MrZand

My ¢2 On The Emotions Evoked by Mousavi

Let me first thank @GreatPersiaMap and @thinkIran who pointed me to David Frum’s article (http://www.frumforum.com/who-is-mir-hossein-mousavi-really).  I have been thinking about clarifying ideas about Mousavi and his role in the Green Movement for some time, and the nudge by the above mentioned twitters only encouraged me articulate my thoughts in a feeble attempt here. First, I will present my ideas about Mousavi and then, I will reflect on @GreatPersiaMap’s article, “Now or Never” (http://raymorrison.wordpress.com/2010/02/23/greatpersiamap-now-or-never-iranelection/).

Let me first say that I do not consider myself a ‘supporter’ of Mousavi, however, this does not mean that I do not support his reasonable statements that have potential to propel the Green Movement in the direction of acquiring more freedoms in Iran.  I consider myself a part of the Green Movement, like so many others who are struggling against the tyranny of the thugs of IRI.  I value the Green Movement precisely because, as a whole it is leaderless. A good portion of the Greens do not support Mousavi directly, and even his own supporters have criticized some of his stances and actions since June 2009.  Although it is safe to accept that if Mousavi supporters do not constitute the majority of the Greens, they at least enjoy a plurality.  I have not seen any widespread discrediting of Mousavi by greens who do not directly support him, save for a few blogs. This does not mean that there has never been any criticism of Mousavi by the Greens, even by his own supporters.  Mousavi was widely criticized by the Greens, when he was silent on the unjust executions of Mohammad Reza Ali-Zamani and Arash Rahmanipour. With considerable delay, he issued a statement clearly pressured by the rank and file.  The ‘leader’ was being led!

Mousavi’s insistence on the ban of chess in the 1980s gives me much personal strife with him, given my devotion to chess as a wonderful exercise of the mind for growing children. I have not much to say about David Frum’s article, as he points to facts about Mousavi’s past that are clearly undisputable.  In fact, Robert Baer does a better job (http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1905477,00.html), mentioning Mousavi’s role ‘in the planning of the Iranian-backed truck-bombing attacks on the U.S. embassy in April 1983 and the Marine barracks in October of that same year’. Mousavi’s personal relationship with  Imad Mughniyah, a freelance operative who often worked for the highest bidder is also highly questionable.  Mousavi has a lot of reckoning to do with his own past, but why are not his supporters and other Greens in Iran raising these issues? Why is David Frum, a neo-conservative, raising them?  Robert Baer, who points to Mousavi’s past from a completely different perspective than Frum believes that ‘Mousavi has put his violent past behind him, as has Iran for the most part.’ I also agree with Baer who gives us a good detailed account of some of the operations of IRI in conjunction with Hezbollah and even Al-Qaeda in Lebanon in the 1980s in his book See No Evil that ‘ let’s not completely forget his [Mousavi’s] far-from-democratic roots’.

Bottom line, if Mousavi presents a good roadmap to create conditions for more freedom, as I think his five point plan in his 17^th statement indicates, I will support it, as I think those who want more freedom in Iran should do also.  No blind following! But, I do not think my interests and Mousavi’s are strategically aligned. As in chess, short-term tactics is complementary to long-term strategy.  The shortsightedness of looking at Mousavi through black and white lenses is not particularly productive.

I think this shortsightedness is evident by the opening paragraph of @GreatPersianMap’s “Now or Never”.  The writer rightly points to the crucial aspect of the current period, but goes too far in claiming that every decision in this crucial period inevitably must be a ‘choice between total Liberation (revolution) and Oppression (reform)’. Why? Please provide one indication that the sum total of all the protests in Iran since June clearly shows this distinction. The variety of positions and slogans in all demonstrations since June 2009 point to the contrary.  In fact, the differences among the Greens in conjunction with a historically unprecedented brutal suppression of the calls for freedom should serve as motivation for the greens to go beyond simple binary ideas (revolution vs. reform), and articulate a more coherent vision for the future.  Then, we will not come up with irresponsible suggestions such as ‘[A]rmed with Molotov cocktail for possible attack on riot during the darkness as well as in daily protests’. One has not really understood the success of the Green Movement through peaceful protests when proposing such tactics!

Finally, I find it very arrogant for us to decide about the course of the struggle in Iran.  I do not consider myself anything more than a voice for those whose voices have been silenced in Iran.  We have to do our part abroad helping those in Iran, or those who have escaped from Iran, but we would act irresponsibly dabbling about decisions pertaining to the course of the struggle within Iran.

Thanks to Chrisitine and @joannemichele for their suggestions!

• February 27, 2010, 5:46pm

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