Khamenei in a crisis: How could any leader be so stupid?

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FG
by FG
28-Jan-2012
 

Never has the Islamic Republic more needed to make friends, not enemies. Yet every Khamenei policy does the reverse inside and outside Iran. His key decisions are so inexplicably bad, I could almost believe CIA or Mossad "infiltrators" were advising him. Even long-time collaborators now notice and complain, though obviously not from moral scruples. If his crimes worked, they'd have no problem.


THREE RECENT INTERNAL DECISIONS THAT MAKE NO SENSE

Khamenei fears an election boycott, yet today his Guardian Council announces it has banned more candidates than ever (45%). Khamenei needs ex-reformers to turn up, yet he continues to "send a message" by arresting journalists and known reformers. Knowing Ahmadinejad will benefit politically, Khamenei endorses more "compulsive Islamization" laws than ever. Can't he see that this attempt to create a Shiite version of Wahhabbism will never "play" with most Iranians?


FIVE RECENT EXTERNAL DECISIONS THAT MAKE NO SENSE

What a great time to reinforce external perceptions that it's impossible to live peacefully with the Islamic Republic! Not only do covert destabilization, intimidation and "Export the Revolution" schemes continue but they have stepped up. Here are some Khamenei-approved stunts of the past six months.

1. the British embassy raid.

2. A Thailand plot involving a member of Hezbollah with tons of explosives. (This stunt would easily have killed or wounded hundreds people from at least a score of nations).

3. the Washington plot (This stunt would have killed at least 20 US civilians and the Saudi ambassador.

4. An obvious scheme to turn Iraq into the Islamic Republic II, complete with persecution of minorities (Does it tick off all Arab neighbors? Wiil they intervene covertly to prevent it? Stay tuned).

5. So many Iranian advisers, weapons, snipers and "how to suppress your people" advisers to Assad (Does this also inflame Arab neighbors against Iran?)

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FG

Khamenei made the bad decisions--no one else

by FG on

re: Weak leaders never make any decisions by themselves.

That description might fit Assad better than Khamenei.  Nor is Khamenei a "weak leader" in the inattentive and incompetent sense, like Presidents Harding and Grant under whom most bad decisions were made by others while the President played cards or smoked cigars in a comfy lounge. 

Khamenei knows what is going on around him and approves it.  He knows what crimes are being committed, as Harding and Grant did not, and he supports them whole heartedly.   Also, Khamenei has connived in augmenting his power over time (like Hitler, unlike Nero and Caligula who were born into it).

Like Hitler, Caligula and Nero Khamenei made the ultimate decisions.  All three chose to surround themselves with bad or vicious advisors (Julius Streicher) or total "yes men" (Jodl and Keitel in the Third Reich).  All resisted good advice and showed no toleration for those who gave it.

In terms of access to strong institutional powers to which they had access, jealousy in preserving or enhancing them and especially in willingness to use available powers for bad purposes and with no scruples, Khamenei again is a "ringer" for Hitler, Caligula and Nero.  He differs from the Czar Nicholas II in being more hands on less oblivious.  He resembles tht Czar in being just as major an obstacle to reform and modernization and just as whole heartedly determined in supporting badly timed, ultra-reactionary policies. 

Self-evidently none of the worst decisions of the Khamenei Era could have been made or persisted unless Khamenei gave his OK.  Having made Ahmadinejad and the security force generals what they are today, he is responsible for any crimes they commit.  He made them what they are not with an eye to the people's welfare but with an eye to his self-preservation and to crush any possibility of peaceful reform.

Khamenei cannot tolerate any rival center of power for long except out of necessity.  This is why Ahmadinejad has become such a problem now that reformers have been crushed.

When has Khamenei ever remained silent when he didn't like a presidential or parliamentary policy?  Was the election of 2009 rigged against his will?  Do censorship, lack of press freedom, lack of freedom to demonstrate, etc. continue despite Khamenei's objections?  Would Saudi-ization?   Would the jails still be full of political prisoners unless he want them there.  Would show trials occur and judges hand down harsh decisions unless Khamenei said, "Get 'em?"  Is he unaware of covert schemes abroad?

Khamenei could have stopped any of this in an instant and he didn't.  So now the IRI is in trouble everywhere. Leaders like this ALWAYS use surrogates to carry out decisions likely to be unpopular, as in eliminating subsidies, where he used Ahmadinejad but it was a move forced on the regime in order to survive sanctions.

Ahmadinejad gets away with certain things Khamenei doesn't approve of for many reasons (possibly including blackmail) but Ahmadinejad had nothing to do with the stupid decisons made in my original post.  Ahmajdinejad wasn't around in the time of Khamenei's death squads.  Encouraged by Khamenei, Ahmadinejad benefitted from and participated in the 2009 election coup and subsequent crackdown (only disagre with the latter in time and only to degree his own pals were targeted). 

 

 


vildemose

Tyrannical regimes coming

by vildemose on

Tyrannical regimes coming to their demise as rapidly as Khameni always seem to exhibit the same behavior; delusion and extreme fear impairs their aibility to make sound decisions.

A state of war only serves as an excuse for domestic tyranny.--Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.


amirkabear4u

stupidity is the name of the game

by amirkabear4u on

I did not know he could make decisions.

You see FG, what I am trying to say in this site is that weak leaders never make any decisions by themselves.