Daily Alert Archives

Who's Really Running Iran's Pro-Democracy Movement?

[Foreign Policy] Mehdi Khalaji - Nearly six months after the demonstrations that followed June's disputed presidential election, Iran's pro-democracy "green movement" is as strong as ever. But the solidarity on the streets hides wide - and growing - splits within. The ostensible leaders of the movement, Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mohammad Khatami, and Mehdi Karroubi, are former high-ranking officials of the Islamic Republic who would likely keep much about the Islamic Revolution in place. Contrast this with the young men and women on the streets, and you see differences that go beyond the generational. The protesters are aiming to bring down the very system of which their leaders are a part. The bulk of the movement and most of the demonstrators are students, women, human rights activists, and political activists who have little desire to work in a theocratic regime. The writer is senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
2009-11-06 06:00:00
Full Article