And look so fashionable doing it.

I am also not Neda.....and, no, we American feminists cannot understand what the Iranian women are doing/thinking/rebelling against. But as a NOT particularly young American feminist, I see the look in the eyes of the Iranian women on the web and TV. I recognize that look. No matter the particular nuances of their situation, what those women are exhibiting is the exhilaration and hope of seeing a crack in the ceiling (glass or steel), of daring to hope that their daughters will live in a different world than they themselves have. It is the same look we have seen in the eyes of feminists, and other women, all over the world, over the last 100 years, in countries from Ireland, to South Africa, to, yes, America---the look that says, after centuries of second class status and worse, "I am here. I am valuable. And I am the future."

It is a revolution for the future--as only women can lead one.

So while we cannot fully understand Iranian women, we also cannot fail to be inspired by them. And to show our daughters and granddaughters (and sons and grandsons), what some women are willing to do for freedom.

Or is this off topic? Anyway let's not meddle. Not now anyway.

Then get Baracky the Bullcrapper to do some "meddling."

The last couple of weeks of impassioned protests in Iran- stemming from it's controversial election results- have shown dramatically that there is a substantial proportion of the Iran population that yearn for significant positive changes to the way their country is governed & for a broad expansion of the political, social and individual rights and freedoms that have been afforded those in Iran for over 30-years.

Whether Iran ever becomes a secularized-Islamic-state, similar to its immediate neighbor- Turkey- where the tenets of Islam are both respected & practiced, & a country in which its residents and citizens- are enabled to live their lives guaranteed many of the rights & freedoms that we, in the fortunate west, take for granted- is an open question... a question, that until recent events- would have been uncontemplateble by most in the west- & certainly not even askable publicly by persons in Iran...

Getting a constructive answer to this could only be assisted by leaders of developed-economy-nations- such as the US & United Kingdom- doing whatever they can to show that their nations are not enemies of Iran...

Similar to North Korea's leadership, if Iran's current leaders- & religious clerics- lose their ability to be able to point to developed world countries & caustically allege an international conspiracy against Iran & its interests, the result would be the removal of Iran's leaders' and clerics' 30-year-old primary public-manipulation strategy used to mobilize support among Iranians for the destructively hostile, virulently oppositional relationship that Iran has had with countries like the US & UK during this period....

So what should the US/allied countries' leaders do about the Iran situation??

Take whatever steps are necessary to loudly, forcefully and unequivocally- demonstrate to the Iranian people that Iran has no enemies among developed world countries... and that the US/its allies want productive, cooperative engagement with Iran....

How?

Led by the US, & UK & the developed world ought to:

->>> Offer Iran the possibility of a 'special relationship' with the European Union- perhaps similar to that enjoyed by countries such as Norway- or that being proposed for Turkey by Germany...

Certainly, an offer such as this could not be interpreted as a threat to Iran or its people- nor portrayed negatively by Iran's leaders... & if accepted could only lead to substantial improvements in economic, social & political/legal-conditions within Iran...

->>> Offer (both N Korea &) Iran the rights to be exclusive locations for the International Thermonuclear Energy Research project, ITER (in planning stages, recently awarded to Cadarache, France,

http://www.iter.org )

ITER is, by its design & nature, international in function, thereby enabling competent oversight, precluding Iran or N Korea from misusing the project's resources.

Publicly offering the ITER project would, in effect, call these nations' leaders' bluff about needing secretive nuclear technology development programmes... & also would neutralize their basis for alleging that many developed-world nations harbour unseemly motives for being against their development of advanced nuclear technology.

An ITER campus/sight in N Korea would invariably lead to South Korean technical & financial participation. S Korea co-developing/maintaining & co-running an ITER campus/sight in N Korea could only greatly assist & productively amplify the- until recently- improving political, social & business ties between these two unnecessarily separated, highly culturally-similar states...

->>> Additionally, offer Iran rights to co-host the 2016 Olympics with Qatar (which was bidding for the games)....

Guaranties of significant logistical & financial support to Iran (from developed world nations) for its participation in such a 'world project' would go a long way to making such an offer seem palatable & not-too-contrived to Iran's citizens.

Other states in the wider region could be approached for participation, with a "Middle East" Olympic games an optimal objective.

->>> Finally, offer to pay for, & partner in the building of significant infrastructure for N Korea, & possibly Iran, of types that will instill national-prestige & facilitate an improved connectedness- both physical & psychological- to the outside world- such as a Japanese-type high-speed bullet train to connect the 2 Koreas' capital cities to that region's most capable potential peacemaker- China.

A pan-Korean peninsula high-speed rail link could only contribute to & make more permanent the existent, but very counterproductively limited, trade, industry & societal connections between these two (virtually) culturally homogeneous states.

If accepted, altruistic overtures such as the above would enable global stages where Iran & N Korea- & many Islamic nations- could feel that they can show their positive potential & achievements...

As well- meeting the developed world's political & defense objectives- would effectively require these countries to "fit", & productively "work with" the world community....

Developed world nations offering Iran (& N Korea) some form of EU 'membership'; the ITER project; the 2016 Olympics & partnering-in-the-building-of much needed infrastructure would go a long way to eliminating these 2 egotistically defensive nations' leaders' abilities to allege 'threat' from developed world & "Judeo Christian" countries- removing their basis for claiming a need to develop advanced nuclear technologies; weapons of mass destruction & ballistic missiles...

Roderick V. Louis,

Vancouver, BC, Canada,

ceo@patientempowermentsociety.com