Last night, I talked to some participants at a march organized by “Where Is My Vote,” an international pro-Iranian democracy grass-roots campaign. The people there offered a mixed bag of political opinion on Iran's political situation, ranging from an overall approval of Obama’s tempered handling of the matter to a more skeptical critique of the Iranian opposition.
A number of protesters wore paper signs praising Obama for “condemning but not meddling,” and carried the expected “Neda is alive in our hearts” posters. A few people came with what looked like Mullah effigies, but they were clearly on the fringe.
Many voiced a staunch, unconditional support for opposition leader Mousavi, but I spoke with numerous protesters who were only pro-Mousavi by default. Several felt great unease over the fact that they were supporting a candidate who was, in his own words, “ready for martyrdom.” One of the protesters was particularly nervous about such a man possibly becoming president of a potential nuclear power, but stressed that “democracy isn’t perfect, but we’re for it,” and that Mousavi was nevertheless, “a first step toward real political reform” in the region.
A particularly enthusiastic rally-mate emphasized that “denouncing human-rights violations is what we want from Obama, and, please, let the Iranians on the ground handle the rest. So, so far, so good.”
--Asawin Suebsaeng
Asawin Suebsaeng is a Prospect summer 2009 intern.
