By Michael Allen on February 3, 2010
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 [read full story]
Posted in Democracy assistance, Elections, Human rights, Iran, Islam/politics, authoritarianism, democracy support, dissidents, foreign policy, promoting democracy, protests, solidarity | Tagged democracy promotion, Green movement, green revolution, labor unions, Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mohsen Sazegara, obama administration, Obama and Iran, promoting democracy, trade unions |
By Michael Allen on September 3, 2009
Leading opposition figures in Iran are facing a purge, judging from comments by the commander of the elite Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). Mohammad-Ali Jafari has alleged that reformist leader Mohammad Khatami, and former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani’s son, have been working to undermine the Islamic Republic and the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Jafari cited [read full story]
Posted in Backlash, Iran, dictatorships, protests | Tagged Mohammad Ali Jafari, Mohsen Sazegara, Revolutionary Guards Corps, show trials |
By Michael Allen on June 29, 2009
Just as Rwanda paid the price for Somalia, the Obama administration appears to have “overlearned” the lessons of the Iraq war and George W. Bush’s freedom agenda, warns Nader Mousavizadeh a senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Consequently, “an opportunity to provide legitimate support to the popular movement when it mattered most was [read full story]
Posted in Democracy assistance, Elections, Iran, Islam/politics, Middle East and North Africa, NGOs/Civil society, authoritarianism, democracy promotion, dissidents, promoting democracy, protests | Tagged 1989, Amir Taheri, Basij, bazaari, civil society, democracy promotion, democratic revolutions, Fareed Zakaria, Mohsen Sazegara, Nader Mousavizadeh, obama administration, pluralism, promoting democracy, Revolutionary Guards, rule of law |
By Michael Allen on June 16, 2009
A 20-year obsession with forestalling a ‘velvet revolution’ against the Islamic Republic drives Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, a Washington meeting heard today. Taken aback by the democratic rhetoric and momentum generated by Mir-Hossein Mousavi’s supporters, the regime is likely to consolidate around a hard-line axis reflecting the dominance of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IGRC).
“The [read full story]
Posted in Backlash, Iran, Islam/politics, Middle East and North Africa, NGOs/Civil society, authoritarianism, promoting democracy, protests | Tagged Ayatollah Khamenei, Islamic Republic of Iran, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mohsen Sazegara, velvet revolution, Washington Institute for Near East Policy. |
By Michael Allen on June 12, 2009
Further to these earlier posts, Mohsen Sazegara, co-founder of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and former deputy prime minister, warns of the possible dark side of a reformist victory in today’s presidential election. (Hat-tip normblog)
Posted in Backlash, Elections, Iran, Middle East and North Africa, authoritarianism | Tagged Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, Mohsen Sazegara |
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