Brezhnevian Iran

ARTICLE: Iran's inner and outer circles of influence and power, By Borzou Daragahi, Los Angeles Times, December 31, 2007

In the vein of late-Brezhnevian USSR: mullahs pretend to rule and people pretend to obey.

(Thanks: Ray Kimball)

Comments

[William R. Cumming]

Note that the LA Times article received almost 900 posted comments. Seems to be intense interest in Iran in the US even outside government circles. Looking at the diplomatic coerchion applied to the Soviet Union to pull out of norther Iran post-WWII, and then the CIA assisted overthrough reinstating the Shah, then the Shah's overthrough in 1979 and US hostage crisis (See Mark Bowen's excellent book "Guests of the Ayatollah") and the large domestic US Iranian ex-pat community perhaps not so unsual. It is interesting that both Iran and N.Korea have locked into the notion of nuclear development as a way not just to attract attention but also as a bargaining tool. But as the border of N.Korea and China becomes more porous, and as Iran fails to democratize or become more global, it looks like time is not on the side of those regimes. It is not just pruient interest, but I do often wonder what is under those Chadors in Iran. Exactly, how, when, with who and how much money is spent by Iran on lobbying for its interests in the US? What are our unofficial connections outside of intelligence circles? What are our economic connections? Seems a remarkable absence of real world information on the basics of Iranian connections with the Western world. Funny that the Iranians really don't mention "Jihad" but do mention Persia, Persian, and Court Persian (Farsi?) How many Iranian studies programs exist in the west? Knowledge is power and the Iranian ex-pat community seems to be one of the most below the horizon and sophisticated of those in the US. Perhaps only the S.Koreans come close to matching it. Post-1979 how many Iranians established citizenship in the West? What open source analysis on Iran do you think Tom reflects that culture and country? We all need to know far more about this huge country thats demographics alone this century are scary!

[Dina]

I thought this was an interesting article about America and Iran.

A grand bargain by Peter David, The Economist, The World in 2008.

http://www.economist.com/theworldin/leaders/displayStory.cfm?story_id=10125769&d=2008