Ahmadinejad Silences Critics, Congratulates Obama
In what is speculated to be an effort to silence his critics before the upcoming presidential elections, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad shut down an Iranian reformist publication, Shahrvand-e Emrouz (Today’s Citizen), for an article published about President-elect Barack Obama. The Iranian paper featured a picture of the President-elect and asked the question, “Why doesn’t Iran have an Obama?” The publication essentially criticized the Iranian President’s hardline policies in favor of a more moderate president, less inclined to stir up international controversy over its policies. A slight contradiction in Ahmadinejad’s behavior is his recent letter to President-elect Obama, congratulating him on his new office. Supporters of the Iranian president cite that this letter “shattered America’s incorrect view” that Iran is not open to the world and the United States in particular. The Iranian government said that it expects the United States to “give a deserving answer to the message” in what appears to be a political move to garner much-needed support from the American government.
Steven Craig
