Monday, January 17, 2005

Regime Change in Iran

At the moment, I believe Seymour Hersh's article on American plans in Iran. But with all the attention it's gotten, has anyone noticed this bit:

"The government consultant told me that the hawks in the Pentagon, in private discussions, have been urging a limited attack on Iran because they believe it could lead to a toppling of the religious leadership. 'Within the soul of Iran there is a struggle between secular nationalists and reformers, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, the fundamentalist Islamic movement,' the consultant told me. 'The minute the aura of invincibility which the mullahs enjoy is shattered, and with it the ability to hoodwink the West, the Iranian regime will collapse'—like the former Communist regimes in Romania, East Germany, and the Soviet Union. Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz share that belief, he said."

Excuse me? A military attack on Iran is supposed to impress Iranian nationalists? And how, exactly, is the collapse of the Iranian regime supposed to happen? I hope the people thinking this have been in touch with members of the Iranian reform movement. Reza Pahlavi doesn't count for much.

UPDATE: Josh Trevino has a thoughtful post on the article as a whole.

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