The Lesley Stahl Interview | 06/28/2009 11:00 pm
Roya Hakakian: The Iranian Regime Is Coming Undone
Author Roya Hakakian joins Lesley Stahl for a post-election discussion
about gender apartheid, an Iranian girlhood and the moves necessary for a
better Middle East.
Roya Hakakian
LESLEY: Weren’t we kept out of Iran in those years? Was there a legitimate reason or were you just saying it was the normal event flow of news the way the American media will sort of lurch from one crisis to another?
ROYA: I think we went from one crisis to another.
LESLEY: So it wasn’t that we weren’t deliberately kept out?
ROYA: I’m sure that in the ’80s the Mullahs weren’t inviting anybody to come and take a close look at what they were doing. But I think we should have. The hostage crisis should have made it clear to us that Iran was an important place and that consistently covering it would then enable us to be ahead of the game. I was looking at books that Richard Haass and Martin Indyk recently produced about the Middle East. One of the points that both of them mention about Iran is that we don’t have what it takes, we don’t have enough knowledge or insight to really deal with Iran. And so I can’t help but think that part of that problem is due to the sort of feast or famine of reporting, to inconsistent reporting. If we learned anything about the hostage crisis of 1979, it should have been that Iran was going to be a player – a notorious player – but a player in the politics of the Middle East, and it was to our advantage to consistently cover, regardless of a crisis.
| Yes, so much has changed – and nothing has changed ... Everything is exactly where it was in the year that I left, in 1984. |
LESLEY: We should learn that lesson from here forward, is what you’re saying?
ROYA: Exactly. I’m sure that they will unleash their forces and do whatever they can to, as you say, stamp out this round of unrest. But I am just as sure that this unrest will never go away until the regime is dismantled. And we better keep a close watch on what goes on in Iran from now until they do come apart.
LESLEY: As always brilliant, articulate, poetic as you are, Roya. We at wOw thank you so very, very much.
Read more about: Apartheid, Ayatollah Khamenei, Ayatollah Khomeini, Iran, Islamic Feminism, Middle East, Neda Agha-Soltan, News, Q & A, Roxana Saberi, Roya Hakakian, women
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19 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment
If I could, I would ask Ms. Hakakian:
What the status of the Iraniam government will be this time next year?
Will the protesters cease an desist? Or will they become more aggressive. If so, how?
As I understand it, the voluntary Basij, serve under the Revolutionary Guards and support the Ayatollah. It is comprised of young people and members can be found in almost every city in Iran. If the group is as large as it is purported to be, then how can the protesters ever expect to overcome the current government.
How difficult will it be to covert the Basij?
How are Mousavi and Ahmedineajad different?
These are just a few of the questions I would have asked.
How interesting that the Ayatollah and Ahmedinejad attempt to blame America and others countries for the protests…The people are being fed these lies, as they bravely stand against the injustice themselves…knowing that it isn’t American interferring and that it is the Iranian government itself that is responsible for their suppression….
…And then, we have Obama running around the world apologizing for our actions…not helpful…not helpful at all…..These people deserve our support and not to have to wonder if they are being manipulated by America.
Kelly,
The protesters certainly have my support. I’m just curious how it is that so many young people are protesting and supposedly so many other young people are affiliated with the Basij. So hard to tell without independent journalism inside the country to tell the real story. The very fact that the news media in Iran is censored says everything.
Yes, definitely, bad move on Obama’s part.
OFFTOPIC: A couple of us have had problems accessing the website in the past couple hours. Anyone know of anything going on???
Yes, this is the beginning of change in Iran, but it will not come quickly; however, Iran will never be the same.
With that being said, I can only hope there will be no more human annihilation. If there is a shred of Islam in Iran it can easily measure that by the regard or disregard for human life. Violence will destroy that country’s majestic buildings.
Hate destroys everyone and everything!
The Iranian people have finally made their voices heard at least and I’m sure will keep up the pressure on the Govt as it stands now. We hope all their brave efforts will eventually pay off for them and they can get a leader they want. I think it will be a slow process for them but they obviously have the courage and determination to see it through. I am wishing them all the luck in the world.
I really do wish I could believe.
It was with every ounce of my being that I couldn’t believe W.Bush would be reelected. He was.
If there is a ‘force’ to be ‘released’ then count on your fingers the numbers who hold convictions to stand on the side that is opposed to humanity.
Out of touch is not being out of time… it is self-delusion.
Leslie,
Thank you for providing another informative interview.
The spectacle of Iranian women willing to compete in Olympic sports wearing the veil is called "overadaptation." They bend over backwards to accommodate an unreasonable demand, instead of fighting against it. It’s unhealthy and eventually leads to burnout and defeat. It’s common in abused individuals and populations, and only prolongs the abuse.
The regime-ordered murder and brutality happening in the streets of Iran is called "political decapitation." The tyrants are going after the most active participants and their promoters. With Obama’s passivity, and unwillingness to take any action to support the citizen/hostages, this revolt is doomed to failure.
Outside intervention is always necessary for a successful revolution when a unarmed populace as been intimidated back into submission. The protest have actually done a service for the regime highlighting and pinpointing the worst agitators so they can be identified, isolated and eliminated.
Obama just got through saying in the middle east that violence never solved anything, so I’m afraid that Obama won’t be of any help to the desperate hostage citizens of Iran. The revolt was 1/2 year too late.