Iran is not Iraq, 2009 is not 1979, and Obama is not W - Whirled. By Patricia H.
Kushlis In 2005, a student of mine began his report to the class on the relationship between politics and Islam in Iran with the title “Iran is not Iraq.” Most, if not all of the students in that upper division Islam and Politics class already knew it but his was a particularly effective opening, and as he told me later, far too few Americans knew the difference between the two countries at the time of the 2003 US invasion of Iraq and fewer still could differentiate between these two large Middle Eastern countries on the map.
Presumably, after the events in Iran over the past couple of weeks and the heavy news coverage here far more Americans may – hopefully - now recognize some of the major differences between the two countries. Hopefully Americans also realize that there is a huge internal political struggle underway in Iran that burst into the open in the streets in reaction to the Iranian regime’s mangling the aftermath of the country’s recent presidential election. Middle East News, Iraq, Iran current affair. Obama faces a Persian rebuff By M K Bhadrakumar Twitter can now revert to its plan to shut down its Iran services and attend to maintenance work.
Twitter goes into recess pleased that it probably embarrassed a resurgent regional power. The United States government owes Twitter a grand salute for having done something where all other stratagems of war and peace failed in the past three decades. However, Persian stories have long endings. The Iranian regime shows every sign of closing ranks and pulling its act together in the face of what it assessed to be an existential threat to the Vilayat-e faqih (rule of the clergy) system. When Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei used a colorful The Iranian security establishment has begun digging deeper and deeper into what really happened.
Unsubstantiated allegations do not stick. At any rate, Tehran is going after Britain - "the most treacherous of foreign powers", to use Khamenei's words. Thus, Mir Hossein Mousavi stands isolated. WhirledView. Patricia Lee Sharpe If the past is predictive, there’s little reason to worry about the mechanics for India’s parliamentary elections, which are scheduled to begin on April 5 and roll across the country, phases by phase, for thirty-six days.
What does worry me, for the first time, is some potential for violence. Check the Numbers Indian elections have been one of the wonders of the post-colonial political world. To quote Chennai's highly respected The Hindu, “The numbers say it all.” A polling process that goes on so long and involves so many candidates, officials and observers is bound to have some malfunctions, even some irregularities, including attempts to steal votes. There’s no reason to expect that the Election Commission won’t handle next month’s elections just as competently. A Free-for-All? Francis Fukuyama: Iranian constitution democratic at heart - WSJ.