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Is the Real Power in Iran ... Eastasia or Eurasia?

We're always at war with the real powers that be in Iran, but the definition of who's in power is incredibly fluid.
June 11, 2009  |  
 
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I'm not going to call out Greg Bruno and Jamal Afridi of the Council on Foreign Relations for spinning the upcoming Iranian elections. I don't know the authors, and can't gauge their intent in writing this in a recent backgrounder (also, they're more or less correct):

Officially the highest elected office in the Islamic Republic of Iran's bureaucracy, the president remains subordinate to the Supreme Leader, who serves as the final arbiter on foreign policy, media, nuclear-related decisions, and military and national security.

The president, meanwhile, carries out the "functions of the executive" as outlined in Iran's constitution, duties that range from appointing ambassadors and cabinet ministers to planning and executing the national budget. Article 113 of the constitution stipulates that executive power is subservient to "the office of Leadership" ...

And while Ahmadinejad has repeatedly defended Iran's right to pursue peaceful nuclear technologies, final decisions on uranium enrichment and the overall direction of the program lie with Khamenei.

Again, this isn't directed at the CFR backgrounder per se -- I could have used the Guardian's "How Important is the Iranian President?" to make my point. I just think it's worth noting, again, the perfect fluidity in which the power structures within Iran are described in the mainstream discourse...

Joshua Holland is an editor and senior writer at AlterNet.
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