Opposition leader Mousavi wants the Green movement to broaden its base
Iran’s Green movement must broaden its demands to expand support amongst the country’s poor and working families, says opposition leader Mir-Hossein Mousavi. The movement has been accused of being unrepresentative, and arguably too focused on constitutional issues that hold little appeal beyond university students and the middle class.
“The fate of the movement should be tied to the fate of all walks of life – in particular the two groups in charge of [the] economy and education, meaning workers and teachers,” said Mousavi.
By some accounts, the massive civil disobedience campaign against the Shah became a genuinely revolutionary challenge to the regime once workers mobilized. Strikes by the strategically vital oil workers played a pivotal role in ending the Pahlavi dynasty.
External actors can also make a difference, writes Michael Gerson. He cites former regime insider Mohsen Sazegara’s conviction that the Green Revolution “needs more time” to consolidate its organization, gain “more depth of knowledge of nonviolent methods” and “fill the gaps in solidarity” among various factions.
Other activists and analysts have suggested that organizational consolidation is not a priority, and that the diverse and decentralized structure of the world’s “most vibrant and imaginative civil disobedience movement” is “perfect for the circumstances”.
The issue of US support for Iran’s nascent democracy movement is a delicate issue, even for pro-American exiles, writes RFE/RL’s Jeff Gedmin. Yet they “tend to agree on two opposing propositions: first, that U.S. assistance would be problematic, if not outright counterproductive; second, that Iran’s opposition won’t make it without outside support, notably from the United States.”
US leverage over events is limited, Gerson concedes, but there remains scope for solidarity, including technical assistance allowing activists to counter Internet censorship.
“But most important, the Obama administration must cross a mental line — from merely criticizing human rights abuses to creatively encouraging political change,” he contends.
His call echoes demands from progressive circles that the US should stand for something more than simply “bearing witness” to the Iranian people’s struggle. Michael Signer, a fellow at the Progressive Policy Institute, is concerned that the administration has over-reacted to its predecessor’s “overly ideological” approach to promoting democracy.
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