Iran elections: Newspaper warns Khatami faces assassination risk
guardian
18-Feb-2009 (9 comments)

Iran's most influential pro-regime newspaper has warned the country's reformist former president, Mohammad Khatami, that he risks being assassinated like the late Pakistani political leader, Benazir Bhutto, if he stands in the forthcoming presidential election.  

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rosie is roxy is roshan

Keyhan to Khatami: watch your back!???

by rosie is roxy is roshan on

What is this, a killing joke? Well anyway it's very interesting..of course no one's gonna kill khatami, but still..I'd love to be able to read the editorial but I just can't seem to find it on Keyhan's ENGLISH site...must be me...


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Hajminator

Rosie,

by Hajminator on

You have well painted the situation. LOVE and HATE (or A new cold war but a hot game), would be a good title for this geopolitical moves.

It's very difficult to predict what would happen as each move in the board depends on the last move of the others, but what comes clear is that Iran has a real role on the game. And this is a factor of internal change for the country as it was the case for USSR.

There are some points on which I disagree but they are minors in front of what I think is exact in your analyzes. Thank you for this elaborated developement.


rosie is roxy is roshan

I believe the geopolitical situation has been shifting radically

by rosie is roxy is roshan on

in ways both apparent and subtle. See for instance my new feed Hostess with the mostest, it is about how Italy who is HOSTING the G-8 conference in June on Afghanistan is determined to get Iran's participation by convincing the other members (and quelling whatever reservations IRI might have). Contrary to many, I believe Russian economic ties with IRI are an excellent thing. Russia IMHO really can't afford to be perceived as backing a majorly psycho wacko fundamentalist regime, I meaninterms of the human rights violations. I think they invaded Georgia to prove a point: that they COULD go in numerous directions but I don't think they will. Russia's consolidating power with the "Stans" also acieves balance of power globally and is historically more than arppropriate, not an aggressive intervention but a return to the status quo ante. 

 Everywhere you look Iran has been establishing major economic deals with all different countries: France, Italy, India, Venezuela, even places like Singapore . This achieves a global balance of power but does not strenghthen the brutality of IRI regime, rather it erodes it gradually. You can see this happening with Russia offering military deals with Iran in terms of weapons deals, then back-pedalling over the nuke issue. These global economic relationships (often centered around oil) provide more than anything else bargaining chips. Human rights is one of them and you can see it beginning to happen with the changing of stance of IRI regarding executionof minors, which is a violation of international law.

 Iran may be playing both sides n Afghanistan by supplying Taliban secretly (this may also be Western propaganda) but in reality IRI loathes and detest Taliban more than anything in the world except US. This is because of the drug trade which is making Iran a nation of addicts, because it widens the Shia-Sunni rift, and because it is terrible for Iran's projection of Islamicism as a viable and even progressive form of government for the Middle East since Taliban regime was a million times more repressive than than IRI. Taliban is a terrible embarrasment to IRI. Especially because it is right next door, it makes IRI look weak What choice do they have but to cooperate with Nato s indeed they have done before?I believe Afghanistan will be (already is) a major bargaining chip.

I am not a details person, I am a patterns person and there are many many people who know more details and history than I, but I have been doing a lot of newsfeeds and this is the overall pattern I have perceived. Bargaining chips everywhere and human rights not only nuclear being an end goal. Eu and Obama will have to make good on the "peacenik" image for world opiniopn. They will have to push human rights iwthin the bargaining. IRI will have to make concessions in that arena,

It'll be a long process and we have to be patient. But the West can't target bomb nuclear facilities in Iran with all the economic ties w/Iran in Western Europe, Russia, Latin Americca, Africa and I believe even China. It's all a bluff.IMHO.  under Bush no it wasn't, under Obama yes it is.  Ain't gonna happen, it is a pipe dream now.I think Keyhan made this insinuation about Khatami's potential assassinationin an effort to discredit the US by preparing it to the Bhutto situation which they blamed on the US in the article. It won't work. IRI youth are so bored with this hardline IRI.

Some people are freaking out, oh this stand-off with Iran is terrible, it's as bad as the Cold War. The Cold War was great, it achieved balance of power and prevention of war between major powers. Wars were fought by proxy in the old War, Vietnam, Korea, etc. Yes they were terrible but the wars have already been fought by proxy in the past several years, in Palestine and Lebanon. So that part hassn't change, and it can only improve. When you see something like Obama financing a Fatah reconstruction program in Gaza that Israel refused to do this begins to discredit Iran's claimss that they are the Great Savior in Gaza against the Evil Empire.

Israel was a watchdog for the US in the Middle East, it didn't work. Now Israel is a rabid dog, out of control. Obama wants to get out of Afghanistan as quickly as possible and the last thing he wants is to get enmeshed in an Afghanistan in Palestine. Israel's economy (which is largely a war economy) is thoroughly dependent on the US and they cannot act without US approval. If they do it that would be REAL suicide bombing. I don't believe they will do it ultimately.

US and EU cannot afford to beinvolved in another Afghanistan if they are to maintain balance of power in the world. They cannot get involved in another war. And it would thoroughly discredit them world-wide, as badly as under Bush. It is the last thing they want.

So verall these bargaining chips will maintain balance of power i US and Eurasia, and little by little erode the excesses of the IRI regime. Eventually there will be secular parliamentary democracy. IMHO I think this emerging New World Order is good.


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To Parthian: Beating a dead horse

by Anonymous4589 (not verified) on

Dear those you are referring to are smart enough to be aware of the unreformability of the IRI under the current constitution and structure but since they have vested interest in the continuation of the Islamic Republic and enjoy benefits from the existing economic and/or political privilege under the IRI's rule, they try their best to silence and shut up those who object to this charade of running in circles and perpetuating the misery of average Iranians, calling them delusional, wishful thinkers, etc. etc.

Khatami has no program, no solutions, nothing new to offer, and I bet this time around even if he is willing to do something constructive (which I doubt very much he is capable of), he will be challenged and stopped more forecefully every step of the way, IF and I say IF he is "s"elected out of necessity to polish the criminal terrorist regime's image in the West (specially EU) and to undo the damage Mahmood has caused with his Holocaust denials.

For sure a lot of people will go and vote for him (not that their votes count at all) because they think anybody's better than Mahmood!


Hajminator

Parthian

by Hajminator on

You, who are not naïve, what do you expect from the future? That Mullahs will disappear just because you wish it hardly each night before going to bed?

You've read waiting for Godot the book of Samuel Becket? You are like all those who hold their breath coz their mummy didn’t buy them the toy they asked. Grow up a bit!


rosie is roxy is roshan

Parthian, wonder no more! Here's the difference. Under Khatami,

by rosie is roxy is roshan on

when people got hanged from cranes for drinking alcohol...

you could blog about it.

see?


rosie is roxy is roshan

Touche

by rosie is roxy is roshan on

Ricochet Rabbit!

LOL


Parthian

I wonder..

by Parthian on

I wonder how the supporters of this regime, supporters of reform, and those naive hopefuls who think Iran will change and transition slowly from within are willing to give this regime a chance? and at what cost? When will they learn that this regime has not changed in 30 years? I wonder why they are so insane. you know the definition of insanity: to repeat the same actions and expecting a different result!


I Have a Crush on Alex Trebek

I think if anyone is at risk for assassination in Iran

by I Have a Crush on Alex Trebek on

they are doing something right.