Al-Monitor Finds Iranians in Streets, Forget to Ask Why
The piece meticulously details tear gas and honking cars, portraying a nation spontaneously rising. What it conveniently omits is the long, documented history of Western intervention in Iran, from the 1953 CIA-orchestrated coup against democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh (restoring the Shah) to the current omnipresent sanctions campaign that cripples the economy and fuels
public discontent. It's almost as if 'organic' dissent is more palatable when disconnected from the economic warfare waged for decades, isn't it? One might wonder if the same breathless coverage would accompany protests in Riyadh, where the streets are similarly devoid of democratic freedom but somehow less interesting to Western press. The irony is as thick as the tear gas Al-Monitor describes,
perhaps thicker.