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Thursday, June 01, 2006
Support the Azeris
Instapundit flags a Gateway Pundit report on ethnic violence in Iran. So far, it is estimated that 50 Azeris (Turkic) have been killed after peaceful demonstrators were set upon by Iranian security forces. The Turk(o)men population (also Turkic) appears to be supporting the Azeris.
Now, the time that Turks and Persians have been battling over these lands is measured in centuries - in ways, this is nothing new. At the same time, this is not without importance. Ever since 9/11, different bad guys from Osama to Saddam and now Iran's fearless nutcase have tried to seize the moment to become leaders of Islam at large. Whether this is a serious pretention to Caliphate or just the more standard desire for Empire, it has been a troubling thing because one thing the world doesn't need is a unified Islamic "republic" stretching across a whole continent and at the service of the Islamonutters.
We owe the Azeris some measure of gratitude here. While more cynical observers might suspect they'll want to coopt us to their cause, they're definitely serving ours. As Iran seeks to be the next great hero facing down Israel, it's good to see them having problems close to home, as opposed to giving serious indications of becoming the new leader of Muslim dominated regions further afield.
While the history of the Turks and Persians is a messy one, and both sides have their good and bad points, we should support all peoples who are oppressed, and those who are oppressed by the Islamists with particular fervor. So without calling for the Islamic Republic of Iran to collapse outright, the US should press and press hard for the Azeri and Turkmen people within Iran to have a voice, to enjoy liberty and to have equality with their Persian brethren. It's the right thing to do, and in our interest.
posted by gbarto at 9:55 AM
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