Israel Matzav: Brilliant: Obama cuts funding to Iranian opposition

Brilliant: Obama cuts funding to Iranian opposition

Proving once again that he is the anti-Bush, President Obama has cut funding to Iranian opposition groups in line with his acknowledging the legitimacy of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

In an apparent shift from the Bush administration's efforts to foster regime change in Iran by financing opposition groups, the Obama White House has all but dismantled the Iran Democracy Fund.

While the move has been criticised by neo-conservatives in the US, it has been welcomed by Iranian human rights and pro-democracy activists.

The controversial program was initiated by the Bush administration in an effort to topple the clerical regime in Tehran by financing Iranian NGOs.

While heralded by some in Washington, reactions in Iran to the program were overwhelmingly negative.

Read the whole thing.

It sounds like the reactions in Iran were overwhelmingly negative because it gave the regime an excuse to arrest people. The problem is that Obama has no interest in fostering democratic change in Iran. He'd rather 'engage' with the Mullahs.

I'm with Joe Lieberman on this (he's quoted later in the article): This is the wrong time and it sends the wrong message.

Israel Matzav: Brilliant: Obama cuts funding to Iranian opposition