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Source: http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-nafisi15feb15,0,726675.story?coll=la-opinion-rightrail
Fight Iran with a War of Ideas
[Los Angeles Times] Azar Nafisi - Ahmadinejad's violent rhetoric abroad and repressive measures at home stem not from a position of strength but weakness. There have been workers' protests in ten cities since January and others at universities, where students have greeted Ahmadinejad and his projects with slogans of "death to the dictator." He has been the target of severe criticism even within the ruling hierarchy, including the conservative camp. And he has been chastised in parliament for using bluster and violent rhetoric abroad to divert attention from domestic problems. The most effective war against the tyrants in Iran is through giving voice to the workers asking for their rights, to women fighting for equality, and to students, journalists, writers, and intellectuals fighting for freedom of expression. The writer is director of the Dialogue Project at the School of International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.