Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Power To the People

With Iran creeping closer and closer to nuclear arms capability, discussions have focused on how the global community is going to halt progress, or at least delay the inevitable. The United States estimates that Iran could achieve its goal within a year, and diplomats and politicians from each country have made ominous pronouncements about how far we’ll go to thwart Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s efforts and maintain the status quo of the Middle Eastern nuclear balance.

Perhaps, though, we are forgetting about another deterrent force: the Iranian people themselves. Sure, we can count on the United States and Israel to be unhappy about the way things are going in Iran. But what about the citizens who will face economic sanctions and the even harsher punitive actions of the United Nations, the United States or Israel, which are looming?

Iranians didn’t sign on to Ahmadinejad’s brand of crazy – they have just as much interest in nonproliferation as do the United States, Israel and any other nation that views the increase in presence of weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East as a destabilizing force. When Ahmadinejad was a relative newcomer on the political scene, the fact that he wasn’t a cleric was a major draw for most voters who were sick of the religious elite’s corruption. Last year’s election, however, and the massive protests of Ahmadinejad’s fiercely contested win, made it clear that the country as a whole doesn’t hold his aggressive views. What’s more, they don’t seem to appreciate his inflammatory rhetoric on the international stage, which puts the nation’s security at risk.

This is the nation of people who ousted the Shah and surely dealt Ahmadinejad’s ego a blow during the 2009 demonstrations in support of the opposing candidate, Mir-Hossein Mousavi. Clearly, they have skills to mobilize support. The question is whether or not conditions exist within Iran that could foster the rise of an effective counterforce to Ahmadinejad’s nuclear vendetta.

On a purely practical level, there is room within the state’s strict control for communication and organization. Funnily enough, Kanye West’s home turf, Twitter, was a vital tool for reaching would-be protesters during last year’s election demonstrations in Iran. Reformist websites and blogs helped mobilize those who might not have heard of the nature or scale of the protests. This is not to say that a mass revolution is necessary to delay Iran’s nuclear efforts, just that other opinions and interests have an audience within the country.

There are also signs of tension among Ahmadinejad and other top government officials. Some high-level bureaucrats refused to attend his swearing-in after the 2009 election, and many of his appointments for his Cabinet have been rejected by the Majlis, the Iranian parliament. Despite the frightened fervor over Iran’s quest for nuclear capacity and Ahmadinejad’s outrageous and provocative remarks on the issue, it is still the case that the president does not solely control nuclear policy. The person directly in charge of Iran’s nuclear program is Ayatollah Khamenei, who often supports Ahmadinejad in many ways and sees nuclear energy as an alternative when oil runs out; however, he also issued a fatwa against nuclear weapons.

Ahmadinejad’s uncompromising and radical stance has enabled opposition leaders and reformists to gain legitimacy. Iranian voters have learned from his time in office to support more moderate candidates who won’t continue to alienate Iran on the international playing field.

These relatively promising conditions have encouraged the U.S. State Department in its efforts to support alternatives to Ahmadinejad, but our continued interference in Iran’s domestic political scene is unwelcomed, even by the opposition forces we want to support. Mousavi and other politicians opposing Ahmadinejad have expressed frustration with U.S. involvement. They argue that Ahmadinejad and his supporters are able to discredit them by associating their movements with the United States and blame the problems of Iran on outside forces interfering domestically.

No one wants to deal with the unsettling possibility of Iran achieving nuclear capacity, especially not the Iranians who will have to deal with the consequences. While the United States may see opportunities to alter the current course of events, we would be well advised to step back and allow Iranians some leeway to counter their unpredictable president. We shouldn’t underestimate the power of the Iranian people themselves.

Leave a Comment
More to Discover

Comments (0)

All The Hoya Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *