President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Hello class. The topic for this week was, of course, President Ahmadinejad. You guys definitely have some strong opinions about him.

You will need to comment on Ahmadinejad's letter to Americans. The link to it is on the left, under the link menu.

Basically, as an American, or at least someone who currently resides here, what is your reaction to this letter? What would you like to say to him as a reply?

Be sure to come up with some issues that came up this week in lecture.

Have a good break!

-Amir

The Rise and Fall of the Reformists

This week consisted of Khatami and the reform movement in Iran. For this post, you will need to answer at least one of the following three questions:

1. Describe some of the impediments Khatami experienced during his presidency. Why did the reformists "fall," so to speak? What is it about the Iranian power structure that hindered his efforts?

2. Do you feel that the "dialogue of civilizations" is an idea that can succeed in the world we live in? Does it deviate from our Western mode of thinking? Use citations from Khatami's text, located in the reader.

3. Do you think Khatami made the right choice by not overtly supporting the student uprising of 1999? What could have been some consequences?

A Glimpse into Friday's Parliamentary Elections

Here are the voices of five Iranian voters who during the course of their interviews reveal their political preferences and are critical of the election process. The content of the interviews is related to what I was saying about ex-President Khatami and his reformist bloc during yesterday's lecture. You can still find indications of people investing confidence and hope in the reformist candidates (who have been extremely limited due to the Guardian Council's disqualifications), but are mostly skeptical about their chances of being able to implement bills that would change the system.
Let us know what you think of these interviews either through the comments section on this blog or in class on Tuesday!
The interviews can be accessed through: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/7256509.stm
- Keyan

Iran: New parliment, new policies?

Hey guys. I'm sorry we couldn't finish the lecture today, its apparent that I talk too much.

This article is from the Economist, and it ties quite nicely into the contemporary Iranian government structure that we were talking about today. It also serves to give you guys a taste of what is to come in the future of the course.

Just read the article and give us your thoughts. You guys had some great comments this week so I trust that this will be interesting.

Good luck on midterms and see you next week.

-Amir