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On the occasion of Nowruz, President Obama spoke boldly and directly to the people of Iran, addressing them directly with unequivocal support for peaceful, democratic reform and a more tolerant and peaceful society.
I believe there are certain values that are universal: the freedom of peaceful assembly and association, the ability to speak your mind and choose your leaders. And what we are seeing across the region is the insistence on governments that are accountable to the people.
Through direct, digital appeals to the people of Iran, President Obama bypassed the diplomatic blocks on the Iranian government and made a statement that honored the traditions of Iranian society while excoriating the unacceptable behavior of the Iranian government.
The same forces of hope that swept across Tahrir Square were seen in Azadi Square in 2009. Just as the people of the region have insisted that they have a choice in how they are governed, so do the governments of the region have a choice in their response.
So far, the Iranian government has responded by demonstrating that it cares far more about preserving its own power than about respecting the rights of the Iranian people. For nearly two years, there has been a campaign of intimidation and abuse - young and old, men and women, rich and poor - the Iranian people have been persecuted. Hundreds of prisoners of conscience are in jail. The innocent have gone missing. Journalists have been silenced; women tortured; children sentenced to death.
The world has watched these unjust actions with alarm. We've seen Nasrin Sotoudeh jailed for defending human rights. Jafar Panahi imprisoned and unable to make his films. Abdulreza Tajik thrown in jail for being a journalist. The Baha'i community and Sufi Muslims punished for their faith. Mohammad Vali sentenced to death for throwing three stones. These choices do not demonstrate strength. They show fear.
As Obama sees increasing pressure from the press at home and abroad for the treatment of Bradley Manning, and a large group of protestors gathered today at Quantico to express their anger about Manning's alleged mistreatment, the message from Obama to the people of Iran could easily be perceived as hypocritical. And perhaps it is. But as the Department of Justice issued a statement (from 2004) defending the use of warrantless wiretap programs, it's worth noting that there is a clear difference in degree between the extreme and questionable techniques used against Manning (and the rest of us) and the types of heinous misdeeds being perpetrated abroad by tyrants and clerics.
With Obama in Brazil today, using the nation's vibrant democracy as an example for Libya and other nations in North Africa, it's notable that one of the nation's leading defenders of the Constitution and civil rights - Glenn Greenwald - is spending most of his time these days in Rio and not in the United States. (It's been a surprising 24 hours since we've heard blog or tweet from Greenwald, after he raised questions about the U.S. military action in Libya yesterday.) We still have a long way to go before we have the kind of free society that was intended by our Founding Fathers, but there are stark and significant differences between the Obama Administration and the human rights abuses we've seen in Iran and Libya. And it is also significant that the United States is currently working collaboratively with the UN, unlike what we saw during the Bush Administration.
The power of our American values, enshrined and protected by the Bill of Rights, is a key component of our power to lead the world in the 21st Century. And for all the talk on the Republican side of the aisle about American Exceptionalism, I think President Obama has rightly understood that American greatness is not a divine right or a cynical expression of the will to power, but rather a sacred trust that is rooted in universal human rights.
What this means, fundamentally, is that it is up to all of us, as citizens of the United States and members of the international community, to hold our leaders accountable, to wield our own power wisely, and to be informed decision-makers. If we are not satisfied with the quality of our Congressional or Presidential leadership, then it is up to us to organize, mobilize, and change the world.