Wednesday December 15, 2010

I've Been Thinking:

They are feeling frustrated on the streets of Iran.

Iranians are responding negatively to the news that, on Monday, Ahmadinejad fired Foreign Minister Mottaki. There was no warning and no concern about backlash. And now - there is serious backlash.

The big question is: why. Mottaki was in Senegal at the time and received the news in the form of a letter from Ahmadinejad. He is embarrassed, even humiliated.

Politics in Iran have always been a powder keg. A decision of this kind and the response that it has elicited from Iranian society shows the enormous rift, the significant stress and the distrust among even supporters of the government.

Mottaki's job was to defend Iran. For all we in the West know, Mottaki was quiet at a time when Ahmadinejad wanted him to be on the attack.

Whatever the reason, we have to watch closely. We need to see where the chips will land.

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