What we are seeing in Iran is the fruition of dictatorship. Think of the other sham "democracies" that exist in the world, or have existed. Hitler was actually elected into office. Most other election processes in the world are even more corrupt than ours. What is happening in Iran, I believe, is the frisson created by the dissonance between what the people thought democracy (limited as it is) meant, and what the unelected (popularly) leadership intends for it to mean. In this case, democratic institutions were intended to be the opiate for the masses.

Last edited by NW Ponderer; 06/24/09 03:32 PM. Reason: add missing phrase
A well reasoned argument is like a diamond: impervious to corruption and crystal clear - and infinitely rarer.

Here, as elsewhere, people are outraged at what feels like a rigged game -- an economy that won't respond, a democracy that won't listen, and a financial sector that holds all the cards. - Robert Reich