Christopher Hitchens on Iran's Rebellious Youth
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- čas přidán 26. 08. 2024
- Complete video at: fora.tv/2009/07...
Journalist Christopher Hitchens comments on the consequences of the age demographic in Iran. Hitchens points out that nearly half of the Iranian population is under 25, which has resulted in what he calls a "baby-boomerang." "The Mullahs have by accident ... brought about a generation that doesn't like them."
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Acclaimed writer and political scholar Christopher Hitchens may just be the only writer to have recently visited Iran, Iraq and North Korea. Hitchens - known for his keen wit, sharp political insight and often controversial opinions - examines the differences between the countries once linked as the "axis of evil," while revealing intriguing connections between the nations. - Commonwealth Club of California
Christopher Hitchens is an author, journalist and literary critic. Now living in Washington, D.C., he has been a columnist at Vanity Fair, The Nation and Slate; additionally, he is an occasional contributor to many other publications.
As an Iranian I'd say you were right Mr. Hitchens. You always were.
He's damn right!!! I so much miss this man!!!!
Can only imagine what he would have thought about Iran 2022.
Hitchens predicted this . Iran is now fighting for their freedom!
Anyone here after the December 2017 Iranian protest
Yes, i saw this when this clip first came out. And yet, here i am watching these protests on twitter.
I am iranian and i agree 100% with mr Hitchens amazinga account of everything.
Salam 9 sale bad lol
Thanks for your kind words. With 70 % of the Iranian aged 30 or younger, Iran has a very young population. They are not that disillusioned actually. They have been indifferent in the last 30 years and angry with their parents for having caused them all this pain by not being careful enough in the revolution. The term Islamic Revolution was coined after the revolution had happened and hijacked. It's very difficult and I have lost Iran again.
It's inevitable that Iran will have change from within for the very reason Hitchens is proposing. It will be much more difficult than it was in '79, when my father and uncles took to overthrow Pahlavi, because the mullahs are playing by the very playbook to shut down any domestic upheaval. We saw this in '09 during the election debacle where the mullahs took to very cruel, barbaric, and desperate tactics to instill fear in the population while arbitrarily punishing their own citizens for protesting as they market their Iran as a "republic". However, change in Iran cannot come from the West nor any other nation because it would poison the well, and the mullahs know any attack on Iran's sovereignty would rally the majority of the population to them. Iranians are extremely aware of how meddling had not only ruined democracy in their nation since '53 with the CIA overthrow of Mossadegh, but that very event is the chief reason Khomeini was allowed to hijack the revolution for his own primitive and dangerous Islamic system. It's best the US, UK, France, or whomever stay out of Iran's extremely complex politics while promoting diplomacy and economic flourishment for its people.
thanks for the honest comment, Im not trying to downgrade your statement I really do appreciate it. That being said: do not worry. iran will be left alone from the eu, because the very same islam regime is going to take over the western countries. so do not worry that they will interfere in your country anymore. except of course when those fanatics are going to further their cause to make islam enslave the whole world
I wish your young people all the best to rid yourself of that stone-age religion and everyone believing in it
Hitchens never fails to intrigue me. I think I shall have to watch the whole video.
one of the finest engineers i'm privileged to have worked with originates from tehran. we both agree that islam has no more legitimacy in iran than catholicism has in mexico, being that these religions were each brutally forced upon those prospective civilizations, by the most contemptible imperialists of their age.
I don't even have to look at the video to know he's wearing the flag pin of Kurdistan.
Hitch has been heroically backing their cause for many years now.
i agree. this is spot on... Hitchens isn't without his faults and hes subject to his idealism and beliefs at times but this was GOOD... very good
We're with you! We support you all the way.
You know Iranians? Good for you. I am Iranian. I think I have a bit more authority on the subject. And as a matter of fact, I've never heard a more accurate account of what really happened from an American than what Hitchens says in this video.
I know 3 minutes and 47 seconds are not a solid basis for a judgement but I have watched quite a few Hitchens interviews and have read enough of Hitchens to come to the conclusion that he has more grasp of current affairs in terms of Iran than most politicians without any names
I think the point foratv is that the world 'isn't' thinking. Christopher Hitchins IS thinking and we're all suddenly getting a slap-in-the-face wake-up call to start thinking too.
Do you have copyright in all this work or just you find it and post it
@tttc He's lived in The United States for 30 years, he's an American citizen, he's an American. Granted he's chosen to retain his British citizenship, but also being British does not make him less American.
I watched the entire video from the posted link. Hitchens description of unearthing the mass grave in Iraq is one of the most appalling stories I've ever heard.
Hithchens has ample amount of information in so many areas and i think people like him are very hard to come across. He is on top of all political news right now and he surprised me with the amount of information he just went over about iran which im quite certain most politicians in many countries would not know about.
hitchens would be gratified at how FEW iranian youths attend mosques now.
@Gwisss I really hope that will be the case! I know for a fact that the day Hitchen's dies, I will be depressed for quite some time. The man is (easily) one of the most inspiring people alive. Long live Hitchens for the good of the world.
cut off a little early no?
I am an Iranian...
I just have to tell you that Ayatollah Khomeini was not behind everything that happened in the past 30 years. Esp. He actually opposed the Gardien Council ! and some other things.......I don't want to back him up by any means. Just saying that people took advantage of this religous immunity. In Iran it's not about velayate faghih or Ideology..majority reject it by far...at least privately if not publicly. But the fact that people lost faith in the honesty of their leaders
If the Hitch's fight against esophageal cancer is anything like his intellectual battle against religion, religious and political censorship, and theocratic bullying then he will not only destroy cancer but send a message to all cancer of whats to come. Get well soon Hitch!
Hitchens: "Well-articulated argument. Well-articulated argument. Well-articulated argument."
paperattack: "Ad homenim attack."
Sorry, I think you just got stomped.
Back in 1989, Ceuceascu had made laws/guidelines (whichever) in Romania such that abortion was strictly forbidden. Female workers were subject to monthly medical exams to check for pregnancy. Back street abortions were rife. The idea was to increase the population, and he succeeded. It was later said that it was this extra population that was his downfall ..."mad as hell", yes.
He is not america, but all things being equal he is one of the best authorities on the middle east.
Hitchens accomplished a fantastic feat. His early writings are important pieces of history. And his later writings which are often categorized as "neoconservative" are helpful to understand the crumbling US empire. But again, one must read his previous writings and have read his recommended material. It is a tragedy that the empire will be defeated by war in the Middle East
because he said women arent funny? they dont need to be...and he's right....they arent....
Neither...
Sanctions will only cripple and horrify the living conditions in Iran, while have almost no effect on the government.
War will mean killing of innocent people...
So... let the people decide - help with the flow of information (unbiased)
It's actually the flag of Kurdistan.
@hobodoctor It's besides the point, but I believe Hitchens would have wanted to point out that he's British, not American.
@hobodoctor He's not American, he's English although he now lives in America.
The current problem is the US only wage limited conventional war.
Total war is good for economy.
Christopher Hitchens is notoriously drunk. I mean, if you EVER see him speaking publicly, you can just assume that he is drunk... you're right about 95% of the time.
And don't cast this as an attack on Hitchens, who gives a shit if the man's a drunk so long as he keeps up his brilliant analysis and argumentation.
this mans rapier wit and razor tongue never fail to let me down.
he looks well hungover
To all the nay-sayers and the Hitchens critics; especially the ones claiming that he doesn't substantiate his claims and corroborate his opinions. You may be right in your views, you may also be wrong. But keep in mind this is a 4 minute video...
You should watch the full ONE HOUR program at fora's official website.
somone with your attitude and close mind should not even be watching any of hitchens videos for you have not quite reached that capacity yet.
Encyclopedia Hitchens, this guy houses a ridiculous amount of information in his skull.
He is against religion. How does that make him baised? He is entitled to his opinions.
Hi i miss you sir
He said 'waged with' Iran. I think he misspoke, he was about to say 'waged on' but realized that wasn't right and kind of half changed his sentence.
You can't possibly think from just that, that Hitchens didn't know his stuff.
Anyway, rather than making a stupid comment like that, you could have looked up the countless essays and other literature produced by Hitchens which repudiate you're assumption of his lack of knowledge.
@alihammadshah Ummm.....I never sent anyone to the Iran - Iraq war, neither did any american society, so how on earth does that make him a hypocrite? What our government did is a total different thing.
@fredrikhedlund I lived in Iran until 9 years ago and all of my grandparents cousins uncles and aunts are there.
@fredrikhedlund He has more authority than YOU, being born and raised in Iran, having plenty of family there, and most likely visiting his homeland on an annual basis.
@tarun1982 , the people of iran are very happy that they are oppressed?
@azar315537 Well... He is currently dying from cancer, so he doesn't do that many film interviews. He has written articles. Type "Christopher Hitchens on Egypt" into Google and you'll find a few articles about what just happened there.
@hotchoccolate23 Yes he is, but he´s still ours, he´s still british born and bred
Yes I know this. I have watched Khomeini's speech on Behesht Zahra in which he was promising people freedom and prosperity. You are right when you say that people see clerics as rightful people, but that's a wrong attempt, to be honest. Both - human rights and religion - actually do not go together, if you look at it historically. Religion was "built" in a time when the idea of human rights was not there. Apart from Cyrus the great maybe - even he followed a policy to separate religion/politics
@alihammadshah He's against both Judaism and Zionism, and has said such. Watch more videos, he indeed does criticise america and its policies a quite a few times.
@spartacandream I am not saying he supports judasim or not. There is a difference b/w judaism and zionists not all jews are zionist. Well I mean't he doesn't speak about american atrocities.
@BeyondTheTreeline well that's why he defends irving's right to forward his position. i don't know about them being friends. i just think he's right to take the public stance he does regarding free speech.
How is it cowardly?
I'm just notifying you of how much a jerk Hitchens is.
I never said he didn't make an fairly well thought out analysis of the situation in Iran.
I was just assaulting his character ;)
well if u ask them which world do they prefer to have power in (this one or the next) their actions clearly imply they dont believe in the next..makes them non believers.
@trafficante78 What qualification does one need to be an American if being an American citizen and having lived in the US for about 30 years doesn't satisfy?
That statement oozes intellectual cowardice.
@azar315537 Fair enough, but he's been a journalist so long I'm sure he housed most of this information long before Wikipedia existed.
can anyone see what the flag is he is wearing on his jacket?
6 year old comment so probably irrelevant haha, but it is the Kurdish flag
Because i said he was hungover?
I think you were either replying to the wrong person or are a bit paranoid mikeahmadi. I like Hitchens to bits , but he was shot away in this video
you paint with far too broad a brush, amigo.
mossadiq was very popular with americans, but hated by the english(particulary BP, known then as anglopersian oil)-it was them that schemed and manipulated the president into thinking mossadiq was endangering iran .
mossadiq didn't help matters by simply stewing in the RN naval blockade rather than getting the u.s. to run interference by signing an oil contract with some big american oil firm, along the lines they had with arab states.
what are you basing your 'facts' on? iranian press releasing?
I think @phezla means to say "Islamic State" -- which Iran unequivocally is. That has nothing to do with what segment of the population is or is not muslim. Iran is actually called the "Islamic Republic of Iran." It is a theocracy wholly governed by muslim clerics.
@TheAqui1a He also holds American citizenship making him an American.
@barrygreenbank I'm aware. He's an American citizen, making him an American.
@hobodoctor Do you live In Iran or do you have contact with ppl living in Iran? If the answer is NO to both of them then you dont have any authority in the mater. Herritage dont give authority...
I have difficulty believing Hitchens,a life-long human rights campaigner who defends the Somali-born anti-Islam activist Ayaan Hirsi Ail (and who spoke for scores in complimenting her ravishing beauty!) is a "racist".
Anyone here after trump's threats to Iran in 2020?
@BeyondTheTreeline however much you disagree with irving's very questionable version of history would you really see him serve time for it? how do we know we're right about the past if we don't have our position challenged and have to argue for it? free speech must trump our sensitivities about the holocaust for the sake of our own integrity as much as irving's rights.
@killsourenemy
Due to an assassination attempt?Divine retribution? Poor health?
I hope that he doesn't as I don't see a proper replacement on the horizon.
@TheAqui1a If that is the case, I stand corrected and he has dual nationality. Lucky him. What about it?
@BeyondTheTreeline It's a matter of principle for hitch; the defence of free speech. in several countries in europe there's only one authorised version of history. no discussion, debate or questioning of the shoa is allowed, and this is backed by legal force. david irving was thrown in prison in austria for questioning the offical version of the holocaust: sentenced to jail for his opinions.
Actually it's easy for him to be. What you essentially said was say "he has one black friend, and he thinks she's good lookin' ".
However I personally don't think he is. He is a bit morally corrupt however. His views on war and some other statist control schemes are just as bad as the people who implement them.
It looks like an upside down Iranian flag.
Who cares how someone looks.
@TheAqui1a He is an American citizen. He was English. As far as I'm concerned, he will always be an Englishman, from the aspect of birth and culture but he is undeniably an American, through choice. A choice he was free to make.
@phezla well when you say islamic country you see the whole population as muslims but that's not true, your not including the individuals and free thinkers, i agree that the constitution is islamic but as i said the whole population is not muslim.
@hobodoctor coming from you, I take that to be rather more meaningful than most, peace
Haha, no. You're thinking of Kazakhstan!
You got the "-stan" bit right though! ;-)
I declare December 25th to be Christophermas.
hitchens is an american citizen
God help us now every one is an expert on Iran.
@Assaultpredator I'd prefer Secretary of State!
@karim421
If the US hated the Ayotollahs that badly we wouldn't have sold weapons to them during the Iran-Contra scandal; on the contrary the Ayatollah probably released the hostages because he saw he could do business with the far-right Reagan administration.
Or was that your point im drunk
A thumbs-up just isn't good enough sometimes, I have to chime in to say I absolutely agree with hobodoctor and evilwatermelon. hobodoctor: I have never heard anyone "in the media" give a more accurate account. evilwatermelon: Soon.
@alihammadshah Hitchens is against Judaism, and speaks out alot against what Israel does, so your "zionist are evil propagandists" idea is just wrong with regards to what Hitchens says.
@CommanderC4 But at the same time social media and communities can help people from different cultures, religions with wicked "skeleton" get together and drop the shit, perhaps. Get rid of the wickedness and hate from the past.
me too
@TheSasss1 this is the problem though. would the Iranian people like to overthrow Mr. "im a dinner jacket" themselves.....or getting the full might of NATO, however inaccurate it is, to do it for them?
it's going to happen, but the Iranian people do need to make that choice.
@patrick112590 Yeah i hate the ideology theoretically but i love it when it is practised and is in practical form. Umm suck up. The thing about jews is they were hated by every one. How come you were killed by so many people around the world through out your history. Have you ever come up to the mirror and asked yourself this question. Why always us?
"Either a human is your brother in religion or in humanity", Imam Ali (as).
“Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you" Al-Qur’an 2:190
Chris had to sell out. It was his life or theirs. I dunno if the two are connected?
It's too bad Hitchens is such a biased religion-hating bigot, otherwise I might say he made a good point.
But no, I know his ulterior motive for speaking on this topic.
@davidhealey1 that is way longer than thinking
He pronounced wilayat al faqih all wrong
@370ben370 Too bad? Are you kidding? Don´t say that like it´s a bad thing, if he´d been brought up an american, what would the chances be that he would be saying the things he does?
@azar315537 I find your lack of faith disturbing..
@hobodoctorOk. Thumps up!
i'm really staring to like him more and more.
@azar315537 Maybe he's busy battling his cancer- Did you consider that? If you don't like him, fine (I don't agree with 100% of what he says, either), but please don't be jerk about it.
too bad hes not american then