Experts Re-examine Impact Of Iranian Demonstrations

By Celia Canon- Talk Radio News Service

During this past weekend, the media attention placed on Iran’s election and popular upheavals have monopolized all TV channels while presenting images of a quasi civil war in the Islamic republic.

Many state leaders have called for a revision of the elections results, claiming that proof of irregularities is abundant, which would render this Friday’s elections undemocratic.

Yet today, experts gathered at the New America Foundation to discuss the significance and outcome of the reelection of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and some even tamed down the media-delivered message that the elections should be rejected by the international community.

Afshin Molavi, a fellow at the New America Foundation, reexamined the clouded image provided by the mainstream media.

“This was the most open and lively and vibrant elections we have seen… Ahmadinejad performed fairly well. He was really pounding his opponents, in particularly( Mir-Hossein) Mousavi as an associate of Rafsanjani who steeped in corruption,” said Molavi.

Flynt Leverett, director of the American Strategy Program at NAF, wrote in his Politico article titled ‘Ahmadinejad Won. Get Over It’ that “The [mainstream media] ignore the fact that Ahmadinejad’s 62.6% of the vote in this year’s election is essentially the same as the 61.69% he received in the final count of the 2005 presidential election.”

According to Ken Ballen, president of the Terror Free Tomorrow, there has also been a misconception on the Ahmadinejad followers whom he claims have been demonized by foreign press and categorized as anti-democratic hard-liners.

On the contrary, polls carried out by Terror Free Tomorrow show otherwise. “86% of the people who said they would vote for Ahmadinejad and supported his reelection also chose ensuring free elections,’ said Ballen.

As for media anticipation that Mousavi would be elected on the account that Ahmadinejad was blamed for having hurt the economy, Leverett added that “While many Iranians complain about inflation, the TFT poll found that most Iranian voters do not hold Ahmadinejad responsible.”

Leverett insisted that the impact of the demonstrations has declined, since demonstrators have expanded their stance from simply protesting voter irregularities to standing against the the notion of an Islamic Republic, which according to Leverett is less likely to achieve results.

“This demonstration is over, in any real strategic sense,” said Leverett.

The demonstrations this weekend have seen both Pro-Ahmadinejad and opposition crowds amass in the streets of Tehran.