The majority of Iran already likes us. The 5% of religious extremists control the govt. and oppress the people. They are the only ones who dont like us.
Whoever controls the public discourse gains in the long run. What do you think Iran would look like today if local information policies hadn't been counterbalanced by the internet for the last ten years?
I distinctly remember The Daily Show sending somebody to Teheran to ask people in the street if they new the show and they found quite a bunch who said yes!
So IMO you are right, but only as long as Iran is well-integrated in the internet. Guess which 5% of Iran realized this recently.
This is a fantasy pushed by people (contractors) trying to justify invasion. The majority of the college educated professional middle class in Iran likes traditional US rhetoric about democracy, capitalism, and our particular list of individual civil liberties.
Not only are the professional middle class not a majority of the population, and within them are not unanimous about US-style government, but to say that they like the actual US and its actual current behavior is IMO an unsustainable stretch.
It always has to be remembered that it was largely the religious extremists of Iran that freed Iran from the yoke of the US - who might have believed in democracy for itself, but not for Iran.
Give some context - Iran shares half of its borders with politically unstable countries, one of which has nuclear weapons. All of Germany's neighbours are extremely stable; they have better scope to look further afield for threats.
You misread me. Germans are safe from their immediate neighbours. Iranians are not. I'm not surprised that Iranians don't see the US as the most threatening thing around, especially given an unstable Pakistan with nuclear capabilities is right next door.
