Why the Iranian theocracy are the bad guys here
I go into this topic at length in the video above, so check it out if you’re interested in my in-depth thoughts on this. I will cover the basics in this article.
Palestine has become by far and away the largest cause on the left across the western world. It eclipses everything, to the point that you rarely hear about climate change anymore, never mind anything about economic redistribution. Of course, someone on the left would reply by saying that caring about Palestine IS caring about economic inequality and the environment, even though if you asked them to spell that out for you, they wouldn’t be able to (more to the point, they would just call you an evil far-right bastard for even asking the question in the first place).
I think this is deeply weird for a number of reasons. The first is that, at best, the defence of the Palestinian position is dubious. The events of October 7th, 2023 were horrific and it’s worth pointing out, given it rarely comes up these days, that Hamas are still holding innocent people hostage that they kidnapped on that day. This doesn’t mean you can’t criticise Israel’s reaction since as disproportionate or misguided - it’s just that this is rarely the argument made. Not mentioned much either is the fact that Israel isn’t simply exacting revenge for the events of that day, but trying to attack the people who perpetrated it so they can’t do it again, people who - and this is the really important part - say they would do it again if they had the chance.
I also find it weird that the left has taken this up as its central cause because there have been so many instances of Muslims being mass slaughtered over the last two decades that at best they didn’t give the slightest shit about, at worst, actively cheered on. Syria is the worst example - 500,000 people at least dead, 10 million or so misplaced, citizens routinely targeted in what was a clear, unquestionable genocide. Yet from 2011 until 2024, the best you would get from the left was “This has nothing to do with us, not our business” - at worst, you’d get “Assad is the good guy in all of this. Do you know he’s a doctor? You can’t be evil and be a doctor.”
The vast majority of Sunnis who were killed in Syria were non-combatants just trying to live their lives. They hadn’t pledged at any point to wipe the Alawites off the face of the Earth, for instance. Assad came after them because he realised that in making the conflict a sectarian one, he could survive. This evil plan worked for 13 and a half years.
Today, we have the ultimate manifestation of this issue coming to fruition: a bunch of western leftists have descended on Egypt to enact a “march to Gaza”. They clearly expected their Egyptian, Muslim brothers to lock arm with them in their struggle for justice - instead, they have been greeted with a wave of hostility and state repression, having their passports taken and being rounded up for deportation (and possibly worse, time will tell). This is reality colliding with utopian fantasy. The idea that there are “victims” who are wonderful and innocent and only need tender loving care, free from the vices and problems that afflict us in the west, being shown not to be true in horrible detail.
Some conflicts, like Israel-Palestine, are complex, and simple takes on them made by outsiders aren’t helpful. Others, like Israel-Iran, are easy - one side is clearly the bad guy. And in this case, it’s not Israel.
I agree with you re: the left and Syria and with the general point that Palestine is an odd obsession. And I agree the Iranian regime is 'the bad guy'. But there can be multiple bad guys.
As you say, Assad was the bad guy, but now he's gone, and the new Syrian regime has not said or acted anything against Israel, Netanyahu has still been bombing the country, invading it and destabilising it, making it harder for Syrians to rebuild and hopefully in time democratise.
I hope for the overthrow of the Iranian regime and if Israel's actions now help bring that about, I'll be pleased. But I'm not convinced that's actually Israel's aim, and it could undermine the legitimacy of Iranians struggling against their government. And it could well me buttress the regime.
There is also the point that while Iran is obviously a long term threat to Israel, it's pretty dubious to say that Israel has a legal right to attack.
Finally, for all of Hamas' awfulness, Israel's actions against the Palestinians are clearly not motivated solely by self preservation. Even if you accepted the argument for what they're doing in Gaza, Israel's actions in the West Bank are clearly nothing to do with fighting Hamas' and everything to do with extending the occupation and attempting to make a two state solution impossible.
Sometimes bad guys do things which have positive outcomes. Perhaps Israels actions now will be such an occasion though I doubt it. Certainly the Iranian regime is a 'bad guy'. But so is the current Israeli regime.
Have now watched your video, and as per my comments on Youtube, once again I have to say what a good video it was. A very interesting, reasoned and reasonable take on the subject - one more interesting than the title would suggest.
I do appreciate your continued interest in Syria. I do feel it's a subject by which it's been possible to judge those on the left and the seriousness of their commitment to human rights.