Iran: Ahmadinejad in Trouble?

Aired on June 26, 2007
Iran is usually protrayed as a rogue state with an unpronounceable president who is manically anti-Israel and has his finger on the button. But there IS more to the story.

President Mamoud Ahmadinejad won a landslide election in 2005-- LARGELY due to his promise to bring "the country's oil money to every dinner table. " But less than 2 years later, he's in trouble.

The biggest story in Iran right now is that the economy is melting down - inflation is 15 percent, unemployment is up by a third---all despite record high oil prices.

Here's something else you don't hear much about - Ahmadinejad is facing mounting resistance. * Student protests were caught on cell-phone video. * An indomitable women's movement, its most famous face, that of Shirin Ebadi, the Nobel prize winning lawyer central to a campaign to get 1 million signatures demanding equal rights for women. * A tenacious labour movement, including a recent bus drivers strike. * In May, 57 economists wrote the President a scathing public letter attacking his handling of the economy.

So what does the Iranian regime do when it's in trouble, feeling the heat? Crackdown of course. * Thirty women's rights activists arrested in one day this spring. Some were sentenced to years in prison. * The student activists arrested in May are still being held in solitary confinement. * And the LEADER of the bus drivers' union was sentenced to 5 years. * And of course the most reported state repression this spring? Tens of thousands detained for wearing un-Islamic clothing.

The problem with trying to understand Iran through the news is getting straight information through the thicket of agendas on both the regime's side and the U.S. media's. Meanwhile, inside Iran the situation and the conversation are sophisticated and complex.

We try to scratch the surface with a professor at the University of Southern California who has worked closely with Nobel Prize winner Shirin Ebadi, Muhamad Sahimi.

And we talk about the controversy surrounding U.S. support for so-called democracy promotion programs in Iran. The U.S. State Department 's new and aggressive program has been spearheaded by David Denehy, known as Vice President Dick Cheney's man at State.

Just four weeks ago, Suzanne Maloney was working with Denehey on the program. She disagreed on how it was being run. She is now a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute.

FACTS ON DEMOCRACY PROMOTION IN IRAN:
In February 2006, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice asked Congress for a huge increase in funding for so-called democracy promotion in Iran.

In June, 66 million was approved. The biggest chunk went to Voice of America radio and tv programming.

But a full 20 million went to an amorphous category of programs quote that "support the democratic aspirations of the Iranian people".

A year later, the Iranian government arrested four people who were receiving some form of U.S. based funding and activists in Iran denounce the U.S. for endangering the very people it claims it wants to help.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Iran
• President
• Mamoud
• Ahmadinejad
• Condoleeza
• Rice
• Shirin
• Ebadi
• Muhamad
• Sahimi

[OtilioGuerrra]

Watch Out, My opinion, Iran will get Nukes, Thanks To Russia.

[ericrichardriley]

Death to ahmadinejad

[ardalanhamrah]

democracy is for gays and bitches ! we don´t need greek-roman cluture brought us by zionists!

[krusader85]

is that hugo chavez at 1:56

[bettyswallows]

the man is a PIG, imagine NO homos live in Iran. Well I once lived there, and didn't find a 'straight' man in all of Iran. Wot a liar. Who is he kidding, shoot the prick..

[RebelsLiberator]

How many violations of the Koran has the Supreme council justified?Islamic Republic remember?Iranians still follow the Koran correct?

[nilo723]

The reason i respect Ahmadinejad is that the guy is outspoken..He criticizes where it is needed..

He is not a show off like Bush or Obama, if u read about his personal life he is a very simple and down to earth person who doesn't even take his salary as a country's President..

[nilo723]

DEATH TO UR MOMMY!

[realstoney]

i'd prefer anyone over bush, but that doesnt mean there are things about him that aren't right

Ahmadinejad is right about some things, like the right to atomic energy, but look at the problems they have, unemployement, unequal rights, ...

its not cause he's right on some points that it makes him a good president

[gsg831]

Not bad clip. Iranians look at Ahmadinejad the way ppl in states look at bush. PPL arnt stupid tho if anyone attacks Iran they will immediatly be on Ahmadinejads side. This clip is pretty accurate.