2/2/2004
By Nir Boms and Reza Bulorchi
Defying conventional wisdom, fresh voices of freedom appear to be coming from the Middle East as of late. Bashar Assad of Syria delivers his plans for democratization directly to the New York Times. Muammar Gaddafi of Libya delivers his to Newsweek as he claims to be an ally in the “war against terrorism” and invites the world to review his nuclear arsenal. Mohammad Khatami of Iran, the “moderate” president, threatens to resign due to an election crisis resulting from the Guardians Council’s decision to disqualify more than 3,000 candidates from the ballot of his country’s upcoming February 20 elections. Continue reading