[Foreign Policy] Geneive Abdo - Since the June 12 Iranian presidential election stirred massive anti-regime demonstrations, President Ahmadinejad and his inner circle of hard-liners have used the armed forces - particularly the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) - to suppress dissent. Western observers have commented on the country's slide toward military dictatorship. The IRGC became a dominant institution in Iran - socially, politically, militarily, and economically - during Ahmadinejad's first term and the Revolutionary Guards returned the favor during the electoral campaign by intimidating opposition members and even, some in Iran allege, rigging the vote.
2009-10-09 06:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive