Professor Marvin Zonis writes in Chicago Tribune on political ramifications of Iran’s new president

Marvin Zonis, p rofessor emeritus of business administration, predicted several changes to consider about the election of Iran’s new president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in a June 28 article in the Chicago Tribune. Zonis, who has followed events in the Middle East for over 40 years, discusses what Ahmadinejad’s election means to Iran and the West. Implications of Ahmadinejad’s election include:

• Ahmadinejad will follow a stricter moral code.
• Privatization will end and government subsidies will increase. Zonis sees the decline of a market economy which spells “long-term economic doom.”
• Clerics will feel a crack-down designed to end corruption.
• Government agencies that enforce the Islamic state will become more powerful.
• The Westernized element in Iranian society will suffer.
• Iran ’s nuclear program will be strengthened.
• Relations with the U.S. will not be restored.
• Alliances with nations such as China that may not be favorable to the U.S. will be forthcoming.
• The election validated U.S. neo-conservatives views on Iran and foreign policy.
• A crisis between the U.S. and Iran will come to a head soon. Oil prices due to instability in the region, Zonis predicts “will continue their relentless rise.”

To read a full discussion online, you can visit the Chicago Tribune.