Some Lessons Can Only Be Learned

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Two articles on today's Wall Street Journal editorial page appear chiding the administration for not taken a more aggressive approach to the democratic uprising in Tehran. As I and others had counseled the other day, it is probably best that the U.S. take a conservative approach to these historical events, as many Iranians (especially those that cast a ballot for the incumbent president) continue to have a very skeptical view of U.S. intentions in the region.
 
It is important to remember that what is perceived at home as a good thing, may not necessarily be perceived abroad in the same fashion. This is not to say that the U.S. must bend a knee to international sensibilities, but to simply ignore the real world consequences of our actions -- good and bad -- is how we've gotten ourselves into trouble in the past. The question that ought to be posed to the writers in today's Journal, or even some of the chattering political class is: are your prescriptions for the benefit of the Iranian people or the benefit of your conscience? It seems the latter ought to be explored a bit more honestly.
 
The U.S. is painfully aware of the ability of the Iranians to decide their own future. Rather than spending our time discounting them, perhaps we ought to let Iranians build their own history, which includes the price of restoring their freedom -- so that they never ever relinquish it again.