If Americans Knew What We Did to Iran, Would We Still Talk About Using Force?

Hands on buzzers, for 500 points: this democratic leader was overthrown in 1953 by a US-organized coup in retaliation for nationalizing oil resources previously controlled by the British.

Who is Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh?

If you're a little rusty on the history of U.S.-Iran relations, here's a 6-minute video review:

If more Americans knew about this history, could our leaders blather on about supporting freedom and democracy in the Middle East they way they do? Would news media take them seriously if they did so? Would American pundits be so cavalier about the idea of bombing Iran, in flagrant violation of international law? Could people make fun of Senator Barack Obama for supporting real diplomacy with Iran and get away with it?

I don't claim that it would be impossible for U.S. politicians to talk about bombing Iran if "every schoolboy knew" what the United States did in Iran in 1953. But surely it would be more difficult.

Spread the video.

Ask Congress to support the Lee bill, which would appoint a high-level U.S. representative to Iran for the purpose of reducing tensions and establishing normal diplomatic relations.

Comments

[EspressoAtNoon]

I guess the same question should also be asked:

If Americans knew what the Israelis did to the Palestinians would we still be sending Israel billions of our taxpayer dollars and ruining our standing in the world by supporting every atrocity they commit?

[Overd0g]

We do, and we do.

[klmebane]

good to know you support imminent domain. so if i come to your house, and say god wants me to have it you'll just give it to me, right?

[Berettasskeeter]

Exactly what did the Israelis do to the Palestinians? Did they evict them from Palestine? Or did the Arab League encourage them to leave and then prevent them from returning when they saw the prosperity the Israelis were experiencing through hard work? Did the Israelis attack innocent women and children and then hide among their own civilians? No, that was the Palestinians!
Semper fi

[messy]

Damn straight we would!!!!! The Palestinians are racist aggressors who have been lying to their people for decades.

If a weaker party tries to oppress a stronger, then they get their buts kicked every time.

[desertdweller]

Iran is seeking nuclear capability for defensive purposes. After its protracted war with an Iraq that was bankrolled by the Saudis and armed by the U.S., that killed so many men that boys as youg as 12 were conscripted and sent to the front lines, the Iranians said "never again!" Contrary to popular belief, the notion that Iran would launch a first strike against Israel is ludicrous. Iran understands that it would be annihilated in return. Anti-Iranian rhetoric coming out of Washington only serves to empower the more extreme elements in Tehran.

[TeddySalad]

We supported both sides in the Iran Iraq war, don't be so naive. They are waitingfor the 12th Imam, who will return when Israel is destroyed. They will launch unless we do something. Wake the fuck up.

[SocialistDistortion]

And where is your proof (other than rhetoric) that they are just itching to drop the big one, or even that they have a weapons program? You know, the NIE report that states Iran had a weapons program in 2003 still hasn't provided any concrete evidence other than assertion and heresay.

Furthermore, you advocate action against an Iranian government that the US helped install through Operation Ajax, over what else...oil­.

[luciadulu]

I try to bring things like this up to my parents and NASCAR-lovin' brother in an as-yet-vain attempt to shed some clarity on the current US-Iran situation, and am accused on one hand of being mired in "ancient history" and on the other of being "brainwashed by the liberal media."

Which is pretty ironic when you consider that NOBODY in the mainstream media talks about this. I never knew anything about it until I lived in the UK for two years.

The question is, can we get anywhere on issues like this with the debates as polarized as they are?

[Sidewhispers]

Throughout our history we have had very little sympathy for people who stood in the way of our exploitations for plunder. Doubt it's gonna change any time soon. When the sanctions on Iraq killed a half million people recently, who gave a rat's? When Iraqi civilians are slaughtered every day because of our occupation, who cries foul? We see no shame in counting only our own dead. All else is collateral damage.

[Overd0g]

Look at it this way, now the sanctions are killing a million people a year anymore, and the war kills far fewer. You should rejoice.

[rabun666]

This country has lost its sense of healthy shame and replaced it with unhealthy shame.This unhealthy shame is orchestrated by business, government, pretend christian churchiani­ty-religio­nists and education or lack of it.These 4 entities comprise the Beast. Healthy shame would require a public outrage over what the US does in the world but we go shopping instead because it's our patriotic duty. Healthy shame would condemn this as being patriotic. American have been forged into being narcissist­ic-consume­rist-glutt­ons again engineered by the Beast.

[JimReed]

The Iranian people are natural friends of the American people. Keeping the enemy relationship going has taken a lot of effort. If we allow these two to become more friendly the sacrifice of generations of brave warriors would be wasted. It would also open up the possibility of others attacking us by implying we have been wrong.

[starboymikey]

The Iranian people are natural friends of the American people.
__________­__________­__________­__________­________

I wonder if "natural friends of the American people" even exist anymore.

[Dunnage]

Notice our reaction to Chavez of Venezuala when he nationalized oil fields. I recommend doing business with our neighbors.

And then we have the U.S./Mexic­o wall.

[Overd0g]

He, of course, broke international law (which I'm sure you think is a bad thing) when he nationalized (aka stole) the oil industry. Now he threatens to stop oil exports if international law is enforced. Pick your heros with care.

[klmebane]

you mean chavez nationalized the oil fields in his country and the americans couldn't keep taking all the profits? damn, what a bastard. funny that you would talk about international law. bush has violated many international laws, when are you gonna call for someone to enforce THOSE?

[Kungfublood]

Follow up with ;It was Cheney who directed Halliburton toward aggressive business dealings with Iran in violation of U.S. law-in the mid-1990s, which continued through 2005 and is the reason Iran has the capability to enrich weapons-grade uranium.
Halliburton's secret sale of centrifuges helped get the uranium enrichment program off the ground, according to a three-year investigation.
If the U.S. ends up engaged in a war with Iran in the future- Cheney and Halliburton will bear the brunt of the blame.

[texanna]

No, of course Americans have no clue about what our government has done in our name since WWII. And, they aren't likely to find out, either, since the curriculum concerning "his"story is so well controlled at all levels. In addition to the misinformation or complete absence of information given to our students at all levels of education it is well known that the majority of Americans are not picking up many books to get information for themselves. Our ignorance of recent history is so appalling it is almost laughable, if it weren't so dangerous.

[rabun666]

General Norman Schwartzkopf's father was the military attache at the US embassy for the 1953 coup. 50 years later and the US still has a grudge because Iranians took their country back from the US puppet dictator, the Shah. The US Embassy was used as the headquarters for the coup, which is why the Iranian took the Embassy. No one was killed. Let's get over it America and move on with life instead resurrecting 50 year old failures to try to make a failure a success, It's insane.

[starboymikey]

the US still has a grudge because Iranians took their country back from the US puppet dictator, the Shah.
__________­__________­__________­__________­____

No, the US still has a grudge over the taking of American hostages during the Carter administration. I don't think most Americans know or care didly about the Shah and how he came to power.

[klmebane]

americans don't care?? do you think they would care if the situation was reversed and we were the ones who had another country constantly meddling in our affairs?

[rabun666]

America had a grudge starting with the Shah's predecessor.

[outnow]

Robert,

A country has a character just like a person does. Our country was founded on slavery and tobacco. The WHO estimates that this century a billion people will died of smoking-related health problems.

Asbestos continues to kill and injury people because of employers and manufacturers intentionally exposing workers and consumers. Documents prove that the insurers and their reinsurers were intentionally exposing America workers, families and consumers to deadly asbestos for years.

Our foreign policy actually begins with the ethnic cleansing of our own Native Americans, dealing with international slave traders in Britain and the Arab world, and conquest of Haiti, Cuba, and Latin America.

After spasms of overthrowing governments such as Hawaii and Guatemala, the United States indeed became a CIA-driven imperialist power. We began "assisting" the French in Southeast Asia in the fifties and Vietnam became a filling field.

You will notice that Wall Street lawyers are the best CIA agents, such as the Mr. Dulles. But also presidents such as James Polk who took 40% of Mexico are of that ilk.

America is a much more aggressive country than Iran. Iran is being vilified but for those of us who saw the effects of installing the Shah of Iran, and spoke to those who were tortured, and went to school with those who had fled, you see a much different reality than that being pursued by the neocons and those in Israel who fail to see the injustice to the Palestinians that colonialism causes.

[Sundialsvc4]

No, Americans do NOT know this... and they are NOT being told this by their media!

The information is readily available "out there" on the Internet, but people are not being directed to it. In other words, there are WAY too many articles about Britney Spears and not NEARLY enough articles like this one.

I think that Arianna Huffington needs to hear more requests to publish hard-hitting fact-laden articles like this one. Get the information out: that's what the Internet is FOR. "Present information, 'without fear or favor,' and let the people decide." This is what the Internet can do that ordinary media can't do. We don't need an Internet equivalent of "what a newspaper already is." Rather, we need an Internet equivalent of what a newspaper can't be ... with a superb editorial staff (which she has).

[Brainoverbraun]

Why do you think US high schools only teach US history. YOu have more in common with the Russians that you might like to admit. An ignorant population is so much easier to manipulate than one that understands history and context. The great US of A....200 million of the most ignorant folks on the planet. It's no wonder the rest of the world shakes when you talk about "leading the way"!!

[jwb]

Three comments: 1) English language instruction is mandatory in Russian high schools (or at least it was in the late USSR days). They are, or were, at least trying to understand us. 2) The US population is 300 million. 3) You're right, IMHO.

[tbone99]

Goes to show that the superiority of our so called democratic nation is lies, lies and more lies. The only democracy ever supported here is the democracy of white WASPS.

[Macready]

thank you Robert . . . totally agree we have to re-establish diplomatic relations with Iran . . . Iran is not the enemy . . . the neo-cons in the WH are!

[RebelPatriot]

Come on. This policy towards Iran has roots in both Democratic and Republican parties. At least be intellectually honest.

[brutus948]

I don't think he is denying that. There are democratic neo con's also. IE clintons.

[drblack]

We need to become energy independent. A better battery would do it. Energy is everywhere we need a way to store it.
Reagan set back American energy independence by
decades. We still have not recovered from reagans terrible energy policies.
Ford and Carter started us down the right path after the energy crisis of the 1970s.
Reagan symbolically tore the solar panels off the White House roof as one of his first Presidential acts.
We need energy that is cheap ,clean, and virtually free. It must be off the grid.
Better batteries combined with solar could take care of most of our daily energy needs.