ABBAS MILANI [Hamid and Christina Moghadam Director of Iranian Studies at Stanford University]: Yes, I think even the poll that Flynt refers to — if you look at the poll — first of all, it was done in May. It was done by telephone. Anyone who knows the Iranian situation would know that people are not likely to respond accurately to a phone that they received from Turkey.
And — but even in spite of this fiat (ph), if you look at the vote, 90 percent of the people thought that the most important issue for them is the economy. And we know what Ahmadinejad has done to the economy. Seventy-seven percent of them want the leader elected. Eighty-eight percent of them want improved trade with the West. Seventy percent of them think that
Iran should provide adequate guarantees to the West in return for — adequate guarantees about the nuclear program — in return for trade. Eighty-nine percent of them favor U.S. assistance to Iran. Fifty-two percent of them favor recognizing the state of Israel.
This is the poll that Mr. Leverett is pointing to. Are these the policies that Ahmadinejad supports? Is it likely that a population that has this sentiment, after Ahmadinejad performed in that debate the way McCarthy performed in this country, flashing the file, the intelligence file of the other candidate’s wife, are we to believe, that this is the historical reading, that Ahmadinejad won the election with these numbers?
Fascinating. I did watch it all. We are watching history in the making, though how it will all end is very uncertain. But at least one thing is clear, Iran will never be the same. A million people participate in a peaceful protest in Tehran, and the riot police don’t attempt to crush it and disperse them? That alone speaks volumes about whole new vistas of opportunity for the Iranian people to start exercising their inherent power.
It’s not over yet. And even if this plainly fraudulent election is allowed to stand, it’s still not over yet. For the people will have gotten a taste of hope and their power to change things. And the long-term results of that are incalculable.
No one ever dreamed the Berlin Wall would fall so suddenly in 1989. No one ever dreamed that Boris Yeltsin could stand up to tanks and soldiers in Red Square and the whole Soviet political machine and that the Communist government would fall the abrupt way it did. OTOH, the brave mass protests in Beijing’s huge public square didn’t lead to the immediate collapse of the Communist government in China. So no one really knows what may happen.
Meanwhile, I agree with two of the experts on the Charlie Rose show: Where are the ballots?? And how in the world could over 40 million handwritten ballots have been counted in just two hours or so??
I think it’s safe to say that those ballots will never see the light of day. And given the unprecedented voter turnout, that makes for a LOT of angry voters. And they have every reason to be furious.
David Handy+