First, the best way to keep abreast of what’s going on in Iran is through Twitter’s #iranelection stream. Additionally, there are some incredible photos and videos coming out of Iran. Foreign journalists are asked to leave the country. Apparently Tehran has clamped down on media outlets and shut the Internet access as well as cell services.
Protesters fighting policemen, policemen beating protesters, cars on fire, blood stained pavements, … Simply put, the Iranians are sick of lies. They do not believe one bit that Ahmadinejad won re-election. His rival, Mousavi, is reportedly under house arrest in an obvious attempt to keep him from fueling the street protests and gain legitimacy.
The State Department has released a statement rejecting Ahmadinejad’s claim of a landslide victory. The Obama administration is now faced with its first international foreign policy crisis: what next?
This is an administration eager to start a dialog with Tehran, no matter who becomes in charge. But now that the administration has denied Ahmadinejad’s presidency, President Obama is in a bind keeping in mind that Iran has risen to be a nuclear power in the Middle East. Anger Ahmadinejad and he may increase his anti-Israeli, anti-American rhetoric, or worse yet, threaten to launch a nuke. The primary concern for the U.S. and its Middle Eastern allies right now is stablizing the country so that nobody even thinks about those nukes.
Is President Obama talking to Ahmadinejad through the back channel already? Are negotiations in progress already? There is no doubt that Iranians hunger for liberty and democracy, and through these protests they are letting the world know — inviting the world to help them achieve their dreams. I sincerely hope President Obama will not simply honor Ahmadinead’s presidency in return for disarmament of his nuclear program. That’ll be a naive move by Obama and will greatly disappoint the Iranian people.
