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Article: Perplexed. (international relations and politics in Iran)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- December 9, 1989
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1989 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Perplexed
"The faithful still chant "Marg bar Amrika!", "Death to America", at Friday prayers in Tehran, but the old ardour is missing. The crowds brought in from the slums of south Tehran in fleets of red buses are smaller, and the chanters older, than they used to be. Iran is weaning itself from revolution, and suffering a baffling identity crisis as it does so.
President Rafsanjani says he wants better relations with the outside world, but Mr Ali Fallahian, the minister of information, denounces all foreigners as meddlers. Saudi Arabia comes in for special attack for practising "the American version of Islam". The president would like to include ...