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Iran : Deceitful poll !
27.11.2009

© IRAN-RESIST.ORG – September 21, 2009 | According to an American polling institute a large majority of Iranians judge Ahmadinejad as a legitimate President and the regime as ideal. Meanwhile, these same Iranians are opposed to Iran’s refusal to re-establish diplomatic relations with the United States ! The illogical results of this poll reflects the fact that it is not a scientific poll, extremely difficult to do in Iran for a foreign institute, but propaganda destined to Americans in order to justify the Obama administration wants to abandon sanctions against Tehran and continue the dialogue.



The results of this poll by the World Public Opinion Institute [1] show that 87% of Iranians are satisfied of their Shariah based Islamic Republic ; 62% appreciate that the clergy can oppose any law contrary to the Koran ; 55% consider that a designation of a Supreme Guide is conform to democracy ; 83% consider Ahmadinejad as their legitimate president ; 50% appreciate the Bassiji ; 57% consider that the sanctions have no effect on their “beloved” regime !

Besides the astoundingly unbelievable results, it is highly improbable for a foreign institute to be able to do an anonymous and fair poll in Iran. For anyone who has family in Iran knows that it is common for people to hang up when randomly called, if you call again, they’ll just pull the phone off the plug. The reason is simple, all Iranians are aware that internationals calls have been tapped for the past 30 years. If you call closely watched categories like the Baha’i the conversation can be interrupted at any moment by the public operator, who usually calls you back with the excuse of a wrong number to try to get your identity. Iranians are therefore and for reason extremely suspicious of anonymous calls. It is unimaginable that they took the time to give answers to political questions regarding the regime and their greatest enemy the United States. And even if they did, who can seriously imagine that they would give their honest opinion ?

A poll led through the net is also improbable for the internet is also closely controlled, as per those of the French scholar Clotilde Reiss containing pictures of post-elections protests emailed to her friends that were intercepted by the regime. The only safe mode to communicate without risk is the through refillable mobile phone cards that Iranians throw away once the communication over thus leaving no traces. We find it difficult to imagine a representative number of Iranians go through so much trouble in order to answer to WPO’s questionnaire. And even if they did it is doubtful that they would defend the regime’s failures in combating inflation, unemployment, and pauperization, major problems that lead to high criminality and the marginalization of the Iranian youth. These are the main subjects that preoccupy Iranians on a daily basis.

However, instead of analyzing the real problems faced by Iranians, the poll leads us to believe that Iranians consider the economic situation stable for the past 4 years, and that their “beloved” regime is resisting positively to the sanctions, which is of course is false. They supposedly massively support a dialogue with the U.S. but consider Obama’s disrespectful approach as the unique obstacle to a direct dialogue and without preliminary conditions !

Ironically, the results resemble greatly the usual Mullah discourse on a dialogue. The Mullahs also claim that the sanctions have no effect, that they are open to dialogue but constantly complain that the United States is disrespectful of their positions. If the results of this poll greatly resemble the Mullah positions, they are not identical.

Two fundamental differences remain : First, there are no allusions to a lift of the sanctions, which is one of the Mullah’s prime demands. The concept of direct negotiations and without any preliminary conditions is not made in Iran but of American origin. Iran has always refused such a negotiation, for it would be synonymous of its recognition of the legitimacy of the sanctions.

Second, the poll affirms through several questions that Ahmadinejad is considered by a majority as the legitimate president and benefits from a large popular base. This differs from the regime’s scenario of internal contest following the elections and therefore questioning the legitimacy of Ahmadinejad in view of depriving the United States of a valid interlocutor.

The opinion expressed in this poll corresponds to the American discourse on the legitimacy of Ahmadinejad. We are confronted with an American media operation to promote a dialogue with Iran. Knowing that World Public Opinion is financed by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Tides Foundation, the United States Institute of Peace, or the Oak Foundation, who in turn finance several Iranian lobbyists who under the cover of humanitarian actions or research promote an entente between Washington and the Islamic Republic of Iran, the results of this hyped poll are not at all surprising. It is also interesting to note that WPO is part of the Council on Foreign Affairs who has been publicly promoting such an entente for years and has been actively lobbying in that sense in Washington and Tehran.

Polls [2] have always been manipulated to promote agendas or to influence public opinion. In this case, the poll being issued directly from organizations highly active in lobbying for an entente, it reveals to main objectives. Firstly, the American opinion that has been repeatedly told that the Iranian nuclear program is an imminent danger now needs to be manipulated to believe the contrary. Second, it shows the Mullahs that it would be very easy for the U.S. to make its population believe that the Mullah regime and the Iranian people are in “love” and therefore bar the opposition fighting for a change of regime [3] in Iran from the American opinion’s compassion.

Behind such actions lies a single truth : Washington is impatient to reach an entente with the Mullahs. The U.S. has given up on the hope of winning the Afghanistan war and the only remaining access to the natural gas reserves of Central Asia is Iran.

With this poll Washington completes its offer package : Two days ago the U.S. offered more sanctions against an eventual Iranian bomb, eliminating the threat of a military action. The latest offer is to convince the American opinion that it needs to be more respectful of the Mullah regime massively approved by the Iranians. The road to dialogue is hence paved.

It is highly improbable that the American efforts reach a diplomatic victory. Tehran cannot back out of its obstinate refusal of an appeasement with Israel’s ally. It has been 30 years that Tehran has been promising a major war in the Middle East if it were obliged to a compromise with Israel. The Mullahs have to keep their promise to the Arab opinion, and in so they need to either push Washington to back out from a dialogue by provoking them or at last resort refuse the appeasement. An entente with Washington would put an end to their alliance with the Hezbollah and destroy Tehran’s positive image in the Arab streets. Even if Tehran budged a little, it would cost the regime free elections that would put an end to their reign. Tehran’s response to Obama’s offer will be negative.


© WWW.IRAN-RESIST.ORG
Other Obama failed and tortuous attempts | 1
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| Mots Clefs | Décideurs : OBAMA |
| Mots Clefs | Enjeux : Rétablir les rel. avec les USA & Négociations directes |
| Mots Clefs | Enjeux : Apaisement |

[1by World Public Opinion

PDF - 76.5 ko

[2The use of polls was probably inspired by the Mullahs themselves who had published one in the U.S. shortly before the June elections giving Ahmadinejad the winner. However, the results showed the premises of an overturn in the opinion in favour of the moderate candidate suggesting the contestation of the results to come later.

[3he tactic is not a novelty, under the Bush presidency the U.S. took the same back roads, especially with Seymour Hersh’s slandering articles on the Iranian opposition, a leftist journalist in favour of a dialogue with the Mullahs.