News

My opinion.

I am a pacifist like many others on this site. Ass such Ireject all solutions involving war unless there is absolutely no other choice, as perhaps would be the case in UN military intervention for example in Sudan or Israel/Palestine to STOP a war.

The only war I believe in is war against war., and only when UN monitored.

Therefore, THERE IS NO OTHER SOLUTION TO THE IRAN PROBLEM THAN REFOMISM. The Reformists made large strides. During their time I believe Iran had more oblggers than anywhere in the world and dosens of newspapers. Women were given many less restrictions on dress. Etc.

I believe the conservative backlash was caused directly if not eclusively by the military flanking of Iran by the United States and the belicosity of Bush.

I believe the changing geopolitical situation is hopeful for Iran. Obama,The Russian ties (for all the intervention in Georgia, Russia cannot afford to be seen as a proponent of a grotesquely backward and brutal regime. So there are more tarde-offs and bargaining chips now. Obama backed with credit Fatah West Bank financing of a reconstruction program in Gaza that Israel refused to allow. NATO has requested military supply routes to Afghanistan through Iran. IRI is considering it.IRI has enormous vested interests in eradicating the Taliban. A meeting is planned with US,UK, France, Germany, Russia, China, and Iran to discuss the Afghanistan question.

Many trade-offs will be possible, involving human rights issues among others, especially if Reformists are in government. If the Reformists can't run now, I predict they will be able to in the nett election. I fervently hope I'm right because I cannot envison any other solution.but evolution. Besides which, Obama will NEVER go into Iran with Russia backing it, and the dire Afghan situation, and his base being against epansion of the Mideast conflict. Military solutions are not only repugnant tome, but also virtually impossible to happen in this climate.

We will have to bee patient. That's my opinion.

We shall see what we shall see.

It does matter

I do not think, Khatami will be allowed to run, however I do want to state that even though he did not change every thing, it did matter. People enjoyed more freedom, more newspapers, police more restrained. Both on Iraq and Afghanistan Iran cooperated with USA, however because of that track record, I do not think he will be allowed to run. Like Montazeri, Khatami is sidelined and told to keep quiet or else.

I do not think so

The thing about IRI is that its kind of like Hitler, Stalin, Mao they really think democracy is a bourgeois custom definitely not a Shiite thing. So even if Khatami wants too, he will be told get lost.

LOL, neither the title I chose nor my brief comment

"We shall see what we shall see": expresses OVERYJOY, OR any other reactoin but surprise and curiosity and cannot be legitimately interpreted in any other way. ppEASE DO NOT MISCHARACTERIZE STATEMENTS OF MINE WHICH AARE NOT ONLY PATENTLY CLEAAR BUT CONCISE.

Too Little Too Late?

Khatami comes across as ineffective, although he seems like the kind one could easily hold a friendly conversation with, he's the best hope for Europeans/Israelis/Atlantic interests to avoid unnecessary conflict. The Iranians want "change they can believe in." Khatami would be a saving face to some extent, but he could also just highlight further the hypocrisy, all the really matters for the country is the health of the domestic economy.

Shariatmadari the goon!

//www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?story...

To Rosie

Dear you seem to be the only one to be overjoyed and thrilled about this ... lol

Do not forget the number one man is/will still be Khameneii PLUS his hardcore Islamist entourage.

I assure you nothing WILL CHANGE!

P.S. of course the usual suspects with a couple of strings attached will join in to encourage people to go and vote in millions for the charlatan smiling mullah, because these last four years they lost a lot of their fringe benefits.