Because I presume the commenter talking about how this shows them being on their last legs is Western, but mainly because I've seen countless articles about how all this is basically a great opportunity for regime change.
If you believe that there's no opportunistic involvement of the various Western governments here, (to the determent of the actual Iranians protesting btw), I have a bridge to sell you.
I am a citizen of the West and as such I am somewhat indirectly responsible for its actions, so I feel its important to call it out, since its my money also financing its actions.
Western governments may not want a regime collapse in Iran. Westerners by and large do want a regime collapse and side with the people who are demonstrating for an end to the Islamic Republic regime. Spy agencies, defense ministries, and foreign affairs advisors my not want a regime change though.
One thing to consider is that the grand theft of state monies by the IRGC largely goes to Western banks.
> If you believe that there's no opportunistic involvement of the various Western governments here,
Can you point to any? Knowing the expat Persian community where I live in Germany, the movement against the regime is very much coming from Iranians. It's Iranians on the streets in Tehran without headscarves, Iranians being shot and killed, Iranians marching and organizing demonstrations.
> . It's Iranians on the streets in Tehran without headscarves, Iranians being shot and killed, Iranians marching and organizing demonstrations.
I don't know why people always assume only one thing can ever be true in a given situation. I never suggested it's not an organic movement or that it's not Iranians protesting. That does not mean the West doesn't take advantage of all it can for its own regime change goals. You get articles by U.S. officials saying they want to overthrow Iran fairly openly, say John Bolton, you get U.S. officials speaking at events organized by anti current Iranian regime organizations that themselves are of questionable morals, this is not hard. The main thing is amplification. There are protests in China that are genuine, but overall relatively small, yet they get amplified in the West to seem much bigger.
Why do you think that is? The neocons have certainly desired regime change.
I am going to repeat myself but I am not a fan of the current Iranian government by any means, yet I do not believe overthrowing governments works, if simply because there will always be a feeling then among some parts of the population that it is a puppet, subservient government to whomever helped it win and that they deserve a 'native' government. This fuels a cycle of overthrow and counter-overthrow and does not actually help the people up their standard of living.
We should either support the rights of women globally, including among our Gulf allies and act out of moral principle, rather than some geopolitical chess play - or if we're unwilling to challenge KSA, Egypt, UAE etc. then just shut up about the issue.
Because liberalism is largely a Western concept, at least in origin. And the conservative elites of Iran are popularly of the opinion that the riots and dissent are more a result of "Western" ideals polluting their core society than legitimate dissatisfaction among the people against the government.
Please educate me how it is an "obvious progression of the ancient variety". I can't claim to know all about the ideology's lineage but I am sure liberalism was definitely an alien concept that had to be gradually seeped into all Asian and Middle-Eastern societies through globalism. It is still at odds with almost every native social structure in the East.
