You deserve an opportunity to determine your own future, an economy that rewards your intelligence and your talents, and a society that allows you to fulfill your tremendous potential. The greatest obstacle to this future is that your rulers have chosen to deny you liberty and to use your nation?s resources to fund terrorism and fuel extremism and pursue nuclear weapons.
– President Bush discussing the Iranian people before the UN General Assembly
In his speech before the UN General Assembly, President Bush refrained from issuing belligerent threats over Iran?s nuclear program. He instead emphasized issues related to Iran?s domestic governance that have proven extremely contentious with the Iranian people, focusing on the country?s failing economy and repressive political and social atmosphere. The intended audiences were those segments of Iranian society suffering most under the government, namely political activists, ethnic minority groups, and the broader middle class.
Previously, Iranian President Ahmadinejad has been successful in framing the nuclear debate for Iranians, Muslims, and less developed countries as that of the imperial US leading the charge of Western powers to deny the technological advancement of an independent-minded Islamic country (see related War Report). In this case, Bush was able to place pressure on the Iranian government by speaking past it and towards the Iranian people on how their economic and political freedom deficiencies are tied to an ambitious, radical foreign policy.
Bush?s Targeted Audience
The Iranian government under the administration of Ahmadinejad has significantly curtailed political, religious, and social liberties, cracking down on those advocating personal rights. Several popular activists have died recently while in detention, and the government banned the human rights group led by Nobel prize winner Shirin Ebadi. President Ahmadinejad has led the effort to re-Islamicize Iranian universities, forcing the early retirement of 40 ?secular leaning? professors at Tehran University. Newspapers voicing contrary opinions to the government have been shut down and a campaign has been waged to remove home satellite dishes in Tehran, thus limiting the access of western programs such as the BBC and Voice of America.
Forty percent of Iran is comprised of ethnic minorities, including Azeris, Kurds, Turkmen, Baluchis, and Lars. Aspirations among these minority groups for cultural and political autonomy have been met by discriminatory central government policy that has led to ethnic unrest along Iran?s borders. Moreover, the unrest has spawned terrorist groups that operate against Islamic Republic forces and institutions. These groups include the Sunni Jundallah in the southeast province of Baluchistan and PEJAK in the Kurdistan region along the Iraqi border (see related War Report). The Iranian government?s substantial financial support for Hezbollah during the recent conflict with Israel drew the wrath of Khuzestan province?s Sunni Arab Iranians, who live atop Iran?s oil wealth but are mired in habitual poverty while oil revenue funds Hezbollah (source).
The Iranian economy has weakened under the Ahmadinejad administration. The stock market has dropped 32% and some Western economists place the unemployment level above 20% (source). Oil and gas production is still one-third the level of its peak under the Shah and foreign investment pales in comparison to that of comparable neighboring countries (source). The government, and its endemic corruption, maintains a dominant and pernicious influence over most aspects of the economy. In short, Ahmadinejad has failed to deliver on the campaign promises that won him the election: new jobs, lower priced commodities, reduced corruption, and the return of oil revenue to the people.
Exploitable Issues
After living through centuries of Western colonial domination, Iranians are justifiably paranoid over anything that can be construed as foreign interference in domestic affairs. The Iranian government continues to blame most domestic problems, from ethnic unrest to economic woes, on outside meddling and pressures. However, there are real issues within Iran that US policy can exploit, including a growing domestic frustration with their government?s pre-occupation with external issues (see related War Report)?Hezbollah for example. President Bush made a prudent choice to highlight the Iranian government?s failed economic policy and oppressive rule before a global audience, which hopefully included those Iranians experiencing it first hand.
