The job of Iran’s president is a study in humiliation
Yet people stand for it in their droves
Pity the Islamic republic’s elected presidents. For over three decades their fates have ended in censure, ignominy or early death. The last, Ebrahim Raisi, died in May in a mysterious helicopter crash. Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a president in the 1990s, suddenly died in his swimming pool. Mir Hossein Moussavi, a contender many Iranians believe lost the election in 2009 to rigging, has spent 13 years under house arrest. Muhammad Khatami is banned from the airwaves, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is banned from travel. Several remain butts of public ridicule.
Explore more
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “No thanks”
Middle East & Africa June 29th 2024
From the June 29th 2024 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Middle East and Africa
Israeli retaliation in Lebanon seems inevitable
But it still wants to avoid all-out war against Hizbullah
Why the AI revolution is leaving Africa behind
Large infrastructure gaps are creating a new digital divide
Rwandan soldiers may outnumber M23 rebels in Congo
The prospect of dislodging the rebels is becoming dimmer
Bibi Netanyahu offered spectacle over substance in America
His fourth address to Congress was historic, but held few answers for Israelis
Israel and the Houthis trade bombs and bluster
For now, though, neither side is a strategic threat to the other
The world court says Israel’s occupation is illegal
But will the International Court of Justice’s ruling have any effect?