Posted by
on Thursday, December 21, 2006 2:53:09 PM
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is facing some problems in his nation. In addition to the pressure being applied by the US, with the new, larger naval presence in the Gulf, and through pushing sanctions in the UN, he nation isn't too happy with him. From the New York Times:As protests broke out last week at a prestigious university here, cutting short a speech by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Babak Zamanian could only watch from afar. He was on crutches, having been clubbed by supporters of the president and had his foot run over by a motorcycle during a less publicized student demonstration a few days earlier.
But the significance of the confrontation was easy to grasp, even from a distance, said Mr. Zamanian, a leader of a student political group.
The student movement, which planned the 1979 seizure of the American Embassy from the same university, Amir Kabir, is reawakening from its recent slumber and may even be spearheading a widespread resistance against Mr. Ahmadinejad. This time the catalysts were academic and personal freedom.
“It is not that simple to break up a president’s speech,” said Alireza Siassirad, a former student political organizer, explaining that an event of that magnitude takes meticulous planning. “I think what happened at Amir Kabir is a very important and a dangerous sign. Students are definitely becoming active again.”
The protest, punctuated by shouts of “Death to the dictator,” was the first widely publicized outcry against Mr. Ahmadinejad, one that was reflected Friday in local elections, where voters turned out in droves to vote for his opponents.
The students’ complaints largely mirrored public frustrations over the president’s crackdown on civil liberties, his blundering economic policies and his harsh oratory against the West, which they fear will isolate the country.
But the students had an additional and potent source of outrage: the president’s campaign to purge the universities of all vestiges of the reform movement of his predecessor, Mohammad Khatami.Whoopsie. Sounds like somone underestimated his predecessor, and took for granted the support he received when he was elected. It also sounds like if Ahmadinejad doesn't mind his "P's" and "Q's" he could quickly find himself facing the same destiny of the shah. Onlt this time, it doesn't sound like the students would follwo his path, but rather one that emphasizes more freedom for the citizens of Iran.
And that is his worst nightmare made manifest. Ahmadinejad doesn't believe in any sort of freedom unless it's granted by him or the mullahs. Iran is a harsh Islamic state that thrives on oppressign its people. The fervor of freedom in Iraq, and even in Lebanon, has moved these students to take action. Openly protesting him was a risky endeavor (such demonstrations are usually broken up through violent means) but it's one they realized had to occur.
What is even more interesting is that the protesters drowned out the pro-Ahmadinejad people in that auditorium, and I'm sure that was much to his chagrin. He wanted to show the world how much his nation supported him, yet he couldn't control the election returns, and apparently couldn't contain the students. Many of them are in hiding now, afraid of the repercussions that could befall them. And rightly so. Ahmadinejad isn't known for his compassion in the face of such overwhelming dissent.
And the recent rhetorical outburst from him,/li> may go to show the world he has control of Iran, but it's a facade. Should the students pony up on a repeat of history, he and the mullahs in charge, are likely to be the first ones lined up and booted from the nation. They will not make the same mistake that was made in 1979 by putting a different set of extremists in office. And this, folks, is a situation we should be exploiting. To truly deal with him without any military involvement, we should be supporting these students. But we should also reinforce to the students that if they do need our help militarily, we will be there.
Publius II