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Occasional notes on a Revolution – 1
This writing is more of an introduction and might lack factual references.
I hope it could be of some use for those of you interested in this form of analysis.
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The revolution that has started in Iran has very quickly gathered an enormous supportive movement around it. Just the reflection of this support in arts, music in particular is amazing, from a relatively unknown Johnny, the Canadian, to a superstar Bon Jovi and to the legendary Joan Baez. From working class organizations, to general population that show up in rallies in London, Paris, Washington, Stockholm, Ankara, … on their personal capacities. What exactly is the appealing factor to this great number of people around the globe some of whom might have heard about Iran the first time in their life? Is it their admiration of democracy or a general solidarity with people they feel they have alot in common? Talking about which, weren’t these people fed day in and day out that ‘people from down there have a different culture’? How come so much expression of ‘being one’, including in the signs held by Bon Jovie, “We are one”?
Perhaps a good start to answer these question is to have a clear understanding of what’s going on. Let’s start with The general title, nowadays admitted by massmedia as well: Revolution. By definition, a revolutionary situation is when the oppressed do not want the governing system NOR the oppressing regime can reign. Applying this definition to Iran, we can comfortably call the events a revolution.
When did it all start, and what led to it?
In a general sense, it all started in 1979. Serious! People in Iran never ever accepted this regime. (for a short, and succinct history of 79 revo checkhttp://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=48349795884).
The revolution of 79 was defeated later on by a bloody crackdown in mid 81. However, resistance against the Isalmic Republic of Iran(IRI) was always present to the point that we could comfortably claim that the IRI were never successful in implementing a “dead silent island”, an absolute dictatorship in Iran as it was the case at the time of Shah, the last king of the last royal family. Don’t get me wrong, there was no freedom of expression, nor strike, nor organization rights under the reign of the IRI. The regime is in one word a literally barbaric regime. And that’s exactly the point. The IRI could never be accepted but it was constantly imposing itself by the mere means of direct forced intimidation, by gun, by stoning, by pouring acid on the arms and faces of pedestrians, and likewise.
However, it could not shut people mouths! People would feel comfortable to chat against the IRI in cabs, at family gatherings, at universities, at schools, etc. Neither could the IRI stop workers from organizing and to go on strike. I was asked many times in the midst of my advocate for a certain strike, “how can workers organize and strike while it is forbiden to do so in Iran?”. The very same question applies to women undermining the very symbol of gender apartheid: Hijab. “How come they challenge Hijab ALL the time?”. How could youth know more about Western music, life style than they care about what they’ve been brainwashed at schools for years? The answer lies in the very fundamental contradiction of Islamic Republic, its barbaric system. The IRI can not impose a reactionary form of living, on top of a vicious capitalist system, and expect people to accept it. Especially, the very people who have revolted for freedom 3 time in a matter of century, who had repeated uprisings, the very recent of which ended up to the take over of the political power by this barbaric regime.
In short, people in Iran have always opposed the IRI and they have had a number of uprisings since the IRI took over. At each of these uprisings, people damaged the system to a certain point, deepening the split within the IRI and enjoying a bit of progression, making the IRI weaker and weaker, and now to the point that it cannot regin.
The revloution in Iran has coincided w/ a worldwide capital crisis, coincided w/ defeat of right wing policies that was dominant in the past two decades. The very policies that was concluded from theories claiming that the ‘world is as is’, that claimed no more justice ideals could exist anymore, ‘no more socialist revolution’. Well, the defeat of these policies naturally has raised the interest for the opposite and Iran is exactly appealing therefore. Iran’s ongoing revolution is NOT a velvet revolution of 90s, nor it is manipulated by the US, as it was in 1979. It faces its own challenges.
Nevertheless, the current revolution is that light coming through the window for the hard working people of the world; those who were told ‘no more justice revolution’ via ‘end of history’ nonsense, the people who have been crushed, physically and or ideologically; people who were tried to be divided by obsolete theories of ‘cultural relativism’ are now seeking freedom and equality on post-Cold War era. For this people, Iran appears to be the right spot to focus on, to express the solidarity with, and to learn from.
June 30, 2009
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