Does Obama Care About Human Rights in Iran?

Egypt Steve

Documenting torture and human-rights-abuses is nothing but the politics of revenge. I say, let's not criminalize policy choices. let's look forward, not backward. Let's not tear the country apart. It wasn't torture, only "enhanced interrogation," and whatever happened was done by a few bad apples on the night shift. The leaders acted in good faith to protect the country. Don't destroy the morale of the security forces the Iranians need to keep themselves Safe.

ndm

I suspect the innocent explanation lies in this paragraph of the story:

-- The job of doling out money to groups seeking to influence Iran has been shifted from the State Department’s Near Eastern Affairs Bureau to a lower-profile division, its US Agency for International Development. USAID spokesman Harry Edwards did not provide an explanation of why funding was denied for the Human Rights Documentation Center, widely seen as the most comprehensive clearing house of documents related to human rights abuses in Iran. He said the government’s funding priorities have not changed.

And to be honest, recording the details of every human-rights victim in Iran might be good for the soul but it might not be the best use of a limited democracy-promotion budget.

porkbelly

Yes, the limited budget for encouraging democracy and human rights must of course be spent where the situation is most grave. That would be Honduras, then?

ndm

porkbelly -

We can't tell from the article how money is being spent on democracy promotion in Iran because the author of the original article didn't tell us. The article had all the look of, because it was, a plea from an organization seeking to replace lost funding. The Iranian community in the US is sufficiently wealthy that I doubt it would have much trouble ponying up $3M if it really thought this particular use of it to be worthwhile.

Now it could be that this effort is a particularly worthwhile venture but it is naive to view it in isolation from other efforts which is precisely what the people running the venture want us to do. Theirs are the same gripes we hear whenever a favourite arts company loses government funding.

porkbelly

ndm - Place this story in the context of Obama's shameful silence on Iranian human rights abuses - the executions, rapes, torture - as well as the stolen election, and then compare his State Department's bizarrely heavy-handed attempt to re-install the proto-Chavez Zelaya in Honduras and I think a pattern emerges. For America's enemies: a box of chocolates. For America's friends: the boot.

Doubtless the administration is hiding behind the tired old excuse that by supporting the Iranian opposition we somehow taint and devalue them - that was the what we were told was wrong with Reagan's support for Solidarity, remember? Only it emerged that oppressive regimes' lack of support from their own people was and is their Achilles Heel. This is where the West can actually apply pressure to the Iranian government - everyone knows that real sanctions will never happen. So why willingly abandon the one real tool we have (which also happens to be the decent, moral thing to do)? It is as baffling as it is sickening.

The Masked Marvel

Not really, no.

Since when did Marxists ever value human life?

Banafsheh Zand-Bonazzi

Mr. Obama/State Dept. advisors are some of the most objectionable Iranians who are notorious regime apologists. We Iranians have repeatedly pointed this out to this administration and many in the Democratic side of the isle, only to fall on deaf ears. When Mr. Obama choses to willfully turn a blind eye to the fervent protests of the Iranian people and accommodate a hollow regime of thugs and sociopaths, it's no wonder that he would take a step such as this to appease them.

alex

No problem,let new administration cut the funds,Iranian outside will contribute be assure at the end it will be more than 3million.just make good and effective annoncement.for example in bbc persian or voa persian.

Jay

Thank you for covering this, but I believe the real title should have "Does Obama care about Human Rights?"

In addition to cutting this funding, Obama refused to see Dalai Laama, the very symbol of peace and tolerance. He's now the first president since Bush 41 who did so.

As time passes the true face of this president is revealing itself more and more: someone who either is not willing or does not have the will to stand for the right issues.

I'm ashamed to say I voted for him.

Someone

Take a look at the National Iranian American Council blog's take on this issue: http://niacblog.wordpress.com/2009/10/08/state-department-cuts-ihrdc-funding/

I think they have a point.