News from Iran? Good? Bad? Who knows?

[The Brain]

The Iranians made their bed, I say let them eat it.

What do you think their bed is made of?

Hopefully poop.

[Syt]

The Iranians made their bed, I say let them eat it.

What do you think their bed is made of?

Layer cake, obviously.

[KRonn]

author=jimmy olsen link=topic=1149.msg54857#msg54857 date=1245080170]
Thought this article was pretty interesting.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sam-sedaei/48-hours-later-a-tipping_b_215440.html

48 Hours Later: A Tipping Point In Iranian Resistance
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Now this article points out some very interesting and possibly significant event changers.

[The Minsky Moment]

Then in 2004 Ahmadi spends his election attacking Rafsanjani rather fiercely (and getting publicly told off for it by Khameini) and he's reprised that this year, denouncing the corruption of Rafsanjani's two terms in office and declaring that he's led the only clean Presidency in the Islamic Republic's history.  I wonder the degree to which this is, at the top, a very personal (and all the more bitter for it) fight that started over 20 years ago about Khomeinism and that was subsumed while he was alive.

It is personally yes, but I doubt it has much to do with theoretical interpretations of Khomeinism.  It is about control of the economic levers of society - with the financial and commercial network of the extended Rafsanjani family clan and its allies facing off against the Revolutionary Guards, who have taken advantage of their politically privileged position to cobble together a vast commercial empire of their own.

[jimmy olsen]

[jimmy olsen]

I'm seeing preliminary report that militia members have opened fire on the crowd. (which I've seen estimated at well over 100k)

[grumbler]

An editorial in the Washington Post makes a decent argument that the election was legitimate. 

Yet, the incredible shift of support from the last election to this one, where all other candidates other than Moussavi were wiped out and traditionnal bases of support of all candidates are twisted beyond recognition do hint at some form of caution. The voting pattern, which shows a constant ratio of support in favour of Ahmadinejad *regardless of regional variation* seem a bit strong to swallow, especially in Iran.

Agree, and I note that the writer of the Op-Ed piece is very, very careful not to reveal the actual results of his polling on Presidential choices, because he would then be stuck arguing that the vote counting was crooked, but in favor of someone who would have won anyway. 

He is fre with results that don't contradict his basic theme that this result might reflect the will of the Iranian public because there might not have been "widespread" fraud.

In short, this article is a crock of shit.

[Valmy]

Notice all the Islamist green flags in the crowd.

[saskganesh]

any western observers calling for a recount yet? would that be too embarrassing for the ayatollahs? and would that be a bad thing?

[jimmy olsen]

any western observers calling for a recount yet? would that be too embarrassing for the ayatollahs? and would that be a bad thing?

The EU, take a look at the article I posted in reply 170.

[Oexmelin]

Notice all the Islamist green flags in the crowd.

?

[garbon]

Notice all the Islamist green flags in the crowd.

That's Mousavi's color...

[Valmy]

That's Mousavi's color...

I see.  Interesting choice on his part.

[Valmy]

?

Green is the color of Islam, that is what the Green stripe in the Iranian flag represents.

[The Brain]