Discontent in Iran
Recently, a group of 100 Iranian students staged a public protest, shouting, “Death to the dictator”, as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gave a speech in the presence of riot police, who didn’t stop them. Last December students set his picture on fire and booed him. Ahmadinejad is getting increasingly unpopular at home, as the economy takes a nose dive and unemployment grows.
Tufts University professor, Vali Nasr, an expert on Iran has authored a book entitled: “The Shia Revival.” He says there is a lot of opposition to Ahmadinejad’s economic policies in Iran. Inflation is high and their president hasn’t delivered on promises made.
The sanctions imposed by the United Nations are taking a bite out of the economy and he has become more dictatorial than in the past. Ahmadinejad’s intelligence services have been harassing women and students. There is a sense that some of this pressure is now beginning to boil over within Iran itself.
Experts have suggested that younger people in Iran are fed up with Ahmadinejad. They’re on the Internet and they want to see things change.
However, these are not the people who actually voted Ahmadinejad into office. He relied on the vote of poor Iranians and promised to make their lives better once he became president. The students have shown a bold initiative to oppose him, but the next step will be to see if those, who continue to suffer economically will join in with this uprising.
Ahmadinejad is not the ultimate head of state in Iran. The head of state is the supreme leader, who controls the judiciary and the military forces. He controls the day-to-day administration of government and is seen as responsible for the failures of the government.
We’re not going to see a change towards democracy any time soon. According to Vali Nasr, the smartest strategy for the United States is not interfere in the internal affairs of Iran, because opposition to Ahmadinejad would be seen as doing the bidding of the Bush regime. We should continue with an international approach to Iran and let the opposition in Iran take on Ahmadinejad.
Tufts University professor, Vali Nasr, an expert on Iran has authored a book entitled: “The Shia Revival.” He says there is a lot of opposition to Ahmadinejad’s economic policies in Iran. Inflation is high and their president hasn’t delivered on promises made.
The sanctions imposed by the United Nations are taking a bite out of the economy and he has become more dictatorial than in the past. Ahmadinejad’s intelligence services have been harassing women and students. There is a sense that some of this pressure is now beginning to boil over within Iran itself.
Experts have suggested that younger people in Iran are fed up with Ahmadinejad. They’re on the Internet and they want to see things change.
However, these are not the people who actually voted Ahmadinejad into office. He relied on the vote of poor Iranians and promised to make their lives better once he became president. The students have shown a bold initiative to oppose him, but the next step will be to see if those, who continue to suffer economically will join in with this uprising.
Ahmadinejad is not the ultimate head of state in Iran. The head of state is the supreme leader, who controls the judiciary and the military forces. He controls the day-to-day administration of government and is seen as responsible for the failures of the government.
We’re not going to see a change towards democracy any time soon. According to Vali Nasr, the smartest strategy for the United States is not interfere in the internal affairs of Iran, because opposition to Ahmadinejad would be seen as doing the bidding of the Bush regime. We should continue with an international approach to Iran and let the opposition in Iran take on Ahmadinejad.
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