A Fairly Objective Assessment

When I was young I used to see everything either black or white, I was an idealist like many young people of my age. Iran was on the brink of an Islamic Revolution and young people like me were deeply committed to a justice seeking democratic movement based on Islamic values. Thirty one years later, I see things in a different light , as do many of my generation. We still cherish those authentic values, yet we have realized how difficult and complex it is to implement them. We also understand that today, alongside multiple internal factors, the looming external threats to the existence of the Islamic Republic,  exemplified by the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan , are major factors preventing the full democratization of Iran. In a sense, foreign threats and intimidation have created a pretext for implementing harsh security measures and suppression of any opposition or criticism in the internal scene.   Now, once again  as the Western rhetoric against Iran gained momentum, pressures escalated against the Green Movement and it was labeled as a foreign plot to destabilize the country. I just read an article by George Haeseler whom I do not know, but I think his assessment of the situation is fairly objective. I will    link the article for your information. http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20100322/VIEWPOINTS02/3220302/1120/We-are-Iran-s-enemy