Page 43 - Shahrvand BC No.1247
P. 43
English Section
43 On ‘the Moderate Choice’: Thoughts on the
Political Significance of the Iranian Elections
by Milad Odabaei elections. His deceptive populism
and international posturing, which
When there is a general change proved short-lived at best and hollow
of conditions, it is as if the entire at worst, prevailed nonetheless. The
1392 ریت22 جمعه- 1247 شماره/ سال متسیب creation had changed and the state violently suppressed the ensuing
whole world been altered, as protests and dismissed their demands
if it were a new and repeated as fitna—a theological-political
creation, a world brought into formulation of secessionist politics.
existence anew. –Ibn Khaldun,
The Moquaddimah Ahmadinejad’s second term,
however, proved stifling domestically
Mir-Housein Mousavi, an Islamic and internationally. Mousavi and
revolutionary with leftist political his spouse, Zahra Rahnavard were
sensibilities, was the Prime Minster put under house-arrest without
of Iran (1981-1989) during the Iran- trial, along with Mehdi Karoubi,
Iraq war and was highly favored another discontented candidate in
by Ayatollah Khomeini during the contested election. In the post-
that period. After two decades of election turmoil, reformists and
remaining on the margins of national partisans of the Islamic Revolution
politics, he entered as a candidate in [Image by Gohar Dashti, 'Today's Life and War'"] with important government positions
the June 2009 Presidential Elections were systematically purged, by
to run against the incumbent either imprisonment or exile. Public
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. During discourse was stifled, and public
these years much had changed. The towards economic liberalization. public discourse on the history of the spaces militarized in an effort to
post-war “era of reconstruction” This economic liberalization set Republic, the ideals of the Revolution, stop the aftershocks of the initial
under the presidency of Hashemi the stage for social and political and potential threats to its future protests. In this repressive political
Rafsanjani had sought to normalize reform as expressed by the election success. Reformism engendered a climate, however, the hardliner and
politics and economics after a of Mohammad Khatami in 1997. conservative backlash and eight years conservative convergence that had
decade of revolution and war. During Under Khatami the political arena of highly contentious and antagonistic secured Ahmadinejad’s presidency
In touch with Iranian diversity this time, the country transitioned was opened, and there emerged a rich politics ensued. Although the “era of was undone. Ahmadinejad’s grand
reform” secured significant historical standings against the establishment,
achievements that I will suggest his pandering to Shi‘a theology, and
below, the subsequent unification of Iranian mythology provoked strong
conservatives and hardliners leading reactions from institutionalized power
to Ahmadinejad’s 2005 election and the religious ulema respectively.
demonstrated the limits, if not the
defeat, of reformist politics. Along with domestic antagonism,
international politics dominated by
Lawyers ICBC ﻭﻛﻼ In 2009 Mousavi re-entered the policies of the United States
Claims ٦٠٤- ٩٨٢- ٤٠٥١ the political scene to restore further reduced the space of politics.
604 - 982 - 4051 ٦٠٤- ٩٨٠ -٨٥٧١ aghlaniat, “the rule of reason,” to The “crippling sanctions” as
604 - 980 - 8571 Iranian politics. He claimed that described by State Secretary Hillary
Ahmadinejad, a recent addition to the Clinton, and the threat of military
Iranian political scene, was elected intervention by the United States
Vol. 20 / No. 1247 - Friday, July 12, 2013 on the coattails of hardliners and and Israel, created a political climate
conservatives and stood in opposition that increasingly resembled the dark
to aghlaniat. Referring to the years of the Iran-Iraq war. Domestic
instrumentalization of shi’a signs and space of contention and critique was
ﺑﺮﺍی ﻣﺸﺎﻭﺭﻩ ﺣﻘﻮﻗﻰ ﻟﻄﻔﺎ ﺑﺎ maxims by the president and those foreclosed in face of “the enemy.”
close to him, Mousavi characterized
ﺁﻗﺎی ﻛﺎﻣﻴﻞ ﻟﻄﻔﻌﻠﻰ Ahmadinejad’s government as one of But today, we are seeing “a general
superstition. He mobilized the history change of conditions.”
and memory of the revolution and
. ﺗﻤﺎﺱ ﺑﮕﻴﺮﻳﺪ،ﻭﻛﻴﻞ ﻓﺎﺭﺳﻰ ﺯﺑﺎﻥ the war, in addition to his personal On 14 June, Hasan Rouhani, a
association with both events against mujtahed of the Qom seminaries
the dominant political voice within with a PhD from the University of
Iran. Unlike secular-liberal critics of Glasgow, was elected the president
the Iranian government, he challenged of the thirty-four year-old Islamic
Kamil Lotfali, lawyer the very ethical revolutionary and Republic. Rouhani has a notable
Islamic claims of the established resume of activism for the Iranian
ﺳﺎﻝ ﺗﺠﺮﺑﻪ ﺣﻘﻮﻗﻰ٣٠ ﻣﺆﺳﺴﻪﺣﻘﻮﻗﻰ "ﻧﻮﺭﺕﺷﻮﺭﻻ " ﺑﺎﺑﻴﺶﺍﺯ- power. Ahmadinejad’s main critique Revolution. He occupied some of
of Mousavi, on the other hand, was the highest ranks of the Islamic
ﺩﺳﺘﻤﺰﺩیﺩﺭﻳﺎﻓﺖﻧﺨﻮﺍﻫﻴﻢﻛﺮﺩ، ﺩﺭﻳﺎﻓﺖﻧﻨﻤﺎﺋﻴﻢICBC ﺗﺎﺧﺴﺎﺭﺕﺷﻤﺎﺭﺍ ﺍﺯ- that he was the candidate of the Old Republic during the Iran-Iraq war.
Guard who—similar to Khatami-- After the war, for instance, he
ICBC ﺩﺭﻳﺎﻓﺖ ﻫﺮﮔﻮﻧﻪ ﺧﺴﺎﺭﺕ ﺟﺎﻧﻰ ﻭ ﻣﺎﻟﻰ ﺍﺯ- was towing the line of Rafsanjani. has served as the Secretary of the
Backed by the establishment—after Supreme National Security Council
43 NORTH SHORE LAW LLP the elections, the Supreme Leader during the Rafsanjani and Khatami
announced that his views were Administrations. Today, he won the
6th Floor, 171 West Esplanade, North Vancouver, B.C. much closer to Ahmadinejad than Office of the President in the name
others—the President was able to of e’tedal and tadbir. E’tedal can be
klotfali@northshorelaw.com secure a second term in the disputed translated loosely as “moderation”,
43 On ‘the Moderate Choice’: Thoughts on the
Political Significance of the Iranian Elections
by Milad Odabaei elections. His deceptive populism
and international posturing, which
When there is a general change proved short-lived at best and hollow
of conditions, it is as if the entire at worst, prevailed nonetheless. The
1392 ریت22 جمعه- 1247 شماره/ سال متسیب creation had changed and the state violently suppressed the ensuing
whole world been altered, as protests and dismissed their demands
if it were a new and repeated as fitna—a theological-political
creation, a world brought into formulation of secessionist politics.
existence anew. –Ibn Khaldun,
The Moquaddimah Ahmadinejad’s second term,
however, proved stifling domestically
Mir-Housein Mousavi, an Islamic and internationally. Mousavi and
revolutionary with leftist political his spouse, Zahra Rahnavard were
sensibilities, was the Prime Minster put under house-arrest without
of Iran (1981-1989) during the Iran- trial, along with Mehdi Karoubi,
Iraq war and was highly favored another discontented candidate in
by Ayatollah Khomeini during the contested election. In the post-
that period. After two decades of election turmoil, reformists and
remaining on the margins of national partisans of the Islamic Revolution
politics, he entered as a candidate in [Image by Gohar Dashti, 'Today's Life and War'"] with important government positions
the June 2009 Presidential Elections were systematically purged, by
to run against the incumbent either imprisonment or exile. Public
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. During discourse was stifled, and public
these years much had changed. The towards economic liberalization. public discourse on the history of the spaces militarized in an effort to
post-war “era of reconstruction” This economic liberalization set Republic, the ideals of the Revolution, stop the aftershocks of the initial
under the presidency of Hashemi the stage for social and political and potential threats to its future protests. In this repressive political
Rafsanjani had sought to normalize reform as expressed by the election success. Reformism engendered a climate, however, the hardliner and
politics and economics after a of Mohammad Khatami in 1997. conservative backlash and eight years conservative convergence that had
decade of revolution and war. During Under Khatami the political arena of highly contentious and antagonistic secured Ahmadinejad’s presidency
In touch with Iranian diversity this time, the country transitioned was opened, and there emerged a rich politics ensued. Although the “era of was undone. Ahmadinejad’s grand
reform” secured significant historical standings against the establishment,
achievements that I will suggest his pandering to Shi‘a theology, and
below, the subsequent unification of Iranian mythology provoked strong
conservatives and hardliners leading reactions from institutionalized power
to Ahmadinejad’s 2005 election and the religious ulema respectively.
demonstrated the limits, if not the
defeat, of reformist politics. Along with domestic antagonism,
international politics dominated by
Lawyers ICBC ﻭﻛﻼ In 2009 Mousavi re-entered the policies of the United States
Claims ٦٠٤- ٩٨٢- ٤٠٥١ the political scene to restore further reduced the space of politics.
604 - 982 - 4051 ٦٠٤- ٩٨٠ -٨٥٧١ aghlaniat, “the rule of reason,” to The “crippling sanctions” as
604 - 980 - 8571 Iranian politics. He claimed that described by State Secretary Hillary
Ahmadinejad, a recent addition to the Clinton, and the threat of military
Iranian political scene, was elected intervention by the United States
Vol. 20 / No. 1247 - Friday, July 12, 2013 on the coattails of hardliners and and Israel, created a political climate
conservatives and stood in opposition that increasingly resembled the dark
to aghlaniat. Referring to the years of the Iran-Iraq war. Domestic
instrumentalization of shi’a signs and space of contention and critique was
ﺑﺮﺍی ﻣﺸﺎﻭﺭﻩ ﺣﻘﻮﻗﻰ ﻟﻄﻔﺎ ﺑﺎ maxims by the president and those foreclosed in face of “the enemy.”
close to him, Mousavi characterized
ﺁﻗﺎی ﻛﺎﻣﻴﻞ ﻟﻄﻔﻌﻠﻰ Ahmadinejad’s government as one of But today, we are seeing “a general
superstition. He mobilized the history change of conditions.”
and memory of the revolution and
. ﺗﻤﺎﺱ ﺑﮕﻴﺮﻳﺪ،ﻭﻛﻴﻞ ﻓﺎﺭﺳﻰ ﺯﺑﺎﻥ the war, in addition to his personal On 14 June, Hasan Rouhani, a
association with both events against mujtahed of the Qom seminaries
the dominant political voice within with a PhD from the University of
Iran. Unlike secular-liberal critics of Glasgow, was elected the president
the Iranian government, he challenged of the thirty-four year-old Islamic
Kamil Lotfali, lawyer the very ethical revolutionary and Republic. Rouhani has a notable
Islamic claims of the established resume of activism for the Iranian
ﺳﺎﻝ ﺗﺠﺮﺑﻪ ﺣﻘﻮﻗﻰ٣٠ ﻣﺆﺳﺴﻪﺣﻘﻮﻗﻰ "ﻧﻮﺭﺕﺷﻮﺭﻻ " ﺑﺎﺑﻴﺶﺍﺯ- power. Ahmadinejad’s main critique Revolution. He occupied some of
of Mousavi, on the other hand, was the highest ranks of the Islamic
ﺩﺳﺘﻤﺰﺩیﺩﺭﻳﺎﻓﺖﻧﺨﻮﺍﻫﻴﻢﻛﺮﺩ، ﺩﺭﻳﺎﻓﺖﻧﻨﻤﺎﺋﻴﻢICBC ﺗﺎﺧﺴﺎﺭﺕﺷﻤﺎﺭﺍ ﺍﺯ- that he was the candidate of the Old Republic during the Iran-Iraq war.
Guard who—similar to Khatami-- After the war, for instance, he
ICBC ﺩﺭﻳﺎﻓﺖ ﻫﺮﮔﻮﻧﻪ ﺧﺴﺎﺭﺕ ﺟﺎﻧﻰ ﻭ ﻣﺎﻟﻰ ﺍﺯ- was towing the line of Rafsanjani. has served as the Secretary of the
Backed by the establishment—after Supreme National Security Council
43 NORTH SHORE LAW LLP the elections, the Supreme Leader during the Rafsanjani and Khatami
announced that his views were Administrations. Today, he won the
6th Floor, 171 West Esplanade, North Vancouver, B.C. much closer to Ahmadinejad than Office of the President in the name
others—the President was able to of e’tedal and tadbir. E’tedal can be
klotfali@northshorelaw.com secure a second term in the disputed translated loosely as “moderation”,
