[The Times, U.K.]

Dar al-Hayat, Saudi Arabia

Worrying Times for Iran's Supreme Leader

"To endure, revolutions need tense demarcation lines. A climate of confrontation is a prerequisite for prolonging unity. A feeling of being besieged is a must for keeping the ranks together. … Which is why Barack Obama's appearance seemed so confusing. He addressed Iran with respect and called its regime by its name. He said that his country isn't planning to topple the regime and doesn't want to dictate its conditions or impose its values."

By Ghassan Charbel

June 21, 2009

Saudi Arabia- Dar al-Hayat - Original Article (English)

There were worrying signs for the Supreme Leader Khamenei. Daily protests accuse the authorities of rigging the presidential elections. The pre-election debates aired laundry that would have been better kept under wraps. The candidates accused Ahmadinejad of domestic economic failure and being responsible for the country's global isolation. A number of clerics refrained from congratulating Ahmadinejad on his "victory" and there are indications of divisions within ruling religious circles. Every night, young men chant from the rooftops, "Allah Akbar" (God is the Greatest). The same chants that shook the pillars of the Shah's regime three decades ago. And Khamenei saw these same young men, without permission, stream into Tehran's squares during the day and raise signs reading "Where is my vote?"

And the Supreme Leader heard some worrying talk. The oil revenues Ahmadinejad promised Iranian citizens haven't materialized. Inflation and unemployment rates have risen. International sanctions have damaged the economy. Ahmadinejad's post-election comments to the world were a source of concern and provocation rather than being persuasive. The authorities have tried to contain embarrassing scenes, curbing the activities of journalists and cameras. But it discovered that the world has indeed changed. A small mobile phone is all that is needed to reveal the real situation on the streets, the capital, and the country.

The sons of the revolution have a right to compete. There's no harm in them bickering sometimes and easing tensions through the ballot boxes. But these "sons" have to abide by strict rules. They must compete under a predetermined ceiling and bicker under the robes. They have no right to poke a hole in the wall of the fortress which could become a window through which wind, questions and doubt could infiltrate. With small holes, great fortresses are hidden.

Iranian Filmmaker Samira Makhmalbaf describes what she says

occurred on election night in Iran. She claims that opposition

candidate Mousavi was told that he won. She then tells what

happened when the regime changed its mind. Al-Arabiya, Dubai,

June 17, 00:03:32: CLICK HERE OR CLICK PHOTO TO WATCH

And there are yet more reasons for concern. To endure, revolutions need tense demarcation lines. A climate of confrontation is a prerequisite for prolonging unity. A feeling of being besieged is a must for keeping the ranks together and putting of all difficult questions. The security of the revolution is far more important than its actions. The maintenance of the separating wall is more important than statistics. Concern over the revolution keeps the public fiery and engaged.

Which is why Barack Obama's appearance seemed so confusing. He addressed Iran with respect and called its regime by its name. He said that his country isn't planning to topple the regime and doesn't want to dictate its conditions or impose its values. He kicked the ball into the Iranians' court. He offered the open hand policy instead of holding a dialogue with fists and threats. Obama's discourse is embarrassing to Iran and others because it aims at weakening the demarcation lines.

This weakening of the confrontation lines weakens the reasoning behind constant mobilization. It returns the game to domestic issues and questions from citizens about prices, job opportunities, the quality of education, the conditions of institutions, and the good stewardship of budgets. And it allows questions about global relations to be asked again, in regard to Iran's economy, culture, scientific and technological revolutions and dialogue within and among its own ethnic and religious communities. Iranians don't object to a strong state, but just want it to be modern. Scenes from around the world and the experiences of others are now available to them through a tiny device that connects them to every corner of the global village.   

Posted by WORLDMEETS.US

Fellow demonstrators struggle to stop the bleeding of a young girl

shot down by plainclothes members of Iran's Basij - vigilantes that

act as enforcers for the Iranian regime. The video shows the blood

gushing from her head and neck as life slipped away. This video is

not for children: CLICK HERE OR CLICK PHOTO TO WATCH

The Supreme Leader has a right to feel worried. But the reason isn't Mir-Hossein Moussavi. His problem is with those who were born after the revolution. They didn't witness the birth pangs and don't consider guarding ashes more important than questions of the future. The nuclear dream isn't sufficient to quiet them. This is why they grab at every opportunity to demand the revolution reconcile itself with a new era and new facts. And this is why the Supreme Leader has interfered. He announced his preference for Ahmadinejad and addressed a warning to protesters. He reminded everyone of the rules of the game and threatened those who violate them. He will not allow the infiltration of these new winds. He will not allow for a velvet revolution. After his discourse, the security apparatus will act without leniency. The Supreme Leader is the first guardian of the revolution.

SEE ALSO ON THIS:

L'Orient Le Jour, Lebanon: Mr. Obama's Push of Dialogue and Openness Kicks In
Les Dernieres Nouvelles d'Alsace, France: 'Iran's Ayatollahs are Doomed'
Gazeta, Russia: Kremlin Balanced 'Between Two Chairs': Iran's and the West's
Yemen Times, Yemen: 'Zionists and Their Puppets' Assail Barack Obama
The Asia Times, Hong Kong: Beijing Cautions the U.S. Over Iran

Jerusalem Post, Israel: Iranian Protesters 'Cast Adrift' By Obama and E.U.
Debka File, Israel: White House is Divided on Iranian Protests

Nothing gives the impression that the Iranian regime is threatened. Ahmadinejad's popularity isn't illusory. But what's certain is that the protests have tainted his image. The question is: Can the revolution listen to the people? Secondly, what will it conclude? Two decades ago, the Chinese authorities repressed the Tiananmen protests. They saved the regime and stability but hastened to wage the battle of prosperity in the language of a new era when it discovered that Mao Zedong's keys no longer corresponded with to the new times.

[Posted by WORLDMEETS.US June 22, 1:19am]