Maybe this will be the last straw for the iranian people mostly and the international community ! Don't forget that rafsanjani is the master mind behind the nuclear programm in Iran. With him in the spotlights the americans and the israelis will have to take actions if they don't want to see a Hitler alike leader get a hold of this dangerous weapon.
payam | Homepage | 05.12.05 - 11:25 am | #

That's odd. Most papers call Rafsanjani a moderating influence. That's certainly what he was seen as back when he was president in the 90s. A friend to the oligarchical business establishment and a pragmatist.

(Moderate is, naturally, a relative term. Modereate compared to Khamanei is not moderate in any other country.)

Why do you see Rafsanjani as more belligerent and extremist that the existing clerical establishment?
Ikram | 05.12.05 - 2:19 pm | #

Rafsanjani is seen as a moderate? Which papers are you referring to?
Adam | Homepage | 05.13.05 - 2:07 pm | #

Most of the important regional papers. The Gulf news, the Khaleej Times, Bahrain's Gulf Daily News, etc. Either 'moderate' or 'moderate conservative'. Various smaller US papers, probably off the Reuters story.

Back in the late 80s and early 90s, Rafsanjani was often called moderate. But Iranian politics has shifted left since then - which is probably why he's been labelled 'moderate conservative'.

He also used to be known as a pragmatist, or, to his detractors, an opportunist. Often found near the adjective 'wily'. Not considered an ideologue (by Iranian standards -- I think Hoder's complimenting you).

Does a moderate conservative nationalist non-ideologue leader make Iran more or less dangerous? You're the hotshot neocon Sauvé scholar, you tell me.
Ikram | 05.13.05 - 5:39 pm | #

Oh, I understand the title was a joke, but pedantry is the internet faith. Iran does have term limits -- a person may not serve more than two consecutive terms as President.
Ikram | 05.13.05 - 5:44 pm | #

"With the neverending flow of news out of Ottawa it's been difficult to keep up with any other stories. It's tough when the papers and newscasts are all Adscam, all the time. You'd think the rest of the world stopped turning. That's too bad, because there's still a lot of important other stuff going on."
Isn't the above intro to Mr. Daifallah's post about Iran the saddest coment on the present state of our political affairs?
Instead of Canada being involved in some type of strong foreign policy in the name of freedom versus terrorism/totaliarinism, we have a scandalous, thieving Party clinging to power in a suspended and defeated parliament. We have money flowing blindly into governments' of countries definitely lacking freedom, and minute and ineffectual promises in the midst of a genocide in Sudan to desperately retain that power.
Charlotte | 05.16.05 - 10:02 pm | #