Democracy Murmurs Inside Iran

During the cold war, we had the Soviet Union; today, we have Iran. At least, that’s the way it seems in many American political and intellectual circles, where Tehran’s foreign policy orientation is deemed to represent and be motivated by the antithesis of Western values. The worst intentions are often assumed and attributed to its leadership. This is most evident in the debate surrounding Iran’s nuclear enrichment program. President George W. Bush observed at one point that if Iran were to obtain not an actual nuclear weapon but simply the know-how to produce one, World War III would be triggered.