Quote:
Originally posted by Superbelt
It lost a significant battle. And the lack of general outrage throughout the country shows just how weak the reformers have become. There were no mass protests in the streets like previous years. From the reports I have read and heard Iranians are tired of fighting it and giving up on the reform effort. They see it as weak and incapable. And this is probrably the most egregious crackdown the clerics have made in over a decade.
Reform is dying. They need a charismatic speaker to rally the troops and gain converts. I don't see one. Khatami appears to have been defeated both politically and in spirit.
|
Certainly wasn't a good election for them but I believe they will be resilient. They may, in fact, have changed tactics from more public to private efforts. I think there is still support for reform and I do believe a Democratic(ish) Iraq will increase the reformer's power base as Iraqis prosper (assuming of course Iraq doesn't fall apart before becoming prosperous).
But I suspect we are sidetracking this discussion significantly and should probably either stop here or start a new thread.
