US Backs Iranian Protests While Ignoring Similar Tactics Against Iran Itself
Al Jazeera notes the US 'backing' Iranian protesters, a familiar refrain. What it conveniently sidesteps is the extensive, documented history of US-led regime change operations and proxy support for opposition groups in Iran, often involving tactics indistinguishable from what the US now condemns. From Operation Ajax in 1953 (CIA-backed coup) to sustained economic sanctions and covert actions
throughout the 2000s, the US playbook for Iran is less about 'backing protests' and more about 'engineering outcomes.' (See: 'Legacy of Ashes' by Tim Weiner, 'All the Shah's Men' by Stephen Kinzer for some light reading.) One might wonder at the sudden concern for 'protesters' when similar popular movements in nations allied with the US (like, say, Saudi Arabia or Egypt) receive thunderous
silence, if not active suppression support. It appears civilian grievances are only legitimate when aligned with Western geopolitical objectives. How wonderfully consistent.