Iran Human Rights Advocates: Obama's Doing It Right

I spoke this morning with Hadi Ghaemi. He's the director of the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, headquartered in NYC. He's currently in Paris with Roxana Saberi, whose insights into Iran's attempts to shut down information coming out of the country are particularly apropos in the wake of the upheaval following last week's election.

My first question was simple - did you, at least, see this coming?

Ghaemi said he didn't. No one did, most importantly, he says, not even the Iranian government. He thinks the protesters have surprised even themselves since the election, and created the beginnings of a movement toward real change in Iran by the strength of their outrage.

Ghaemi says from a human rights point of view, neither of the candidates were a welcome choice - but there was a third candidate, Mehdi Karoubi, who had promised important human rights reform. According to blogs claiming to have official figures leaked by the Interior Ministry, Karoubi came in second to Mir-Hossein Mousavi...with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a distant third.

Ghaemi now describes the people of Iran as waiting to find their way...he believes a movement has been born. He doesn't expect Mousavi to continue as its leader, but he equates what's happening to the creation of the women's movement, the student movement, the labor movement. Now that they've discovered their power, he thinks they'll next start planning how to flex their previously undetected muscle. He says things may grow quiet for a while - but he believes that doesn't mean this is over. Just how bloody the confrontation is depends, he says, on the Iranian government's response.

How about the flack America's president is taking for his response to the bloodshed in Tehran? "America's response so far is absolutely correct," Ghaemi says. He points out that the US has absolutely no relationship with Iran - no trade, no diplomatic relations, political relations - and the US has no leverage. There is nothing the United States can do in a practical way, and inserting itself into the events on any level other than moral grounds is unrealistic and unproductive.

Listen to the full interview here: http://tinyurl.com/nrqmbd

Today We Are All Iranians - Guest Post

I cannot say it better.


A poem from Iran and Political Packrat's thoughts.

Doing the Stimulus Chinese Style

What to do when the bulk of your country's economy is based on what you sell to other countries - and they stop buying? That's the conundrum facing China, which, despite a multi-billion dollar surplus, is seeing its exports deflate faster than a leaky tire.

The local governments' solution is to offer coupons to encourage its own citizens to start buying. Factories are closing in China and the rate of layoffs is increasing. It's the natural response to a lack of demand as export markets hunker down for a long, painful economic contraction. The Chinese government is creating a 585 billion dollar stimulus package that includes subsidies to encourage rural Chinese to go out and buy appliances. But local governments believe more needs to be done - and their answer is to give out shopping vouchers.

The vouchers are time to coincide with holidays and they're working, sort of. Sales are up. But analysts wonder if it will have any long term significance as the country struggles with an economy built on customers from somewhere else.

The vouchers serve an important PR function as well - it's hoped that they will be seen as the government showing concern for its people. And that's important. Because if things continue to worsen and the Chinese don't think they're being cared for, it won't take much to ignite riots. These are people on the edge - and when you're close to the edge chaos is just a short step away.




http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China_Business/KB14Cb01.html