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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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 OPINION 
5

Wallop Iran Where It Hurts: Oil Revenues

Two 'green' revolutions could bring down regime: Friedman

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(Newser) – Pundits and politicians are wasting their time telling Barack Obama what he should be saying about the growing "green revolution" in Iran, writes Thomas L. Friedman. The country's reformers and protesters don't need American encouragement; they need a weakened theocracy—which will only happen when oil prices go into freefall. "Launching a real green revolution in America," writes the New York Times columnist, "would be the best way to support the Green Revolution in Iran."

Iran's "turbaned shahs" will not change because of international encouragement of well-reasoned argument, but when collapsing crude forces them to give up their nuclear program and listen to the West. Oil has transformed Khamenei and Ahmadinejad into "petro-dictators," and Obama should hit them where it hurts: with a buck-a-gallon "Freedom Tax" on gasoline. "With oil at $70 a barrel, our economic sanctions on Iran are an annoyance," Friedman writes. "At $25, they really hurt."

Iran's former Revolutionary Guards commander Yahya Rahim Safavi, left, accompanies President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as they attend a parade near Tehran, Iran, on Sunday Nov. 26, 2006.
Iran's former Revolutionary Guards commander Yahya Rahim Safavi, left, accompanies President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as they attend a parade near Tehran, Iran, on Sunday Nov. 26, 2006.   (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, file)
A section of an oil refinery in Iran. Oil is the main source of revenue for Iran's regime.
A section of an oil refinery in Iran. Oil is the main source of revenue for Iran's regime.   (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, file)
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a Friday prayer ceremony in Tehran.
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a Friday prayer ceremony in Tehran.   (AP photo/Hasan Sarbakhshian/file)
Mir Hossein Mousavi addresses supporters at a demonstration in Tehran.
Mir Hossein Mousavi addresses supporters at a demonstration in Tehran.   (AP Photo/Ghalam News, File)
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks during a meeting with lawmakers at in Tehran yesterday.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks during a meeting with lawmakers at in Tehran yesterday.   (AP Photo/ISNA, Alireza Sotakbar)
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Ahmadinejad presides over an economy that makes nothing the world wants. Trust me, at $25 a barrel, he won’t be declaring that the Holocaust was a myth anymore. - Thomas L. Friedman

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5 comments
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BennKenn
Jun 24, 09 8:03 AM CDT
This is a brilliant idea. Reply
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+1
shonangreg
Jun 24, 09 8:32 AM CDT
Yeah, in ten years, we can bring up green technology to such a level that the price of petroleum will only be 150 dollars a barrel. ............ This strategy is like deciding that when your car is running out of gas, the solution is to build more gas stations. Reply
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0
Reader64481089
Jun 24, 09 8:42 AM CDT
Oh yea, great idea. We did the same thing to North Korea and look how well that worked. Kim made everyone go to the country and turned them all into farmers while he lived in luxury his people died by the dozens. We have repeated this same scenario over and over, Cuba springs to mind and the only ones hurt in the end are our self respect, the American image abroad, and the poorest and most helpless who starve and go hungry while their leaders grip grows even stronger. Reply
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+2
dax
Jun 24, 09 10:32 AM CDT
US energy self-sufficiency addresses many different problems on many different levels. Undermining the Iranian Oil-tollas is just one benefit. Without those revenues, the populist sentiment being expressed on the streets of Tehran today, might be enough to unseat the theocratic dictators. Clearly, the economic tipping point has added impetus to the current political revolt. Moreover, the motivation of the Iranian people differs greatly from the North Koreans. Reply
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IN RESPONSE:
ack
Jun 24, 09 1:50 PM CDT
Bingo. Some more nukes, a major investment in solar and wind, and *real* electric cars would be incredible. Of course, an economically unstable Middle East will present a new set of problems, but if we can convert from oil to electricity... wow.
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