Mark Steyn is a wonderful writer. He is able to repeatthe unsavory truth about Iran and the rest in a manner that brings a smile to one’s face. This brought a smile of recognition to mine:
But do read the rest. I agree with much but not all of his analysis. I am sorry for the dual citizens taken hostage but I do not blame Iran exclusively. Former Iranians (and Chinese, Vietnamese, Saudis, etc.) who go back to the tyrannies they left are doing so at their own risk. Iran is a tyranny. Individuals are not protected in tyrannies and citizens of tyrannies (yes, Haleh Esfandiari continues to be an Iranian citizen) are even less protected than citizens of other countries. During the Cold War, exiles, and asylum seekers used to know this but one of the lessons tyrannies learned from the collapse of the USSR was that far from being a threat, emigration can serve as a useful safety valve. Moreover, former citizens can be most useful advocates. After all, their families, if not themselves, provide a large pool of permanent hostages. Iranians are emigrating in droves. Between 750,000 and 1, 500,000 persons leftthe country. Iran suffers from the largest brain drain in the world. The IMF estimates that 150,000 of Iran’s best and brightest leave it every year. They would otherwise constitute an ideal revolutionary element just as they did in the former Communists states. By the way, closing the border to Iranians emigrants (though not real asylum seekers) would be the most efficient root to regime change in Iran.
Haleh Esfandiari is no average grandmother visiting her 94 year old mother. She is one of those highly educated Iranians who rebuilt their lives in the West while keeping close ties to the land she left. Moreover, she is a highly regarded scholar of the Mullahcracy who used her position to advocate the very policies of appeasement Mark Stein (and I) so abhors. Perhaps she hoped that such advocacy will protect her. Maybe she believed in her own advocacy. Either way, her arrest has finally led the US State department to issue an advisory against Americans visiting Iran. It may make some individuals think twice. Hence, when they enter the tiger’s cage, they will no longer be able to pretend that they did not know it is dangerous.
Would it convince the rest of us that Iran is not just another country? I think we are convinced. So why, as Mark Steyn, so correctly observes are we reluctant to act? Because we no longer trust our leaders to fight wars as they ought to be fought, to win. As Max Boot points outthey may not even wish to fight to a stalemate. They fight to retreat and that is not worthy enough a cause for which “to pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor” not to mention the life of a son or a daughter.
The Mullahs understand all that only too well. They also know that animal rights activists would vociferously object to sacrificing even squirrels but as they mistaken believe the intelligence services are still in the covert war business, they refuse to take any chances.
