Human Beings Aren't Pawns

Does anyone remember last year's Iranian presidential elections that spurred protests and upheavals over the fraudulent results? Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had beaten Mir Hossein Mousavi, but the Iranian people were none too pleased. 

Now, there is strife of a similar nature, but much more violent, in Thailand. The recent civil unrest in Thailand is attributed to a political split between the Democrat Party and National United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) whose followers are the infamous "red shirts." The red shirts have demanded that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva of the Democrat Party call new elections, but their requests have fallen upon a deaf ear. 

Last year during the Iranian debacle, many "conservative" commentators had called on President Obama to offer moral support and the backing of the United States to those who disputed the election results (most commonly referred to as the Green Movement). Their motives were hardly obscured, however. Quite frankly, none of them probably cared the least bit about the Iranian people. The real goal was to inspire regime change in the Islamic Republic. Mir Hossein Mousavi was seen as the more US friendly candidate (one that wanted to continue the nuclear program), and therefore he needed every tool in the regime change arsenal to be put into power. Ultimately, it failed. But with a disastrous record of trying to influence Iranian politics, the world is probably much better off that the US minded their own business.