The Hidden Secret, Fereydoun Hoveyda, Translated by Amir Azar - 2004-02-17

The Hidden Secret, Fereydoun Hoveyda, Translated by Amir Azar - 2004-02-17 Source: iranian.com February 13, 2003. Twenty-five years of unrelenting religious tyranny in Iran raises a fundamental question for us: How has a group of incompetent and often corrupt low-ranking clerics managed to keep the Iranian people under their control for such a long time after the death of the charismatic leader, the 'Imam'? In fact, the Islamic Republic has piled problem upon problem over the years: eight years of bloody war; over 40,000 political executions in the first two years of its rule; political and economic mismanagement; the apparent isolation of the country; millions unemployed; a doubling of the population; annual double-digit inflation; citizens forced to hold two jobs to make ends meet; women facing discrimination; widespread corruption at all social levels; gross human rights violations; the assassination of opponents both inside and outside the country; student unrest and riots; high crime rates; widespread drug use; support for terrorist organizations, and more. For years, observers have predicted the imminent collapse of the Islamic Republic. Nevertheless, this government remains in power (albeit sick) and continues to govern. It is true that Islamic laws are no longer enforced with the same severity as during Khomeini's era. However, the country is still governed by Islamic laws, and thugs and hooligans under the regime occasionally resort to brutality to enforce these laws. Many who travel to Iran say that an uprising is forming that could bring the regime to the brink of collapse. So what keeps the regime standing? The willingness and satisfaction of the poor people? A powerful secret police? Special security groups like the IRGC or Basij? The will of God? The clerics' ability to battle the devil? Certainly, some of the mentioned factors have benefited the clerics. However, they cannot rely on them for the long-term survival of their failed regime. In this puzzle, who is to blame? I believe I have found the main 'saviors' of the Islamic Republic. This quartet consists of England, France, Germany, and Russia. The governments of these countries have invented the mythical concept of 'constructive dialogue' to isolate not the Islamic Republic but the United States and make a profitable deal with the clerics. They provide fanciful analyses of the political situation in Iran, according to which the smiling president, Khatami, is a 'reformer' and Khamenei is a 'grim' conservative. One of the interventions by these countries occurred on October 21, 2003, when the foreign ministers of Britain, Germany, and France traveled to Tehran to persuade Khamenei to allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect Iran's nuclear facilities. On February 11, 2004, the Iranian regime handed out hundreds of placards featuring images of leaders and friends to its hired demonstrators participating in the 25th anniversary of Khomeini's rise to power. I was surprised that among these images, I did not see a picture of Blair, Chirac, Schröder, or Putin. Oh, ungrateful clerics! Fereydoun Hoveyda was Iran's ambassador to the United Nations from 1971 to 1978.