Hassan Rouhani officially takes over as Iran president - Polidicks

[QUOTE]Hassan Rouhani is set to officially replace Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as president of Iran. Mr Rouhani's election will be endorsed by the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at a ceremony in the capital, Tehran. The cleric, who won the presidential poll in June, has promised reform and to end Iran's international isolation. While his term officially starts on Saturday, his public inauguration will take place on Sunday. The 64-year-old is a former nuclear negotiator for Iran and was an Islamic activist before the country's 1979 Revolution.[/QUOTE] [url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23557673[/url]

[quote]and was an Islamic activist before the country's 1979 Revolution[/quote] Great, a hipster president

About time for some moderates in Iran.

[QUOTE=smurfy;41692843]Great, a hipster president[/QUOTE] hmm

[QUOTE=FinalHunter;41692875]You know when Kim Jong-un took over North Korea and Facepunch pretended that something would change? Yeah, let's not throw more ignorance at this. Nothing will change.[/QUOTE] Iran wasn't always a West hating place. North Korea has been.

[QUOTE=FinalHunter;41692920]Even if they don't hate us, they'll more than likely still hate Israel, which the government has made our problem.[/QUOTE] What's important is a door can be opened on the negotiating table now that used to be closed due to the extremist's control of government. North Korea is too volatile for that to happen in the current political setting. If the US can't win at diplomacy with the new government, perhaps other Western nations can at least. And considering the length of their presidential candidate's time in office, there is an opportunity for our new government in 2016 to interact and perhaps improve on our Israeli-Palestinian stance.

[QUOTE=FinalHunter;41692875]You know when Kim Jong-un took over North Korea and Facepunch pretended that something would change? Yeah, let's not throw more ignorance at this. Nothing will change.[/QUOTE] If anything, it'll get worse. Mahmud Ahmadinijimmijdat was at least cute. [editline]3rd August 2013[/editline] Well, okay, Hassan Rouhani has kind of a Santa-Claus look to him.

[QUOTE=FinalHunter;41692875]You know when Kim Jong-un took over North Korea and Facepunch pretended that something would change? Yeah, let's not throw more ignorance at this. Nothing will change.[/QUOTE] Iran is vastly more modern and moderate than North Korea. The fact that theres actual elections is proof of that lol

[QUOTE=Trunk Monkay;41695569]Iran is vastly more modern and moderate than North Korea. The fact that theres actual elections is proof of that lol[/QUOTE]Simply having elections isn't proof of much; North Korea has them as well. Iran's are simply exponentially fairer than NKs and not simply there for show.

[QUOTE=Trunk Monkay;41695569]Iran is vastly more modern and moderate than North Korea. The fact that theres actual elections is proof of that lol[/QUOTE] Elections where the candidates are selected by Khamenei, who has final say on everything.

[QUOTE=Trunk Monkay;41695569]Iran is vastly more modern and moderate than North Korea. The fact that theres actual elections is proof of that lol[/QUOTE] There's only elections for the second-highest office, though. The president of Iran is not the ruler of Iran. The guy in charge is still the same dude, and he still holds supreme power over everything. But yes, they [I]do[/I] have elections, and those elections are actually quite free and uncorrupted.

The ideas that most Westerners have of Iran aren't all that true, which is why making peace with Iran seems so impossible. It actually isn't. The government is full of crazies, but many of the people (particularly those in urban areas) are much more open toward the United States, especially among the young people entering the digital age. The only people who are strictly for the Iranian government are those who live in rural areas - this is because they only have access to government-controlled media, which is kind of crazy by its own virtue. Urban areas however have wide-spread access to satellite television, which gives them Western channels (despite its illegality in Iran, about one-third of Iranians have it; it's literally so popular that the police don't even bother to talk to the owners if they see a dish, they just take it down and leave). The urban youth of Iran are fairly critical of their government and are open to better relations with the U.S., despite some offering sharp criticisms of the U.S.'s foreign policy decisions. Also, Iran isn't as Islam-crazy in urban areas as most people would think, much of the youth don't even attend services that much. As is typical in most places, the rural areas are the more religious of the lot. [editline]August 3rd, 2013[/editline] There are actually popular [URL="https://www.facebook.com/israellovesiran"]online[/URL] [URL="https://www.facebook.com/IranlovesIsrael.OfficialPage"]campaigns[/URL] that are attempting to bridge the gaps between countries that otherwise seem to hate each other.

[QUOTE=joes33431;41695812]The ideas that most Westerners have of Iran aren't all that true, which is why making peace with Iran seems so impossible. It actually isn't. The government is full of crazies, but many of the people (particularly those in urban areas) are much more open toward the United States, especially among the young people entering the digital age. The only people who are strictly for the Iranian government are those who live in rural areas - this is because they only have access to government-controlled media, which is kind of crazy by its own virtue. Urban areas however have wide-spread access to satellite television, which gives them Western channels (despite its illegality in Iran, about one-third of Iranians have it; it's literally so popular that the police don't even bother to talk to the owners if they see a dish, they just take it down and leave). The urban youth of Iran are fairly critical of their government and are open to better relations with the U.S., despite some offering sharp criticisms of the U.S.'s foreign policy decisions. Also, Iran isn't as Islam-crazy in urban areas as most people would think, much of the youth don't even attend services that much. As is typical in most places, the rural areas are the more religious of the lot.[/QUOTE] It's the same in Afghanistan and Pakistan. However, Iran is [I]still[/I] ruled by a non-popular-elected guy with supreme power, so no matter how western-friendly the prez is, his power is basically moot.

[QUOTE=Riller;41695829]It's the same in Afghanistan and Pakistan. However, Iran is [I]still[/I] ruled by a non-popular-elected guy with supreme power, so no matter how western-friendly the prez is, his power is basically moot.[/QUOTE] While that's true, it also means that these countries aren't to be completely dismissed from having potential for (hopefully peaceful) revolution.