Crackdown in Iran
Iran has started to crack down on what democratic/liberal elements that exist in Iranian culture and society. Starting this spring there have been widespread accounts of Iranian women being arrested for wearing colorful or revealing headscarfs (that don’t cover all the hair). There has also been arrests in universities of activists who challenge Iranian norms. There is also the case of Haleh Esfandiari, the director of the Wilson Center’s Middle-East Program, who has been charged with espionage and propagandizing. She is a dual Iranian-American citizen and was arrested while visiting Iran. It was suggested that she was part of a "soft revolution" by introducing democratic ideas and connecting Western and Iranian intellectuals.
This crackdown simply reinforced the fact that hardliners and conservatives are not going anywhere in Iran and democratic reforms should not be expected anytime soon. It also shows an Iran that is increasingly antagonistic towards the west and liberal democracy. By cracking down on moderate elements Iran can claim to be the leader in the Islamist movement and maintain a position of prominence in the Islamic world.
