Letter from the Publisher
June 2009
The Islamic Republic of Iran will hold its tenth presidential election on June 12, thirty years after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The last prime minister of Iran (1981-1989), Mir-Hossein Mousavi, two-time Parliament (Majlis) speaker (1989-1992 and 2000-2004), Mehdi Karroubi, former IRGC Commander and Secretary of the Expediency Council, Mohsen Rezaei, as well as incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are the candidates contesting the election. Mousavi and Karroubi represent the reformist bloc and Rezaei is from the Principlist party. These elections come at a pivotal time and we hope that a fresh face will change Iran's image abroad and help solve the country's economic woes.
While elections in Iran many not seem as democratic when compared to elections in other full democracies, they provide an important opportunity for the public to debate the most important issues facing them and the country. This year Iran- US relations as well freedom and civil liberties, especially women's rights, are key issues of the election campaigns. Reaching the youth of Iran is also another major goal of the candidates, and to this end it seems that Mousavi has the advantage with his green color pamphlets and the use of the internet. So far both reformist candidates have promised that rapprochement with the United States will be a key focus of their foreign policy doctrine. Surprisingly,even Mohsen Rezaei has pledged to interact "constructively" with Washington should he win the elections. This demonstrates the backlash in the conservative circles to the provocative tactics used by the incumbent Ahmadinejad over the past four years in his foreign policy.
The other transformative event in the Middle East next month will be President Barack Obama's visit to Saudi Arabia and then Egypt, where he is expected to deliver a major foreign policy speech regarding the Muslim world at Cairo University on June 4. In Riyadh he is meeting with King Abdullah to discuss the Palestinian- Israeli conflict and Iran's nuclear enrichment program. The Obama administration has embraced the 2002 Arab peace initiative and the two state solution, and President Barack Obama has pressed both Israelis and Palestinians to move the process forward, in his recent meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netenyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas at the White House. President Obama has urged Israel to stop settlement expansion and the Palestinians to increase security and safety in the West Bank. Many previous U.S. administrations have failed in their efforts to stop settlement expansion and for peace between Israel and Palestine, but hopes seem to be higher this time as the current administration is putting maximum effort and President Obama has declared this issue as a top foreign policy priority. Let us hope for the best outcome for all parties involved and for a peaceful future for the Middle East and the world.
