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| Volume XV, Spring 2008, Number 1 |
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EXCERPT
Iran's Reformists and Activists: Internet Exploiters
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| Babak Rahimi and Elham Gheytanchi |
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Dr. Rahimi is assistant professor of Iranian and Islamic studies at the University of California, San Diego. Ms. Gheytanchi is an adjunct associate professor/instructor of sociology at Santa Monica College.
It has become increasingly accepted
that the Iranian presidential election of
2005, which brought to power hardline
politicians like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, caused a major decline of dissent. Under Mohammad Khatami's presidency, Iranians, especially the youth, confronted the regime with the hope of transforming the autocratic political system into a more democratic one. The current public, however, remains largely indifferent to politics, despite being subjected to the crushing domination of increasingly authoritarian rule. This political culture of apathy is mainly, it is argued, a by-product of the Khatami regime's failure to meet earlier public demands for democratic change.
Although their 2005 electoral triumph provided the hardliners with a golden opportunity to inhibit dissent, it failed to solve most of the inherent flaws of the Islamic Republic and, consequently, left the root of dissent very much intact. As a result, in the context of mounting economic and social problems, including ongoing tension with the United States, Iran's theocracy continues to face an increasingly dissatisfied population. Indeed, as the state continues to deny the public's aspirations for civil rights and democracy, Iranian dissident groups have persisted in fighting back, using alternative forums of communication, such as the Internet, to facilitate their expressions of discontent.
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