News from Iran #2

The New York Times, in particular, is taking a positive view of the election of Hassan Rowhani, with an article on Wednesday titled, "From Inner Circle of Iran, a Pragmatic Victor."

It says Iranians responded to news of the election "by erupting into street parties not seen in many years."   It even went as far as saying, "it almost seemed as if some sort of reformist revolution could be under way."

My big question still is:  How do we square the fact of this jubilant reaction from the people with the fact that Rowhani has spent his political life at the center of the conservative establishment and that he was one of the ruling clerics' approved candidates for president?   Did they not expect him to win and put him forth as a sop to the people?

True, he has usually been among, if not the, most moderate one in that inner circle.  And he has the nickname of "the diplomatic sheik."   He also campaigned on pledges to bring more freedom and better relations with the outside world.

Let's analyze what we know.  Rowhan is 64, earned a doctorate in constitutional law from Glasgow Caledonian University (Scotland), and has been the nuclear negotiator for the Iranian government.   He is seen as a "cautious realist" and a pragmatist.   He once said that ideology must never stand in the way of advancement.
 
Back in 1979, in the middle of the Iranian revolution and rife anti-American feeling, Rowhani disagreed with those who said Iran should not buy weapons from the U.S.   Rowhani argued that they shouldn't deprive themselves of modern weapons just because they were from America.   He is said to be part of a group of clerics that define Islam as more of a dynamic than a rigid code.   And as late as 2003 he made a point of visiting with American officials at an emergency hospital that had been set up to help victims of a big earthquake in Iran.

So -- all signs point to him being the best electable choice, by far, from our point of view.   But what is the ruling clerics' point of view?    Will they allow him to have any real power or influence?   Can we believe the positive spin, or is that in itself some kind of spin?   Is this an indication that they are ready for moderation?

Stay tuned.

Ralph