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Originally Posted by Ana3arabi!  The economy of Iran is doing much better than the economy of Arab states and most of the world, even if it is not "good" or "great".
What weapons are you talking about?
There is consensus in Iran on Iran's nuclear rights. So no, Moussavi would not have been able to do anything different in that regard. |
Spoken like a true expert. Show me anything that corroborates this story... How about the fact that the last few central bank governors in Iran have been fired because they did not agree with Ahmadinejad's economic policies? Or the consistent double-digit inflation figures? Or the lack of growth in sectors other than oil? Lack of investment in oil industry (they have to import refined oil because they don't have the capacity)?
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Originally Posted by Learned Iran puts about 5% of its GDP to military related expenses. Actually, Ahmadinejad used a lot of the oil money to subsidize goods and services for the poor, and judging by the poll results, it seems to have payed off for him. |
Economically, Iran is heading towards a cliff. They have a fund into which oil revenues are supposed to go, the Oil Stabilization Fund. The idea is that when oil prices are high, excess revenues go into the fund, so that when oil prices drop the funds can be used to overcome the sudden loss in government revenues. The problem is that in the past few years, oil prices were extremely high and public spending in Iran also rose extremely fast, primarily because of Ahmadinejad's populism. How will he continue to pay for all this profligate spending now that the primary source of revenue has gone? (The difficulty with which a very minor reform of the insane fuel subsidies was accomplished in 2007/2008 can give you a hint.) This is a huge problem waiting to happen, even if it has been covered up by the emphasis of Iranian government officials on the nuclear issue.
As for the Iranian economy doing better than most Arab states, I don't know about 'better', but the same mistakes are being made everywhere in the region. At least Iran has a highly educated population, relative free social mobility, and decent infrastructure, at least in the urban centers. It's a shame that economic populism is ruining all the great gifts the country possesses.