Our personification obsession with Iran

MEMO FROM TEHRAN: "U.S. Focus on Ahmadinejad Puzzles Iranians," by Michael Slackman, New York Times, 24 September 2007, p. A4.

Three good quotes:

Political analysts here say they are surprised at the degree to which the West focuses on their president, saying that it reflects a general misunderstanding of their system.

Unlike in the United States, in Iran the president is not the head of state nor commander in chief.

And:

"Ahmadinejad is a phenomenon," said Mohammad Ali Abtahi, a former vice president under the more moderate administration of Mohammad Khatami. "On a religious level he is much more of a hard-liner than the traditional hard-liners. But on a political level, he does not have the support of the hard-liners."

And:

Mr. Ahmadinejad's power stems not from his office per se, but from the refusal of his patron, Ayatollah Khamenei, and some hardline leaders, to move beyond Iran's revolutionary identity, which makes full relations with the West impossible. There are plenty of conservatives and hard-liners who take a more pragmatic view, wanting to retain "revolutionary values," while integrating Iran with the world, at least economically. But they are not driving the agenda these days, and while that could change, it will not be the president who makes that call.

So we elevate this guy despite the fact that he is "increasingly isolated politically at home because of his go-it-alone style and ineffective economic policies."

Comments

[JTM]

If what is posted is true and Mr. Ahmadinejad has no real power and this administration insists on using his comments to lead this nation into another war is bordering on treason. I know some people feel we needed to go into Iraq and if we had to make up an excuse then so be it. Now there are news stories about Saddam willing to go into exile but he wanted to take notes about his WMD program and 1 billion dollars. Which in hind sight was a deal we should have jumped at. We cannot make the same mistakes with Iran. We cannot allow this administration to swagger into town with six shooters a blazing and screw everything up for generations. Not just Americans but for the rest of the world. I would like to remind people of a line in The Declaration of Independence, "But when a long Train of Abuses and Usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a Design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is the Right, it is the Duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for thier future Security." So when these generals sit back and watch this administration use The Constitution as a door mat it is thier duty to speak up. They swore to uphold and defend The Constitution not a political party.If we allow this administration to drag this great nation into another war instead of leading us into war, we as a people deserve what we get.

[SVC Alumnus]

Well, I hope you're right Dr. Barnett. The world depends on it.

I just wonder what the genuine Iranian commander-in-chief thinks...

[mark]

JTM,

Sorry, not sure why I feel the need to comment here but I hear that quote cited often and, my understanding of that portion of the Declaration is that they are speaking of throwing off an entire form of governance, not an office holder. I don't think any of our existing problems merit a change in our basic government structure but, possibly an impeachment of some of our existing leaders. (although I say that more as a translation of what I think you're trying to say rather than my own opinion)

Although, it never ceases to amaze me that, while I hear the quote you've mentioned cited often in the context you've used it, I rarely hear the sentence before this one mentioned regarding prudence and some things being best suffered through rather than to using radical change as a measure of repair.

I think, at least for now, Bush and his administration are something best suffered through than impeached. I think History is going to do more to reprimand Bush than any impeachment process would.

Of course, I could be completely wrong... :o]