Al Jazeera Discovers 'Protests' in Iran, Forgets History of Coups
Al Jazeera chronicles the latest wave of unrest in Iran, highlighting state crackdowns and media blackouts. Yet, one might wonder: where's the context of repeated foreign interference that often catalyzes such 'spontaneous' movements? Remember Operation Ajax in 1953, when the CIA and MI6 overthrew Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh? Or the consistent US sanctions
crippling Iran's economy for decades, fueling public discontent? (Source: NYT, 2000; U.S. Treasury Dept.) It appears Al Jazeera, like many mainstream outlets, struggles to connect current events with the long, documented history of Western powers — including the U.S. and its regional allies — attempting to destabilize the Iranian government. While genuine grievances certainly exist, when do
'protests' become a convenient narrative for regime change, especially when the same architects of instability criticize the subsequent crackdowns as 'human rights abuses'? The selective outrage is almost poetic.