What Should be Next After US Sanctions

WHAT SHOULD BE NEXT AFTER US SANCTIONS?

Iranians abroad, who cared for democracy in Iran, in the years before the Revolution, would have loved to be able to get the U.S. and other countries to put a sanction on Shah's Iran. They worked hard to get U.N. to condemn Iran on human rights issues in those years. The blacks in the U.S. were successful to get U.S. and the U.N. to place sanction on South Africa in those years, and the pro-democracy movement in the West, was able to push the sanctions on the then Soviet Union. Sanctions are the best way to paralyze and help abolishing a government that one believes should not rule a country, without bloodshed.

Thanks to the stupidity of Islamic Republic for taking American diplomats as hostage, they got the U.S. sanctions upon themselves. Unfortunately ever since the Islamic Republic's rule, many Iranians abroad, who themselves would not live in Iran, have become the advocates of Islamic Republic in the West, by asking even for lifting of the existing sanctions, rather than themselves being the ones calling for sanctions, even if there was none. In fact, even if there was no hostage-taking, Iranians who are the hostage of this Religious Apartheid regime, should have asked all countries in the world to place sanctions on any dealing with Islamic Republic. So instead of using the U.S. sanctions and to ask European and Japanese and others to join the sanctions, these Iranians have done their utmost to lift this minimal sanction against the Islamic Republic. They are consciously or unconsciously helping the Islamic Republic to stay in power.

At one time, their excuse was that Khamenei, the then president, was more liberal than other mollahs. Then the justification was that Rafsanjani, the later President, was more liberal than other mollahs, and in the last 5 years, the excuse is that Khatami, the President, is more liberal than other mollahs. I think until the Iranians abroad wake up to the big mistake they have made with regards to the Islamic Republic, the Iranians abroad are not going to make much of a difference in the development of Iran towards the abolishment of Religious Apartheid and the establishment of a secular forward-looking and democratic Republic of Iran.

The ones who are pushing the lifting of sanctions are mostly not the paid agents of Islamic Republic. They are mostly the victims of a wrong theory, which is usually called cultural relativism and its advocates think that different societies should have different expectations of their rights, whether human rights or political freedoms.

I think what is needed after the U.S. sanctions, is to ask all the countries in the world, and the U.N, to place sanctions on Islamic Republic of Iran, until the time the Islamic Republic stops violations of human rights, or is abolished. They should ask for open trial of murderers of Foruhars and freedom of the journalists and freedom of political parties and until the terrorist activities like the murder of Bakhtiar and Mykonos abroad and threats against Salman Rushdie, by quasi-governmental groups in Iran, are stopped by the Iranian government.

Hoping for a forward-looking and a democratic secular Republic of Iran,

Sam Ghandchi, Publisher

IRANSCOPE

http://www.IRANSCOPE.com

August 21, 2001