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THREAD This interview with Fa'ezeh Hashemi #فائزه_هاشمی, daughter of the late Pres. Hashemi-Rafsanjani, is creating an uproar in #Iran:
"For [the sake of] Iran, I would've liked to see Mr. #Trump being [re-]elected. However, if I were an American, I wouldn't have voted for [him]. https://twitter.com/RoknaBaghi/status/1347947448434634752
"For [the sake of] Iran, I would've liked to see Mr. #Trump being [re-]elected. However, if I were an American, I wouldn't have voted for [him]. https://twitter.com/RoknaBaghi/status/1347947448434634752
Hashemi then explains her thesis, arguing that a continuation of Trump's policy of pressures could've led to policy changes in Tehran ultimately benefiting the people; after all when Iranians tried everything to push for reforms, nothing happened and they were instead repressed.
Finally, Fa'ezeh Hashemi turns to the U.S. Democrats (who will come to power with Pres.-elect #Biden) whom she describes as "a bit lax" ("shol-o-vel), which is likely to rather embolden #Iran's policies.
Although largely unnoticed in the West, this is a widely held view among Iranians inside the country, as #FaezehHashemi "has honestly reflected the feelings of millions of her compatriots" as put by prominent U of Tehran politics prof. #Zibakalam: https://twitter.com/sadeghZibakalam/status/1348308674217988099
In a nutshell, what is widely feared by those advocating for positive change in Iran (not military regime change!) is a quasi-appeasement policy pursued by a Biden administration along w/ EU partners, ...
... & the realization that merely "change through rapprochement/trade" devoid of pressure will only encourage the continuation of malign Iranian internal & external policies. Instead, pressure ought to be an integral part of any future transatlantic Iran policy.
@GermanyinIran
@GermanyinIran
I explained this in an Oct. 2018 @BrookingsFP policy brief, even warning that "Failing to [take a clear stance on Iranians' democratic rights] will make it easier for the regime to engage in suppression and increases the prospect of a bloodbath" ... https://twitter.com/BrookingsDoha/status/1054736705553612801
... Alas, precisely what we witnessed with the silence of Europe during the unprecedented bloody crackdown of the Nov. 2019 #IranProtests - thus echoing its silence during the 2018 Dey #IranProtests (also see my study on the latter: https://twitter.com/BrookingsDoha/status/1255562755463135235)
