The Geopolitics of Tears: When 'Everyday Iranians' Become a Narrative Tool
📰 THE STORY: France 24 features Tara Kangarlou, who argues that Iranian protests stem from a general sense of abandonment and economic hardship, explicitly stating it's 'not about geopolitics' but about everyday people left alone. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: While legitimate grievances exist, framing dissent as purely organic and divorced from 'geopolitics' ignores the
enduring legacy of foreign interference. In 1953, the CIA openly admitted to orchestrating a coup to overthrow Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh after he moved to nationalize the oil industry, installing the Shah and fostering deep-seated anti-Western sentiment. Decades of US-imposed sanctions, intensified since 2018, have directly fueled the 'economic hardship'
described, deliberately punishing the populace to achieve political aims. Double Standard: The media's breathless coverage of 'suffering' in Iran, often amplified by figures like Kangarlou (who publishes in outlets that routinely push for regime change), stands in stark contrast to the near-silence on the suffering caused by actual genocidal campaigns. For instance, the US-supported 2023-24
genocide in Gaza has killed over 40,000 Palestinians, created famine conditions, and driven 2 million from their homes, yet 'Middle East experts' like Kangarlou rarely center 'everyday Gazans' in their critiques of 'state repression' or 'shattered promises of international support.' The framing shifts dramatically based on whether the suffering serves a Western geopolitical agenda. Follow the