Excitement over Iran must not breed naivety
The unfolding events in Iran are dramatic. The decision by the ruling “Guardian Council” to allow a recount in some disputed areas will not be enough to satisfy oppositionists who want a full revote. Nonetheless, it is a tacit admission that serious fraud did in fact take place in the elections and, much more significantly, that the regime has been shaken by the massive and unprecedented wave of protests.
But, and it is a big “but”, we need to keep our eye on the ball. The mullahs who rule Iran retain their hostility to the West in general and to Israel in particular (see entries below). They are extreme anti-Semites and they despise liberal-democratic values. They remain determined to acquire nuclear weapons and to support terror groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas. Unless, therefore, there is complete regime change — an end to the Islamic Republic and its replacement with a genuine liberal-democracy — the West must not be naive. Mirhossein Mousavi was prime minister of Iran during the war with Iraq. He is certainly a less firey figure than Ahmadinejad, but he is no Western liberal.
Even under the dream scenario for many Iranian oppositionists — Ahmadinejad is ousted and replaced by Mousavi — this will be no reason for the West to be any less determined to prevent Iran from going nuclear.
