Sunday, June 26, 2005
Ahmadinejad in Iran
Well, the Iranian electorate threw up yet another surprise in the run-off elections. Though most analysts expected Rafsanjani to win pretty handily (the moderate forces would coalesce around him, the logic ran), the ultra-conservative mayor of Teheran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, surprised everyone by coming out in front. And by a margin (62%-32%) that leaves absolutely no room for error. With this victory, the hard-liners have complete control over all the institutions of government. I don't think this bodes well for Iran's external relations and it certainly doesn't bode well for those Iranians longing for change from their 25-year nightmare. I hope for their sake I am wrong.
Paul Frankenstein has a round up of the reaction to Ahmadinejad's victory in the Iranian blogosphere. C. Raja Mohan analyses how the hardliner's victory will make India's delicate balancing act between its special relationship with Iran and it's other interests that much harder.
Paul Frankenstein has a round up of the reaction to Ahmadinejad's victory in the Iranian blogosphere. C. Raja Mohan analyses how the hardliner's victory will make India's delicate balancing act between its special relationship with Iran and it's other interests that much harder.
