Khatami on democracy

Hello everyone. I hope you guys enjoyed the lecture on the Reformist movement. I am posting the clip of Khatami talking about the viability of democracy in Iran, particularly the brand of democracy he thinks Iran should have. 

What are your reactions? Do you agree/disagree? Is this the only way Iran can become democratic, or is this not a way at all? Try to cite something from his book included in the reader. 

Don't forget that you need to post by next week... 

-Amir

How Important is Iran's President?

Hey guys. Today there was quite a discussion regarding the role of Iran's President, his powers, and his relation to the Supreme Leader. It got a little heated when someone asked if it was appropriate for the media to focus so much on President Ahmadinejad since he has so few powers. I had to stop the conversation because it was taking too much class time, but as promised, you can debate the question right here. What do you guys think? You can also comment on McCain's view on the situation, which is posted below. Don't be afraid to mix it up with each other, just keep things civil.

See you next week!

-Amir

Iran-Iraq War

This week we went over the Iran-Iraq war.

You can view a gallery of photos here. You can also view the surprisingly catchy Iranian propaganda song and video here.

For this post, I am interested in hearing some of your views on many of the controversial moves on behalf of Iran and the world during the war. Once again you can answer as many of these questions as you like.

Without knowing the outcome, was the decision of Iran to counter-invade Iraq after two years the right one?

Do you feel it was right for the world, which felt threatened by Iran, to provide Iraq with both military support and chemical weapons?

How do you feel about Iran using human wave attacks, child soldiers, and human mine detectors (knowing that they helped Iran defend itself)?

In light of understanding more about the war, do you feel like you understand Iran's position (in terms of foreign policy) better?

Have a good week guys!

-Amir

Persepolis

Hey guys. I hope you liked the movie --- I saw a couple of tears in the audience. 

For this post, let me know what you thought about the film and its themes. How does it connect to some of the themes we have spoken about in class? For some of you that had little contact with Iranian culture before, what are you taking away from this film? Please no plot summary guys.

-Amir