Destabilizing Iran

If anyone has any doubt that a destabilizing Iran is a good thing, as Don speculates in his recent post check out this essay:

Given Iran’s incessant foreign policy saber-rattling—including its continued development of nuclear weapons, support for Islamist terrorist groups, and facilitation of the terrorism in Iraq—it’s easy to lose sight of the horrifying domestic situation within the Islamic Republic. The mullahs have not only destroyed the lives of countless foreigners through their worldwide export of Islamic terror and extremism; they’ve also plunged the Iranian people into a violent, hellish abyss of torture, repression, hopelessness, drug addiction and despair.

Conservative estimates by Iranian opposition movements and various human rights organizations, such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, put the number of women stoned to death in Iran since the establishment of the Islamic Republic in the neighborhood of fifty. One can only imagine the cases that have gone undetected -- as many Islamic "punishments" are carried out in small and remote villages.

Clearly, the status quo ain't too good. If we can encourage them to bring those barbarians to their knees on their own, so much the better. Interestingly, the author goes on to point out that at the behest of the mad mullahs, Iran's population has doubled since the overthrow of the Shah. All those new Iranians, intended to better spread Shi'ite fundamentalism, are turning against the theocrats and towards the west. To whatever extent we can reach out to them, we should.

UPDATE: Apparently, the Iranians were inspired by Bush's inauguration speech:

Millions of Iranians, glued to their TV sets to watch President Bush's inaugural address, warmly embraced his declaration to help spread liberty to nations ruled by tyranny, according to a leading pro-democracy movement.

[...]

Iranian opposition groups looking to the world's superpower for moral support and financial aid "are now becoming sure that Mr. Bush's agenda is indeed to help them to gain freedom, secularity and democracy," the students' statement said.

"They do believe correctly that such way will avoid an unnecessary U.S. invasion or military strike against Iranian facilities which will help the Mullahcracy to consolidate its illegitimate and unpopular power, while causing heavy financial damages and human causalities."

If President Bush manages to inspire these people to create a secular democracy, he will have democratized three of the most repressive regimes in the world today. That can only be a good thing.