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Israel and Iran are far from alike. It's likely true that Iranians are, to our best knowledge, some of the most reasonable and liberal-minded in the Middle Eas

Israel and Iran are far from alike. It's likely true that Iranians are, to our best knowledge, some of the most reasonable and liberal-minded in the Middle East, but Israel does not simply have a "better constitution and governance model". In Iran, the extremists are running the place, and are a large segment of society. In Israel, extremists are marginalized, and even the degree of their extremism is less than that of the Iranian leadership. I am less welcoming of the news that Iran will be reconnected to SWIFT, as I think that the real good news would be the downfall of the Mullahs and the rise of a representative, reasonable Iranian government, in peace with its neighbours and its own citizens.

msoad 11y ago
It's proven (North Korea) that crippling a country's economy does not lead to downfall of its government. I wish it was that simple though!
- kobayashi 11y ago
  One country (DPRK) does not make a rule. An besides, the DPRK and the Islamic Republic of Iran are very different regimes with very different citizenry. Iranians, by and large, do not believe in a death cult of personality surrounding their leaders, and can be much more critical of governmental choices.
  - subway 11y ago
    Cuba? Burma? Syria?
    - ashark 11y ago
      Iraq, for that matter. They suffered under severe sanctions and a no-fly zone that left part of the country beyond the control of the state for over a decade and Saddam was nowhere near being overthrown until the US and allies actually invaded (again).
    - throwaway997324 11y ago
      >Cuba OK, maybe beginning to see a pattern >Burma I'm not an expert on Burma, but haven't they become a democracy again? I'd like to know what/any effect US sanctions had on this. >Syria I don't think this is a great example against isolation causing regime change
- throwaway997324 11y ago
  Yeah, if only we could have ended apartheid that way!
- cageface 11y ago
  The North Korean government is being propped up by China. If China withdrew support their government would collapse.
toni 11y ago
My sincere apology for all the downvotes you have received on this comment. I have close Iranian friends who exactly share your point of view, as opposed to other overly optimistic and simplistic comments you see in this thread which applaud lifting the sanctions. I hope these downvotes don't make you disappointed about bringing out your message. Take care and stay safe wherever you are.
- kobayashi 11y ago
  Thanks very much. It seems that the downvotes have now been outnumbered, and I'm sure that's in part thanks to your comment. In all honesty, when I was last online and saw the downvotes, I was a little disappointed, as it felt that perhaps the reasonable, thoughtful comments threads that I've grown to love on HN were perhaps being lost to reddit-style political populism. While one batch of downvotes or upvotes will not sway me to or away from HN, I'm happy to see HN users live up to my expectations of them. I hope this doesn't sound pompous. Likewise, I hope you also take care and stay safe, wherever you are, toni.

msoad 11y ago

It's proven (North Korea) that crippling a country's economy does not lead to downfall of its government. I wish it was that simple though!

kobayashi 11y ago
One country (DPRK) does not make a rule. An besides, the DPRK and the Islamic Republic of Iran are very different regimes with very different citizenry. Iranians, by and large, do not believe in a death cult of personality surrounding their leaders, and can be much more critical of governmental choices.
- subway 11y ago
  Cuba? Burma? Syria?
  - ashark 11y ago
    Iraq, for that matter. They suffered under severe sanctions and a no-fly zone that left part of the country beyond the control of the state for over a decade and Saddam was nowhere near being overthrown until the US and allies actually invaded (again).
  - throwaway997324 11y ago
    >Cuba OK, maybe beginning to see a pattern >Burma I'm not an expert on Burma, but haven't they become a democracy again? I'd like to know what/any effect US sanctions had on this. >Syria I don't think this is a great example against isolation causing regime change
throwaway997324 11y ago
Yeah, if only we could have ended apartheid that way!
cageface 11y ago
The North Korean government is being propped up by China. If China withdrew support their government would collapse.

toni 11y ago

My sincere apology for all the downvotes you have received on this comment. I have close Iranian friends who exactly share your point of view, as opposed to other overly optimistic and simplistic comments you see in this thread which applaud lifting the sanctions. I hope these downvotes don't make you disappointed about bringing out your message. Take care and stay safe wherever you are.

kobayashi 11y ago
Thanks very much. It seems that the downvotes have now been outnumbered, and I'm sure that's in part thanks to your comment. In all honesty, when I was last online and saw the downvotes, I was a little disappointed, as it felt that perhaps the reasonable, thoughtful comments threads that I've grown to love on HN were perhaps being lost to reddit-style political populism. While one batch of downvotes or upvotes will not sway me to or away from HN, I'm happy to see HN users live up to my expectations of them. I hope this doesn't sound pompous. Likewise, I hope you also take care and stay safe, wherever you are, toni.