The South Wing

In what many of calling the greatest mass mobilization in Iran since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Iranian citizens are putting their lives on the line to demand democracy. While it is too early to predict whether these protests will result in greater human rights protections and greater democracy, or if it will be violently suppressed, it seems as if this nation, filled with potential and power, has awoken.

The debate over whether Ahmadinejad won a majority of the votes actually has very little to do with democracy. When defining democracy, it is easy to focus on elections and ballot-counting because it is democracy’s most easily quantifiable aspect. However, in order for those elections to have any true democratic meaning, a wide range of the prerequisites, such as access to differing sources of information, freedom to associate, accountable justice system, have to be in place long before Election Day.

Iran’s limitations on the freedom to associate and access to information, combined with the extent of clerical control on civic life and entirely unaccountable judicial system, amount to a situation in which voters cannot freely join opposition parties without fear of retribution. When voters fear jail or violent retaliation for choosing the opposition, not even the most precise counting can constitute a fair election. Citizens must be free to gather information from varied sources and to express their opinions in safety for an election to have any true democratic meaning. Therefore, Iran’s election was rigged long before campaigning even began, with the opposition forces operating in a climate of national fear, and with the threat of violence and reprisal always looming.

So why hold an election if you’re unwilling to relinquish power? There are very few countries left in the world willing to admit to opposing democracy, largely perceived as the only legitimate form of governance. Therefore, if the Iranian government had successfully held an election, while subtly suppressing the opposition’s chances of winning, then it would now be claiming legitimacy when the ruling power gained a majority of the vote. This tactic is quite common in semi-authoritarian regimes–or even totalitarian regimes–and often works. However, when the amount of authoritarian repression is so intolerable that ordinary citizens are willing to risk their life to join the opposition, this tactic can fail, as Iranian leadership is now learning.

In Iran’s recent election, no real democratic exercise ever took place. Political and religious Iranian leaders continually warn of “consequences” for protesters – it is clear that the opposition was never meant to win and its supporters were never safe to express their political will in the first place. Thus, the ballots cast are not a measure of a democratic, collective will. No matter how accurate a recount, the Iranian election, at best, measured what portion of the population was willing to risk its life for change – which is very different from a democratic election. If the current regime were serious about democracy, access to information and freedom to associate would be fundamentally different long before the election was ever held, and those of us outside would not be resorting to youtube and twitter leaks.

So what has so many Iranians risking their lives to proclaim their rejection of the election results, considering that a number of polls indicated that it was at least possible for Ahmadinejad to win? The issue is clearly more than poor arithmetic.

For the people of Iran, there are many things to inspire mass protests – the non-elected Ayatollah’s veto power over any elected-authority, the limitations on personal liberties, internal persecution of religious and ethnic minorities, and an escalating alienation with the world’s political system. Whether frustrated over the treatment of one’s own, outraged over the persecution of others or embarrassed by crumbling diplomatic relations, many Iranians are saying they are ready for something new – so ready, in fact, that they are willing, to put their lives on the line.sudden impact online download download flash point movie ????? ?????? the clearing movie