Should the US become involved in helping protesters in Iran?

Certainty similar arguments were advanced about Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan.

We really could have left those regimes in place.

Should we have?

Yes this, do people really think that if the regime in Iran is overthrown that it will suddenly become a becon of democracy? No it will be replaced by the same or something worse, it creates instability in the region just as the US and UK interfered in Iraq and Afghanistan, years and years later nothing has changed they have become rogue countries, The USA and the UK are not the worlds policemen, don't get me wrong the regime in Iran is awful but no good ever comes of us trying to change things

The US is sort-of is the world’s policeman.

There is no credible alternative one, and life without a policeman is not a life of peace. Periods where there has been a hegemon have been much more peaceful than ones where contesting powers fight it out.

Life under a Russian or Chinese policeman would not, in my view, be preferable. The UN is the epitome of realpolitik not its repudiation, and is in any case weak.

For all its faults, the US is the most humane superpower there has ever been, sees itself as at least somewhat (imperfectly) bound by norms and laws, and works (typically) in coalitions that are based partly on shared interests but mostly (and imperfectly) on shared values. Those values include the worst-except-all-the-alternatives-ever-tried hits including democracy, human rights, free markets and liberalism.

I dislike Trump becuase he’s weakening the US’s role as a fair-ish an effective-ish world policeman.

Those who oppose him because he hasn’t packed up the US’s bags altogether should be extremely careful what they wish for.

I really hope the USA will help the civilian unarmed Iranian protestors who have no chance against a military regime, and deserve much better, regardless of USA’s motives.

As a Venezuelan, I welcomed USA’s intervention to help remove the head of a criminal state who persecuted, oppressed, tortured and killed my fellow citizens, and destroyed the economy plunging 80% of the people into poverty. Civil society did all we could within the legal avenues (national and international) to have a regime change, and all failed. There was no possibility of change coming from within because the regime controls everything in the state, most importantly the arms that are used against its own citizens.

That’s why more than 8 million people (third of the population) had to flee the country to avoid starvation. We know that USA is interested in the oil (we are not naive) but we are willing to pay that price for a chance, however remote, of things improving. It cannot be worse than what we have.

Let’s hope the Ayatollah and his top people will negotiate themselves all the way to Russia so there can be new leadership in Iran.

Iran was coming for a long time. The regime will fall. There is no way back from this. The momentum is too great.

The US could (and probably will) help destabilise things further by targeted, but devastating, military strikes. This would force the regime to fight on two fronts, it would create distraction and pull resources out of the current action.

It seems the US is fundamentally changing it's historical stance on foreign policy. They have pulled out of most climate/military alliances. Invaded Venezuela, will take Greenland, and now what they do next is anyone's guess.

I hope the US does whatever it can to help Iranians get rid of this monstrous regime and cut off the funding for so much terrorism.

The US is not the world’s policeman. They need to start focusing on what’s happening in their own backyard. People are dying of fentanyl overdoses, infrastructure is crumbling, healthcare is unaffordable. Americans didn’t vote for Trump to police the world. He ran on a no more wars platform.

Russia certainly isn’t. China is.

A reason not to seek regime change in those places (especially China) is it’s likely to make things catastrophically worse. Iran’s not clear-cut for many reasons.

You are mocking, but I think “let’s judge different cases differently” and “let’s not do things we expect to make things catastrophically worse” are good decision rules.

How can a self-serving moron possibly defuse the situation?

The situation doesn't need defusing - the regime needs to be overthrown not just left to carry on as before, as they've done in the past when they've overcome the protests by brutal measures.

mmm no I can’t see it

can you explain this ?

No, the US aren't the world police.

Why don’t you fuck with China and Russia? Too big for you eh?

How do people not see the US manipulation here?

I think it’s likely this shall be US lead with others involved including us

this though leads to Isreal being very vulnerable so this can’t be a half job done it’s long term

Iran’s regime needs to be rid of but they are extremely powerful

the question also to consider is what will China and Russia’s response be

would ex presidents get involved yes I believe they would at this point in time but with more diplomacy and long term vision

The people of Iran deserve better than the regime they have. It would be nice to believe the US would want to help to give them better options, reality is more likely they would “ help” because Iran has oil

What’s disgusting about his statement?

The irony of that orange despot saying if a country murders its own citizens in the street he will step in! He's fucking disgusting

Yes I agree on that. The West has backed many people who were, or became, awful. But as soon as you recognise that, you recognise we can judge and compare regimes.

And once we do that, I think it becomes clear that some interveners have a patchy record and some are outright malign, in intent and effect.

I think any fair look at US intervention puts them in the ‘patchy’ bucket and any fair look at Iran puts it in ‘outright malign’.

I think one can take the view that intervention is always wrong on principle (I disagree). But if we’re deciding on the grounds of whether it ‘works’ we should be brave enough to realise that this is the US (in this hypothetical) vs a regime that is much, much worse and that is people is calling to replace.

And on local support, virtually 100% of Germans, Japanese believe their countries were improved by US intervention (they also had fanatical totalitarian regimes), plus Kosovars and even a significant number of Venezuelans seem to now. So at best it’s complicated.

I think JK’s comments apply to a lot of people.

I see very very little condemnation, outrage or marches by the left when the person doing the brutalising isn’t white, male and right wing.

I agree that JK Rowling sums it up.