Given the Iranians a break

Submitted by Anish (India), May 24, 2017 at 22:59

I wish Daniel Pipes would give the Iranian people a break. They are trying their best to send a signal about their real preferences by voting for the most reformist guy on the ballot. It is hugely important and needs to be appreciated.

Ultimately the so called legitimate elections are only as good as the people who vote in them. If Palestinians overwhelmingly vote for Hamas in a genuine election does that make it a victory for democracy? No! The rise of extremism and popularity of terrorism in the middle east means that even a guy like Bin Laden would stand a very good chance of sweeping elections in a country like Saudi Arabia should an election be held there. Democracy is a process, lets not get hung up over the mechanics. In the US too we see a system where one candidate who wins 3 million more votes than her opponent is the loser. All systems have their flaws and contradictions but ultimately a society survives based on how fundamentally sound its culture and ideologies are.

What makes US or Israel or even Iran resilient is the collective ethos of its peoples. When we see something encouraging like in Iran the correct response is to acknowledge it and encourage it and nurture it because it can send a very positive example in the middle east.

I would agree with the latter part of the conversation though. The two state solution can never happen because of the attitude of Palestinians and the anti Israeli sentiments of the wider Arab population.

PS: I wish I could have an in depth conversation with Daniel Pipes about these topics because I find there is much to agree about and much to disagree about in what he says which makes it interesting.

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