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Frank Gallagher

Qalibaf Interview - FT - 0 views

  • we have not put any development project on hold. We decide on a project and push for its completion.
    • Frank Gallagher
       
      Comparison to Rafa's construction jihad?
  • Shora-Yaari, or assisting councils.
  • We have divided Tehran into 380 neighbourhoods with defined geography. People have elected their representatives to these councils to take over some development work. The work might be small-scale but is important. This helps people take part [in the city’s development] from their doorstep.
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  • A series of medium-scale projects have been carried out by the municipality’s representative offices in [22] zones. The third level is for big projects which are done at national level, like Milad Tower, construction of highways, giant junctions and cultural centres like Azadi Cinema [the original building was burnt down in 1997] over 10,000 square metres of land. Rebuilding the cinema will take less than 18 months and we are going to hold the Fajr Film Festival this year there in co-ordination with the culture ministry.
  • in Artists House
    • Frank Gallagher
       
      WTF! Neocons in Artists House?! Surely a set piece?
  • A: The government owes money to us on two fronts. The government like other people has to pay taxes for its buildings, like ministries, because they are inflicting costs on the city. The government doesn’t meet this part. The government owes us 500bn tomans in this respect, which in some cases go back to five or seven years ago. Unfortunately, the debts are going up.
    • Frank Gallagher
       
      Du to clash with Ahmadinejad?
  • This agreement was made when Mr [Morteza] Haji was the minister of education [in the previous reformist government].
    • Frank Gallagher
       
      Explicitly points out cooperation with reformist predecessor
  • As a matter of principle, I don’t believe in populism and fooling the masses. If you look into my background, you don’t find such moves. Wherever I’ve worked, it has been completely principled, logical, scientific and systematic.
  • It is an invaluable experience at the age of 19 and 20 to be in charge of 15,000 people during [Iran-Iraq] war [1980-1988]. This happens to few people.
  • I said my first plan was to go to war front to die but I didn’t die.
    • Frank Gallagher
       
      Nod to Basiji martytdom
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    Excellent detail on his management of the city. Drops a lot of soundbites, positioning himself as a pragmatic technocrat but also a loyal follower of the revolution. Slick.
Frank Gallagher

Iran: Factional dispute over unity and coalition schemes - 0 views

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    Nate-Nuri pushed for wide coalition, but Khamenei is not interested. Rezai pushing for pan-conservative coalition.
Frank Gallagher

Yasin on the Election - 0 views

  • As of this writing, there are at least half a dozen campaign headquarters that are currently semi-active or not active at all but are all awaiting the go-ahead from their would-be conservative candidates. Amongst them are those of the current mayor of Tehran, one that belongs to a former foreign minister, one belonging to a current cabinet minister, one to a recently fired minister and one to the former head of the Revolutionary Guards, Mohsen Rezaii. 
  • who has been one of the most trenchant critics of Ahmadinejad government from the right flank. A few months ago, he put forth the idea of an inclusive coalition government, one that would encompass many of the moderates and a few of the radicals. The
  • , that Ahmadinejad's re-election is a foregone conclusion
    • Frank Gallagher
       
      Is it really that bad?
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  • He led Iranian forces against Saddam's armies during the 8-year war and is currently the secretary of the influential Expedience Council. 
  • n a straight conservative-reformist contest between Ahmadinejad and Mousavi, Ahmadinejad is expected to win between 13 to 17 million votes against 9 to 12 million for Mousavi, assuming that the second reformist candidate leaves the race.
    • Frank Gallagher
       
      Where does this data come from?
  • many Rightist leaders - particularly in the Revolutionary Guards and its paramilitary affiliate, the Basij - have on numerous occasions warned that they would under no circumstances tolerate such a scenario, i.e., even if Mousavi technically wins the election in the first round, he would never be allowed to actually win the presidential seat. 
  • Of the 17 million votes cast, roughly 7 million came from the traditional bloc of conservative voters who unfailingly vote for Rightist candidates. The rest, which was quite a novel development for Iran, came from the economic grievances of the lower classes who were under the impression that Ahmadinejad was a champion of the poor or an anti-corruption crusader.  
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    Cant agree with his prognosis... there's no guarantee that anyone beyond the 7m 'bankers' will vote for Ahmadinejad.
Frank Gallagher

Asia Times Column on Neo-Cons and Haqani - 0 views

  • Amid talk that the recent election was a silent coup carried out by elements of the hardline Revolutionary Guard after eight years of reformist rule, Western embassies have been scrambling to understand what the Hojjatieh stands for and to what extent the influence of its teachings will be felt in the new government's domestic and foreign policies.
    • Frank Gallagher
       
      Ascribing something they dont understand to a liekely looking organisation from the past? Ahmadinejad and Mezbah-Yazdi's chiliastic ideology is hardly consistent with Hojjatieh's traditionalism. Not convinced.
  • The Islamic society he belonged to at Alm-u Sanat University where he attended was an extreme traditional and fundamentalist group that contained a large number of students from the provinces and maintained grass-roots links with the Hojjatieh. The society's anti-leftism also chimes with reports that Ahmadinejad was pushing for a takeover of the Soviet Embassy alongside or instead of the US compound in Tehran during the 1979 revolution.
  • Haqqani theological school
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  • Grand Ayatollah Saanei
    • Frank Gallagher
       
      To be fair, no-one listens to Sana'i.
  • Baztab
    • Frank Gallagher
       
      Run by anti-Ahmadinejad conservatives.
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    Slightly alarmist. probably trying to explain something they cant see properly with reference to something more obvious. Good background on Haqani though.
Frank Gallagher

Haghani Circle - 0 views

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    A key institutional node in the networks which make up the 'Nehzat'
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