Via Greg Djerejian and Matthew Yglesias the Washington Post reported that Iranian Democracy advocates are calling for a cut in funding support form the U.S.
The U.S. program, launched in 2006, backfired in its first year, undermining democracy efforts in Iran and leading to wider repression against activists as foreign agents or traitors, the groups said. Among those detained were four Iranian Americans, all charged with "crimes against national security" linked to the U.S. program. A second year of funding will further endanger democracy efforts, the groups added.
"Iranian reformers believe democracy cannot be imported and must be based on indigenous institutions and values. Intended beneficiaries of the funding -- human rights advocates, civil society activists and others -- uniformly denounce the program," according to an open letter organized by the National Iranian American Council, the American Conservative Defense Alliance and the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. The letter was signed by 23 other liberal and conservative pro-democracy groups.
I would certainly listen to the Iranian democracy advocates here. I’m not sure we should abandon direct democracy aid (rather than more generally focused human rights promoting aid). I think such an approach has worked to a degree in post-cold war Eastern Europe, but I think that’s probably because regimes there didn’t have as free a hand to crush opposition. But even when it can work, publicly tying aid to democracy promoters to militant regime change talk is going to be counter productive.
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