Reform Gets a Boost

One of the unexpected casualties of Sept. 11 was Iran’s uniformly hard-line attitude toward the “Great Satan,” the United States. The atrocities gave the country’s reformists a much-needed moral and political boost, convincing many the time was right to push for better relations with Washington despite the objections of hard-liners and ideologues.

“There’s a realization that we’re confronting issues that place our interests in direct danger,” says Hadi Semati, an adviser to President Mohammed Khatami, “that it is part of Iran’s national security to take a step forward and there’s no road back.”

Though some of the steps taken so far may seem tiny, they are in fact giant leaps forward for Iran’s reform movement. For example, in early October around the time when the FBI put Hizballah operative Imad Mugniyah on its most-wanted list, Tehran told him in no uncertain terms to leave the country, a move that would have been unthinkable 15 years ago when Iran was a supporter of Hizballah terrorist activity in Lebanon directed against Israeli and Western interests.

On the home front, Iranians have expressed their disgust with the propaganda that passes for state television or “mullahvision” as it’s sometimes called by defiantly purchasing banned satellite dishes on the black market, even as police trucks brimming with confiscated dishes roam the streets.

With the ongoing military operation in neighboring Afghanistan, Iran also sees an opportunity to play a central, stabilizing role in the region. The Sunni Taliban have long been enemies of Shi’ite Iran, and Tehran reckons its influence will increase as it helps steer a (hopefully) more moderate Afghan regime back into the regional fold.

What’s changed?
Iran’s reform movement has been revived following the attacks, opening up the possibility of better relations with the West.

Will it last?
Yes, because the reformist vision of openness is now a strategic necessity and will be cultivated by the West, which is keen to secure Iran’s cooperation in the anti-terror campaign.