(Newsweek) Fareed Zakaria - Iran's democracy is a sham. Almost three-quarters of the way through his reign, President Mohammed Khatami has accomplished virtually nothing by way of political reform. In some ways Iran is more closed today than it was when he was elected in 1997, with more than 80 reformist newspapers shut down in the last few years. Real power rests with a tiny clerical establishment who use their oil loot to keep happy a cadre of religious leaders, corrupt bureaucrats, student revolutionaries, and army officers.
2002-12-25 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive