Has Iran finally had enough of Ahmadinejad? June 3, 2008
Posted by reformedville in : culture, Government , trackbackWe have heard for years that the Iranian people were not on the same page as their extremist leaders but now we are starting to see some action in the Iranian political arena.
Video of Ahmadinejad threatening the British Embassy( link )
Ali Larijani is in a very good position to question Ahmadinejad’s policies
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| Ali Larijani, 01 Jun 2008 |
Iran’s new parliament elected Ali Larijani as temporary speaker last week, but has now voted to give him the job for a full year.Larijani is seen as a key rival to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from within the president’s conservative movement. He resigned from his position as Iran’s top nuclear negotiator last year and was elected to parliament in March. Some believe he could use his new post to challenge Mr. Ahmadinejad in next year’s presidential election.
Analysts say the conservative camp has become divided into competing factions over two main issues - Mr. Ahmadinejad’s economic policies and his aggressively anti-Western approach to the nuclear dispute, which his critics say has further isolated Iran.
Kuwait-based political scientist and regional affairs expert Mohammad El-Sayed Selim said Larijani’s new position is one with significant influence.
“I think the election Ali Larijani to some extent weakens the grip of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on power,” said Mohammad El-Sayed Selim. “Now Ali Larijani is in a very good position to question [Mr.] Ahmadinejad’s economic policies, and he is quite critical of his economic policies.”
Video outlining the differences between Ali Larijani and Ahmadinejad. (link)
Talks with Iran are not always headline news
Washington and Tehran held low-level talks on Afghanistan in the aftermath of the U.S.-led invasion in 2001 that ousted the Taliban regime and more recently on stability in Iraq after the U.S.-led invasion of that country in 2003. The talks on Iraq broke off last year after just three rounds.
Condoleezza Rice has held out the possibility of high-level talks, but only if Iran first suspends uranium enrichment activities that the West fears could produce a nuclear weapon. Tehran, which says its nuclear program is purely for civilian energy production, has refused to meet that condition.
Speaking at a Washington diplomatic forum on May 14 and before the Senate on May 20, Gates said the United States should raise pressure on Iran as a means of pushing the Islamic Republic to engage in talks.
“The key here is developing leverage, either through economic or diplomatic or military pressures on the Iranian government, so that they believe they must have talks,” Gates told a Senate appropriations panel.
“Robert Gates has more credibility in the Middle East than any other member of the administration. And the fact is that, for Arabs, the indispensable part of American power is military power.”Overview
Overview
Changes finally seem to be forthcoming in Iranian politics, something that has been forecasted for almost ten years but the solidarity of the Iranian people to have a right to nuclear power allowed Ahmadinejad to ride to victory. However the tide is turning, and it may occur about the same time that the American administration changes occur as well.
Make no mistake, Ali Larijani is not a friend of the United States, rather he is not a cowboy like Ahmadinejad and Bush. Let’s pray we can make it through until January 2009 without a war in Iran. Perhaps both countries have said enough is enough of chest-bumping presidents.
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