Iran: Is This an “Unravelling” Protest Beyond Mousavi and Karroubi?
Posted by Scott Lucas in Middle East & IranIran: Why is Washington Belittling the Green Movement?
The Latest from Iran (12 November): Ahmadinejad Moves for Nuclear Deal
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I will be honest. I saw this article by Brian Murphy of the Associated Press earlier in the week but decided not to post it or even refer to it. I did so because I could not find the basis for his claims about the Green movement. Neither the quotes from his “some experts” do not or his knowledge of the situation (he claims, for example, that only “several thousand” demonstrators turned out in Iran on 13 Aban) support his sweeping conclusion of a “potential unravelling” of the opposition. They do not back his speculation that “Mousavi and Karroubi’s reluctance could leave room for more militant opposition leaders to emerge in the future” — indeed, Murphy’s implication is that the mainstream of the Green protest desire revolution while Mousavi and Karroubi “have repeatedly said they do not seek to overthrow the ruling clerics”.
On second thought, however, the far better-informed and thoughtful discussion amongst EA readers has considered the direction of the Green Wave after the latest protests and statements and actions by its leaders. So I’m posting Murphy’s piece as his personal contribution to the debate and looking forward to the ideas and critiques of our own “experts” on the Comment board.
Iran’s opposition steers challenge toward the top
Brian Murphy
Just minutes before anti-riot police charged opposition marchers in Tehran last week, a new chant bubbled up from the crowd: “Death to Nobody.”
It was more than just a play on the “Death to America” slogans that are staples of Iran’s political life. The cries give a sense of how much the protest movement has evolved since the raw outrage of last summer.
The demonstrations have moved beyond narrow attacks on President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his disputed re-election in June. They are now drifting toward a blanket challenge of the Islamic leadership’s right to rule.
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