In response to unrest in a particular country, especially one as particularly unstable and America-hating as Iran, the last thing most ordinary Americans would want to do is throw open our borders to people from that country. And yet, this is exactly what CNN Global Affairs Analyst Aaron David Miller seemingly would like to do.
Appearing on the New Year’s edition of “CNN Newsroom” with host Brianna Keiler to discuss the ongoing situation in Iran, Miller, a former adviser to both Democratic and Republican secretaries of state, openly called for open travel from Iran as a response.
“We have this preternatural tendency to put ourselves in the middle of the story and worse, to sort of turn it into an Obama versus Trump trope in which ‘The former president didn’t do enough,” said Miller in response to Keiler’s question about Iran. “Therefore, I am now president, I am the un-Obama and I am going to make it unmistakably clear where I stand.’ It’s fine to support human rights and we should be doing that. We should talk about the importance of individuals, human beings having the right to protest. But once you begin to incite, once you go beyond that, particularly in the face of the uncertainties and what we don’t know about this, I think it becomes really counterproductive. One more point, we just don’t have the kind of leverage we may think we do in order to direct and shape what is happening in the streets of Iran.”
Then, the conversation turned to finding the so-called “sweet spot” between former President Obama’s tepidity and Trump’s approach. To Miller, this means, apparently, removing “the travel ban with respect to Iran.”
“We heard a former Obama Administration spokesperson last hour who was saying there was some warranted criticism of President Obama for being too tepid, but also making the point that Trump is going overboard. Where is the sweet spot?” asked the CNN host.
“I think the balance is won by bipartisanship,” said Miller. “Do we have a unified Republican and Democratic response on this? And then second is, what can we do? I mean, maybe we should remove the travel ban with respect to Iran. Maybe we should ensure that those social media companies…”
That’s right, a former adviser to two secretaries of state wants to open America’s borders to either troublemakers from Iran or people who are trying to make the country better. How, in either case, does this help America or the ongoing situation in Iran?
Thankfully, Keilar noted the obvious, that Trump will never go for it.
“Can you imagine the President removing the travel ban associated with Iran?” quipped Keilar.
“It would be to his credit in order to send an unmistakable message that America’s door is open in the face of what’s happening in Iran, or to work on and with social media companies to ensure that social media, Instagram, Twitter and the app Telegram remain open. 48 million Iranians now have cell phones. In 2009 only a million did,” said Miller.
“How would he be able to do that, to send a message and to open a door when he’s made such a point of trying to close it in a move that has certainly garnered some support from his base?” asked Keillar.
“I’m waiting,” Miller said. “You know, in the interest of the Republican heart, having worked and voted for Republicans and Democrats, no.”
“It ain’t happening.”
And that’s a good thing for Iran and for America.
Watch the clip below:
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