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Showing posts with label Iran. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Iran. Show all posts
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"Iranians Demand Loan of Treasure"

10.12.2009 0 comments

I must admit, the very fact that the BBC could publish this headline makes me chuckle a bit. Upon scanning my RSS feed and seeing this one-line description, I immediately conjured images of Iranians en masse chanting for a magic lantern and a genie to solve their difficulties creating a viable long-range warhead. After reading the article it's clear that this is not the case, however. It seems that, following centuries of alleged imperialism, the Iranian government is demanding the return of a Persian artifact, "The Cyrus Cylinder", a clay cylinder dating from Babylonia which discusses religious tolerance and other civic rights. Commissioned by King Cyrus, the cylinder is about 2600 years old and is believed to have been created in the 6th-century BCE. While the British Museum, which currently owns the piece, claims that it is willing to return the artifact, it's progress in actually sending the cylinder has been delayed. The Head of Press for the British Museum, Hannah Boulton, is quoted as saying, "When lending any material you have to check that it is an appropriate moment," which encouraged a quick retort from the Iranians claiming that a "post-election situation" is to blame for the British Museum's hesitancy. While it is entirely possible that the British Museum does intend to loan the piece to the Iranian government and is simply working to secure its safety as an ancient artifact, the fact remains that the recent sentencing of three Iranian protesters to death for their roles in this summers pro-democracy protests could potentially "delay" their action. While a small disagreement altogether, I personally feel this is yet another example of the unwillingness of the West and Islamic world's to intersect. As long as squabbles like this continue to define the public relationship between the United States, its allies and the Islamic Republic of Iran, no tentative accords will be reached. Read the full story

 

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Developments in Iran

2.16.2009 0 comments

A map of Iran courtesy of google images. In a suprise move, Muhammad Khatami, a relatively old but incresingly progressive reformist cleric, declared his intentions to run against current Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June's presidential elections. Ahmadinejad, famous in the West for his aggressive and almost arrogant persona, has lost the popular support of many Iranians as his massive public works projects, desigend to bolster the poor, have actually led to widespread inflation. In the aftermath of this spike in inflation, the middle class of Iran, famed for their moderate nature, has lost their purchasing power. Obviously, this development has angered many of these middle class Iranians. In this charged political climate, it is now possible that a more progressive leader could seize the reins of Iran's government. It is even possible, that, in order to maintain Iran's delicate theocracy, the Grand Ayatollah Khameini might lend his support to a candidate other than Ahmadinejad. Obviously, the rising popularity of reformist candidates among middle class Iranian citizens who feel overly restrained by Ahmadinejad's conservative regulations of personal behavoir has most likely put Ahmadinejad on edge. While the US has a vested interest in the election of a reformist Iranina president- including the possibility of freer negotiatons as well as the notion of a nuclear-free Iran- it cannot attempt to take any action within Iran. To, even secretly, attempt to manipulate the Iranian elections in the favor of Western interests, would certainly destroy any hopes of modernization in Tehran. Instead, the influential Iranian middle class could very well radicalize if they felt any pressure from American interests. In today's geopolitical climate, one filled with anti-American rhetoric abounding abroad, even the remotest possibility of a moderate Iran is cherished. Who knows, come June, the US and President Barack Obama may indeed have sustained negotiations with Iran over their nuclear program for the first time in many years.
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