplify the message. Diplomacy helped transform the next election into a matter of international, not just domestic, concern. This should be a key goal in Iran.
BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images
Paula J. Dobriansky was U.S. undersecretary of state for democracy and global affairs from 2001 to 2009. Christian P. Whiton was a State Department official from 2003 to 2009.
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QUINT
3:31 PM ET
November 28, 2009
On talking to Iran
Indeed, there should be an effort to talk to Iran. However, Nicolas Sarkozy is the worst possible choice. He is an arrogant and thoughtless person who makes arbitrary statements. He has made so many offensive statements about Iran that no one in Iran would agree to talk to him. In fact, Ahmadinejad dismissed Sarkozy and Gordon Brown as irrelevant in an interview when he was visiting New York City recently.
The problem with talking to Iran is that no one wants to treat it with respect. They only want to dictate things to Iran. You must do this and you must do that. The recent nuclear negotiations on exchanging the Iranian low-enriched uranium with the 20% enriched uranium are a case in point. Iran agreed to the deal but would like to discuss how and when the exchange will happen. In particular, it expects a "guarantee" that they won't be cheated. The West, including the US, refuse to have any further discussions. It is this idiotic and colonial attitude that is the source of all the problems.
DIPLO.MATE
5:51 AM ET
November 29, 2009
Iran does not need a talking to...
Iran needs to be assured of its territorial security, territorial integrity and respect for its national rights/interests. Like the other poster stated, Sarkozy would be the worst choice among many to talk to Iran. Iran does not attach much importance to any European country because its main goal is to sit at the table with the US. Iran and Ukraine are vastly different cases due to the fact that Ukraine was not under any trumped out sanctions. As long as the sanctions mixed with the military threat are held in front of Iran, Iran's resolve to defend its interests will be strong. The best way to break the cycle of distrust is to start talking about removing the existing sanctions and not mentioning any new ones. The last time Iran trusted the EU and suspended its legal nuclear enrichment program, the EU failed to deliver the US what was Iran's goal all along. This time the EU should stand aside and let Iran and the US to fix the problem they both have created.
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