I can't help but wonder about this, regarding Zelenskyy...

[Archae]

Suppose the Russian invasion ends, and Zelenskyy celebrates victory.

Then what?

Back in the 70's, I saw liberals celebrating the end of the Shah's regime, and the Ayatollah Khomeni and his people taking power.
I had my doubts about him, since he was openly a religious fascist.
But some liberals said not to worry.

How is it in Iran nowadays?

So would Zelenskyy set himself up as a dictator too?

[JI7]

1. No, the US is more at danger of having something like that happen with Trump or similar type

[COL Mustard]

2. Zelenskyy was democratically elected

Big, big difference. He’s the anti-autocrat.

[Archae]

3. I hope you're right.

All too often we see people like Orban in Hungary.

[comradebillyboy]

14. Orban was also democratically elected.

Democracy allows people we don't like to be elected.

[yardwork]

16. Like Trump. We know what a lot of people around the world think of that.

[True Dough]

23. Good point!

People in glass houses and all that...

Well, at least the ship has been righted, for now.

[former9thward]

36. The Ayatollah Khomeni was also democratically elected.

After the Shah fled there was a referendum and Khomeni won a landslide victory.

[Bettie]

4. I'm not seeing any parallels between

Zelenskyy and Khomeni or between a Russian invasion of Ukraine and an internal power struggle Iran.

[PatSeg]

5. No, I don't see that at all

[KS Toronado]

6. History has never known a comedian who became a dictator

They're kind of polar opposites.

[DFW]

43. Quite true. It's like worrying that Al Franken would act like Trump as president

I doubt there‘s anyone who considers that to be a realistic scenario.

[hatrack]

7. The only religious fascism I've seen so far is all in Moscow, not Kyiv

Oh, and DC, of course.

[yardwork]

8. What?! In what way is Zelenskyy a religious fascist?

He was democratically elected.

[Archae]

10. I never said he was.

But I had my doubts about Khomeni, and some liberals just shrugged and said "Well, he ain't the Shah..."

He wasn't, but he ended up being worse.

I hope Zelenskyy doesn't let the adulation go to his head.

[yardwork]

15. This makes no sense to me whatsoever.

[Dorian Gray]

39. me either.

[Tommy Carcetti]

9. No evidence that will ever happen, but hypothetically if it does...

…Ukrainians have ways of dealing with Presidents who abuse the democratic process.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolution_of_Dignity


But let’s not assume we’re going in that direction, okay?

[Archae]

11. Sounds good to me, so far.

[Samrob]

12. Iran is basically suffering from what we, Israel, and the rest of the west is doing to it.

Iran has never invaded another country except for Iraq in self-defense from Iraq with out backing was attacking them. Iran has never expressed the desire for nuclear power except for domestic purposes although they are truly surrounded by hostile countries with nukes.
We overthrew a democratically elected leader of Iran and placed a brutal puppet leader over them and turned them further against us when we offered shelter and medical help for said brutal leader.

[JI7]

17. Iran is suffering because of the Religious Clerics. Most of the people of Iran are Non Religious and

being oppressed by the religious powers .

I agree with the history and our fault there. But currently the problem is the people in power in the country.

[Beastly Boy]

22. These are all foreign policy concerns.

They neither address the parallels between Iran and Ukraine suggested in the OP, nor excuse the oppressive rule of the ayatollahs' regime over their own people.

And even within the scope of foreign policy, these sentiments don't take into account Iran's involvement in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen and Gaza, not to mention the ever-escalating regional conflict between Shiah and Sunni muslim states, and the impending nuclear threat by Iran to the entire region.

[former9thward]

37. What hostile countries with nukes surround Iran?

[DFW]

44. The argument could be made

Bordering on Iran are Russia, Pakistan, and nuclear-armed NATO (Turkey).

[former9thward]

45. Russia is an Iranian ally.

Certainly not hostile. Pakistan and Turkey have a small percentage of Iran's total border but I don't think either country can be classified as "hostile" towards Iran.

[DFW]

46. Considering recent history

Any neighbor in that region can turn hostile in the blink of an eye. Our NATO „ally,“ Turkey, is not one, under Erdogan, anyway, on whom I would depend to join us in a tight situation. All alliances in that region are ones of convenience, and therefore potentially hostile.

If China, for example, were to rekindle its territorial dispute with India by force, Pakistan would support China. If China were to start a land grab against both, however, Pakistan and India would resist jointly. They would still be at each other‘s throats again once the outside threat was over. This is not the US-Canadian border.

[Beastly Boy]

13. If Zelensky had dictatorial ambitions, he would have invited Putin in with open arms.

He is putting his life on the line to make Ukraine one of Europe's liberal democracies. An idea that Islamist despots would find appalling.

...How did Khomeni end up in a Zelensky post anyway?

[mucifer]

18. Yes President Zelenskyy is the first

Jewish nazi dictator President.

We all know that.

[Scrivener7]

19. Really?

[muriel_volestrangler]

20. This is the ultimate in pessimism

Take what some unknown liberals (who were not the mainstream opinion) said over 40 years ago about a completely different situation (a revolution against a dictator, in which some liberal Iranians were quickly overwhelmed by the religious extremists), and desperately try to shoehorn that into a democratically-elected president leading a country against an external invasion.

Your basis for this is "liberals like Zelenskyy; I once knew a few liberals who liked the Ayatollah Khomeni at first. Therefore, we must ask if Zelenskyy might become a dictator too".

This could be applied to anyone liked by any liberal. Liberals like Biden? Ooohh, would Biden set himself up as a dictator too? Liberals like Jacinda Ardern? Oohh, would she set herself up as a dictator too? Liberals like DU? Oohh, is DU fascist like the ayotollah?

This is an absurd thread. Self-delete, before it becomes even more clownish.

[mcar]

26. Thank you

I was trying to figure out a response to this bizarre OP. You said it better.

[Me.]

27. Quite

I'm thinking he's a lucky guy if this is all that's on his mind...the sky is falling mentality has been prevalent these last few years.

[PortTack]

28. Agree completely! Wasn't it cawthorn calling Zelensky a thug..come on!!

[KY_EnviroGuy]

21. That danger always exists and particularly with populist leaders.

Quote: "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men..."
......Lord Acton (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dalberg-Acton,_1st_Baron_Acton)

Such is the persistent fallacy of placing far too much power and/or wealth in the hands of too few individuals, and of human complacency and hubris, particularly in times of extremes (either prosperity or conflict).

Greed, selfishness, tribalism, territorialism and the need of a strong leader figure in many people may in the end be the causes of our downfall.

KY

[SoonerPride]

24. This post is nonsense.

The Iranians revolted against the shah and installed the Ayatollah.

Zelenskyy was ELECTED TO OFFICE.

Get out of here with this idiotic comparison.

[CrackityJones75]

30. Right?

The OP seems completely ridiculous.

[2naSalit]

25. He's an elected president...

Currently defending democracy in an all out war. How does that translate to becoming a dictator just because he was successful?

[CrackityJones75]

29. This is like looking for the anti-silver lining?

WTF?

If the Ukranians prevail. How could shit go really bad? I guess I don’t get it.

[Quixote1818]

31. I would say there is about a .0000001% chance of that happening. nt

[Archae]

32. I hope you're right.

Popular figures have "gone dictator" before.

[Crunchy Frog]

35. It could conceivably happen, but they'd still be better off than they would be under

known fascist, genocidal dictator, Putin.

At this point I'm much more worried about impending dictatorship in my own country.

[yardwork]

41. Like Trump?

[Archae]

42. I was thinking more along the lines of Venezuela's Maduro.

He running that country into the sewer, while enriching himself, his family and cronies.

All while saying how he's "One of the good guys" for votes.

[Crunchy Frog]

33. Yes, Zelensky is exactly like the Ayatolla. Good observations.

[yardwork]

40. Your post made me laugh so hard!

Thank you. Sometimes laughter is best.

[gldstwmn]

34. Khomeni was an authoritarian right out of the gate.

It's been a long time now but I don't remember anyone on the left celebrating his ascension to power. There was broad anti Ayatollah sentiment in the US especially after the hostages were taken at our embassy. Then there was Iran Contra.

[Dorian Gray]

38. What?

I have no idea why you think Zelensky would be a dictator ala the Ayatollah of iran. That makes no sense.

[obamanut2012]

47. Wtf is this

[FreepFryer]

48. This post uses the word "liberals" in ways that don't pass the smell test

Your post is garbage.