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June 20, 2005
How Do You Say “Fox News” in Farsi?
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Reuters has what seems to be an overall fair take on the election in Iran
Reformists, some of whom accuse state military organizations like the Basij militia of supporting Ahmadinejad, say he is part of an ultra-conservative, totalitarian plan.
“If he wins Khamenei will really rule everything,” said Mohammad Reza Khatami, head of Iran’s largest reform party. “We will not have free elections and opposition voices won’t be tolerated,” he told Reuters.
Islamic hard-liners, many of them former Revolutionary Guards members, won control of many city councils and Iran’s parliament in 2003 and 2004 elections which were marred by low turnout.
Rafsanjani, alluding to “organized interference” in the vote, urged Iranians to help him defeat Ahmadinejad.
“I seek your help and ask you to be present in the second round of the election so that we can prevent all extremism,” he said in a statement published in several newspapers.
RAFSANJANI BACKED BY REFORMISTS
Reformists have rallied behind Rafsanjani, viewing him as the lesser of two evils. “Although we may not agree with all Rafsanjani’s programs, we have to support him,” Khatami said.
The largest pro-reform student group, which boycotted last week’s vote, also said it would campaign for Rafsanjani.
Many political analysts, while surprised by Ahmadinejad’s strong showing in the first round, said reformists had provided no concrete evidence of vote-rigging and had underestimated the mayor’s strong support among Iran’s large mass of pious poor.
“Ahmadinejad sold himself as a Robin Hood — hardworking, honest, a man of the people,” said one analyst, who declined to be named. “He represents the resentment of people toward those who are doing better, driving fancy cars and so on.”
Learning to Talk to Iran?
btw, I just ordered
The “Great Satan” vs. the “Mad Mullahs” : How the United States and Iran Demonize Each Other
by William O. Beeman as an anthropologist I am interested in Beeman’s work.
Posted by: Uncle $cam | Jun 20 2005 21:34 utc | 2
just slightly OT
Rice appeals for Mideast democracy and free choice
“Throughout the Middle East, the fear of free choices can no longer justify the denial of liberty,” she said. “It is time to abandon the excuses that are made to avoid the hard work of democracy.”
…
“For 60 years my country, the United States, pursued stability at the expense of democracy in the Middle East — and we achieved neither. Now, we are taking a different course,” she said.
…
Rice, on the fourth leg of her tour, also made a point of meeting eight Egyptian opposition leaders but two major groups were conspicuously absent.
Kefaya (Enough), which has spearheaded protests against what it calls sham electoral reforms promoted by Mubarak, said it wanted no dealings with the Americans.
…
The Muslim Brotherhood, a once-militant group that no longer espouses violence, was not invited. “We have not engaged with the Muslim Brotherhood and we won’t,” Rice told a questioner at the American University.
The Muslim Brotherhood would quite possible win any fair election in Egypt….
“For 60 years my country, the United States, pursued stability at the expense of democracy in the Middle East — and we achieved neither. Now, we are taking a different course,” she said.
Right. Now we’re pursuing “democracy” at the expenses of stability. And we STILL will achieve neither.
Posted by: Billmon | Jun 20 2005 23:04 utc | 4