Why on earth not?

George Steiner

The Mullahs will not go quietly. You must not fantasize madam even if Mr. Ledeen does.

davo

'but it has never said it wants, and will support, peaceful democratic change'
if so, the implication is that the US are using the Iranian threat to bolster waning support for the Iraqi war.
The belicose stand of the Iranians perhaps also ensures that Iraq will not threaten them again in the near future.

Cyrus

There is only one answer to this crisis: stop appeasing the Mullahs and unleash the force of the Iranian people, PMOI. only Iranian people and their Resistance can bring about democracy and long lasting peace to Iran and the region, not foreign war.

YA

..maybe they don't make such statements in order not to give excuse to mullahs who are ready to start repressions against "enemies of people" and "American spies"? Sometimes things are done where needed, when needed, quietly.

John

Ledeen is a reckless man with a host of dodgy dealings ensuing wherever he shows up: an attempted coup in Italy, Iran-Contra & the yellow cake affair being but a few.

That you seek justification in the words of this maniac Melanie tells us all we need to know about your stance.

Sergey

Some people also claimed that Communists will not go quietly. But they did. Nobody knows for sure how a particular totalitarian regime would collapse, quietly or otherwise, but this is worth goal to pursue. In any case, this is much cheaper than war.

Sergey

Michael Ledeen is distingished Cold Warrior, CIA strategist and in many cases field superviser. His knows Arabic and Farsi and understands vulnerabilities of totalitarian regimes better than anybody of us.

Ben

There is only one way to get rid of the ruthless ayatollahs: empower Iranian opposition movement and support the democratic ambitions of the Iranian people who want real democratic change. The United States has to understand this.

alex

Maybe that 'peaceful democratic change' is already beginning to happen in Iran and other countries in the region. There is a growing, but illegal, trades union movement in Iran, as there is in Egypt and there is a gradual but significant shift occurring in the global perspective on the trades unions. In America President Bush, Obama and Billary have been tripping over themselves trying to outdo each other in condemnation of the violent repression of trades unionists in South America. Looking at Iran and Egypt, well I would much rather be in a trades union in Israel than Iran or Egypt, lets put it that way. Certainly, as Paul Mason reported the other week on Newsnight, the trades unions in China, both legal and illegal, are challenging the absolutist authority of the Communist Party and gradually forging what might be called civic society from the ground, and the work floor, up. In Iran the government is reacting to any opposition through the usual round of repression and containment but they will have to surrender some power to wildcat strikers and shop-floor pressure eventually, how much power and in what way is debateable but it will happen, one day, particularly if it is recognised that people like trades unionists play an important role in the establishing of 'modern' notions of the civic polity, look at the democratic, peaceful attempt to validate the election victory that the MDC has not yet won in Zimbabwe, led by a trades unionist. Now I am not niave and am not saying that a few strikes in Egypt and Iran are going to bring about some immediate monumental change rather that trades unions have, historically, played a role in opening up democracy in this country maybe they could do the same in Iran. And if any of my previous postings have appeared strident or offensive that is not my aim but I do feel concerned about the prescence of neo-fascism in Europe, a concern, although I might have implied the opposite, that I am quite sure that you share. If the battle-lines between the leftniks and 'proper' Zionism are constantly drawn it is to the detriment of both positions and is not a constructive way to engage with the world around us. Dont hate the leftniks. Last year one of those multi-culturalist, former communist Jewish women died after a long life of political and social activism. She got an extensive write up in the Jewish Chronicle and a briefer mention in the ...well you can probably guess which paper, you know the liberal one. Her activism involved working for a community charity where she met and very happily worked with Muslims, Christians, Conservatives, Liberals and many others. She was a true peaceful fighter, she fought for her community, the Jewish community, but also for all communities. Unless there are people who stand up for democratic, peaceful and genuinely positive change then the extremists will win. Positive democratic change means a pluralistic discourse not a simple, narrow view which can all too readily reduce groups to essentialist notions of their ideological and social position. It is through people doing simple ordinary things like running a community paper or organising a trades union that lasting change begins to happen.

Stephen Gash

This is what the United Nations needs to promote

http://sioeengland.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/petition-2009-un-world-conference-against-racism.pdf

As well as the Spectator