BY GERRY CHIDIAC
Lessons in Learning
Last month marked the fortieth anniversary of the People Power Revolution in the Philippines. This was a bloodless, indigenous, and very effective regime change, and in an age where countries with powerful armies view regime change in foreign lands as justification for violence, it is worth reflecting on what the world can learn from this event.
I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have gone to university in the Philippines a few years before the People Power Revolution. President Ferdinand Marcos Senior was the dictator at the time. Since it was during the Cold War and Marcos was an American ally, anyone who objected to his regime was labeled a communist. As a Canadian used to free speech, I was shocked when students were uncomfortable engaging in political debates in the classroom, and then I learned about disappearances, shootings, and curious “accidents” that happened with regularity.
When my friends knew that there were no informants around, they talked to me about what was happening in their country. They were well-educated and skilled in critical thinking. They also made very effective use of humour.
While I enjoyed talking with my Filipino friends, I was very aware that as a foreigner, I needed to listen and learn. I had absolutely no right to advise them about how their country should be run. To me, this is simply common sense.
A few years after I left, the world stood in awe when, after a contested presidential election result, throngs of Filipinos confronted the military armed only with flowers and prayer beads. American President Ronald Reagan wisely remained silent, and Marcos was powerless. He left the country and Corazon Aquino, his opponent in the election, became the new President of the Philippines.
It is difficult to find an example of a regime change brought on by foreign interference, including economic sanctions, embargoes, blockades, and violence, that resulted in a better situation for the citizens of a country; in fact, these actions inflict tremendous suffering on indigenous populations. The truth is, foreign intervention is almost always motivated by a desire to control the resources of a country, and very rarely by honest altruism.
In the current case of the American and Israeli regime change operations, it seems very odd that foreigners who express concern about the freedom of the people of Iran are so willing to kill Iranians. On the first day of the latest assault, they blew up an elementary school, tragically killing over 100 innocent little girls.
The people of Iran, like the people of the Philippines, are well educated. They are perfectly capable of deciding how they want to be governed, and like the people of the Philippines, they will find a way to remove a leader who is not serving them.
It appears that the current Iranian government is well prepared for the American and Israeli assault. The confirmed death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, does not appear to have had the impact Americans and Israelis were hoping for. Reports state that he refused to go into hiding, and the accuracy of these announcements is of little consequence. In the eyes of Shia Muslims, he is a martyr and his death will likely inspire an even more determined resistance to perceived foreign aggression.
We don’t know how many Iranians, Israelis, and Americans will die in the conflict, but military experts are warning that American weapons stocks are severely depleted after years of fighting in Ukraine and Palestine.
A greater problem for the Americans and any Western allies who join them is that they suffer severe personnel shortages. Outside the political and economic elite, there is little support for the war in Iran, especially among younger citizens. Hasan Piker, who commands a larger audience than most mainstream media sites in the 18-35 age group, is even referring to the current conflict as “World War Epstein.” Using a play on the Trump administration’s label, “Operation Epic Fury”, the term “Operation Epstein Fury” is trending online.
Forty years after the People Power Revolution, life is not perfect in the Philippines. I was shocked when the population elected Ferdinand Marcos Junior, the son of the former dictator, as their president in 2022. Regardless of what I think of this choice, it is not my business as a foreigner to tell Filipinos how they should be governed.
Nor is it our business who governs Iran.
Gerry Chidiac is an award-winning high school teacher specializing in languages, genocide studies and work with at-risk students. Check out his website here. Find him on Facebook. Or on Twitter @GerryChidiac
