Iran: When Public Intellectuals Stop Being Polite and Start Getting Real

Spencer Ackerman — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 19:41:52 +0000

Woe is the reporter on deadline, for he must miss the New America Foundation’s internal disputes over Iran. I had hoped to make it over to New America right now for a much-anticipated discussion with the think tank’s energetic and spirited advocates for all sides of the Iran-policy question, but certain journalistic obligations are preventing me. If you’ve been reading Steve Clemons’ blog over the past week, you’ve gotten a sense of the internal disagreements. Most importantly, Flynt Leverett, an Iran expert who had an unhappy tenure on the National Security Council under President George W. Bush, wrote in Politico last week that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, categorically, won the June 12 election. All hell has broken loose since then, and it seemed very, very strange for Leverett to make such a strong claim. Similarly, Ken Ballen, who got a lot of attention for conducting a much-disputed pre-election poll suggesting an Ahmadinejad victory, will be speaking. Against them — if that’s a fair description — will Afshin Molavi and Nader “ignore Ahmadinejad” Mousavizadeh.

Anyway: I’ll be reporting for the rest of the day and prepping a piece. But check out the livestream of the debate if you’ve got a chance over at Steve’s blog. It promises not to be the sort of sterile discussion among like-minded experts that think tanks too often conduct.

The Washington Independent » ken ballen

Iran: When Public Intellectuals Stop Being Polite and Start Getting Real