"[L]ittle different"? I can't imagine Valentine M. Moghadam putting a sensational title like "Cleansing Iran" to her article or suggesting a Cultural Revolution-scale upheaval is about to happen in Iran based on just one speech. She's a scholar,* after all -- she'd first do research and then make sober evaluation, without sensationalist rhetoric.
Most importantly, Moghadam is clear-eyed enough to notice a big problem in the reform movement that she supports: "This [the outcome of the 2005 presidential elections in Iran] underscores the main deficit in the reform movement: in classic liberal fashion, the emphasis has been placed on civil and political liberties while socio-economic conditions and rights have been marginalized. As important as it is to argue for removal of social restrictions on dress and recreation, these issues may be most pertinent to the well-off in northern Tehran rather than to those who struggle to find jobs and housing" (On the Recent Elections in Iran, <http://iranreview.com/Iran%20Analysis/ on_the_recent_elections_in_iran_.htm>). I'd add that the problem is more fundamental than "deficit," and that -- among other points -- is where I differ from her. The leaders of the reform movement are not only not interested in socio-economic improvement for working people, but they, neoliberals, have and will do all they can to make things economically worse for working people. I'd venture to say that a majority of the Iranian people -- including poorer women -- have also seen through the true character of the reform movement, having tried it for eight years.
* One thing about Bush's whole Middle East ventures is that scholars from the Center to the Left who have actually devoted their lives to studying Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Iran, etc. and have nuanced understandings about the countries in question are more or less completely ignored not only by the administration but also by the mass media. So their knowledge does not help Americans make informed decisions. -- Yoshie <http://montages.blogspot.com/> <http://mrzine.org> <http://monthlyreview.org/>