Revolutionary Guard letter to commanding officer

"We promise our people that we will not shoot nor beat our brothers who are seeking to express legitimate protest against the policies and conduct of their leader."

I've hilited the weasel word. It might have been better to substitute "peaceful" for "legitimate", but coming fron the RG I wouldn't count on it. The RG was formed to answer to no one but the mullahs, and they will fire on anyone threatening the power of the mullahs.
 
WildCat said:
"We promise our people that we will not shoot nor beat our brothers who are seeking to express legitimate protest against the policies and conduct of their leader."

I've hilited the weasel word. It might have been better to substitute "peaceful" for "legitimate", but coming fron the RG I wouldn't count on it. The RG was formed to answer to no one but the mullahs, and they will fire on anyone threatening the power of the mullahs.
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Fortunately corruption has rather taken care of that and the Revolutionary Guards at this point appear to be more interested in their private business empire than the mullahs. Unfortunately this doesn't apply to the Basij.
 
Considering the timing of the letter and that the Telegraph says it "calls on Major Gen Jafari to issue guidance to both the Revolutionary Guards and the Basij paramilitary militia to use restraint when handling anti-government protests", I would take it to mean that the protests are considered legitimate by at least a part of the RG.
 
geni said:
Fortunately corruption has rather taken care of that and the Revolutionary Guards at this point appear to be more interested in their private business empire than the mullahs. Unfortunately this doesn't apply to the Basij.
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Possibly true, but their business empire depends on the mullahs staying n power.
 
WildCat said:
Possibly true, but their business empire depends on the mullahs staying n power.
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No it depends on the Revolutionary Guards staying in power. The mullahs are at this point a business expense.
 
geni said:
No it depends on the Revolutionary Guards staying in power. The mullahs are at this point a business expense.
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How does the RG stay in power without the mullahs? Do you think the Iranians protesting are demanding the RG take control? The RG would be among the first to get the boot with regime change.
 
WildCat said:
How does the RG stay in power without the mullahs? Do you think the Iranians protesting are demanding the RG take control? The RG would be among the first to get the boot with regime change.
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Well the upside of a bad situation, the Guard is less likely to allow Iran's leaders to consider war, because of the impact it will have on business
 
drkitten said:
Power comes from the barrel of a gun. Duh.
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That's only half of the couplet, or the Maozen koan. ;)

"Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun" (Gun as metaphor for the military)

"The gun must never be allowed to command the Party" ("The Party" being single party government of the communistic system)

Civil government must be in control of the military. (Soviets with their commissars, and Mao with his political officers, did a pretty effective job of this ... though of late, I wonder if the generals and civil pols haven't married into one another in the past generation ... Maybe ought to ask Wolfman ...)

Not all that far, in political philosophy, from the US Constitution's requirement for civilian control of the military ...

After a peek around, it appears that the originals are from one of his books/musings "From Problems of War and Strategy"

Every Communist must grasp the truth, "Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun."

Our Principle is that the Party commands the gun, and the gun must never be allowed to command the Party.


Most autocrats understand how practical that bit of political thinking is.
 
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MG1962 said:
Well the upside of a bad situation, the Guard is less likely to allow Iran's leaders to consider war, because of the impact it will have on business
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True, but that does not mean they'll disallow violent oppression against the general public. :(
 
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