Anarchism in Iran
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[edit] Anarchist Thought in Iran
There is not much of a conscious history of anarchism within the Iranian left. Worse still, most of the radical Left in exile has since moved to the right, having since become social democrats.
However, inside Iran I have met some free spirited young anarchists. By introducing Nakhdar to this milieu my hope is that we could make a small impact and the next generation will not make the mistakes of the previous ones.
[edit] Current Political Climate
The current political climate in Iran is terrible. In general there is apathy all over the political spectrum. The reason is that Khatami's presidency (as we had predicted in Nakhdar) was a sham and did not bring any meaningful change. The false hope was that he could 'stand up' to the so-called 'conservative' faction and could bring liberalization of the political atmosphere on the one hand and create more jobs for the youth (who currently represent 65% of the workforce) on the other. He did not accomplish either. Newspapers have been shut down; workers' claims on months of back pay have been ignored, and their daily demonstrations in front of their respected factories are being attacked. Wage increases for teachers and nurses have been postponed, the number of political prisoners and the torture of students (or any other dissident intellectuals) who dare to raise their voice is on the rise again. Finally, the desperation of the unemployed youth has caused an increase in the drug addiction (currently over two million!) and prostitution in particular. The corruption is skyrocketing, and the decadent lifestyle of a small class (the 'Nuevo Rich') is sickening. And it is becoming increasingly worse, with no progressive alternatives in sight. Consequently the average Iranian is in total despair.
[edit] Radical Activity
However there has been an attempt, in the last month or so, by a few radical students and some ex-liberals. They published an open letter on the internet asking for the international community to intervene by pressuring the Islamic Republic to hold a referendum for the constitutive assembly. They believe that if they could raise one million signatures-from all Iranians, both inside and outside of Iran-their plan can have a chance to succeed.
I personally do not believe in such a plan. My answer to the last part of your question is -- again unfortunately -- no. The current apathy in general, and the disastrous situation of the working class movements in particular (not to mention the almost non-existence of any radical political organizations), makes me have no such hope. But I am not pessimistic either. I truly believe the liberation of the working class is in its own hands. The situation is very explosive and any moment the masses could rise up spontaneously. And that is where the real alternative would have to be shaped. Nevertheless we have to be realistic.
In Iran we have been living in a political culture that has been nourished in a very authoritarian fashion for thousands of years. The tolerance even within the left has not been huge. It has to be learned. And that takes time. We should know by now that real social change (in a truly radical sense) does not happen over night. It takes generations to be shaped. Even in the West, where there has been this historical precedence for over a century now, we do not see such occurrences either.
Despite a political climate extremely hostile to anarchist ideas, there are inspiring developments taking place. The young population of Iran [65% of the population is currently between 18-25], who are politically much more independent thinkers than before, is one of the elements of the future success of this ideology. Of course the dead-end politics of traditional Left (authoritarian/hierarchical) is the main reason to be quite hopeful.
[edit] Nakhdar
See Main Article Nakhdar
Nakhdar ("Neither God, Nor state, Nor bosses") is a yearly Iranian anarcho-communist publication. It grew out of the now defunct Libertarian-Marxist Ghiam (Insurrection). The magazine is both a theoretical and agitational publication.
The magazine is being circulated and read primarily among Iranian exiles in the United States and Europe. However, there has been some contact from inside Iran as well. It is also being smuggled into Iran and has a growing readership there.
Contact
Nakhdar
PO Box 380473
Cambridge, MA 02238-0473.
- If you would like a copy of the magazine, please include $6ppd (checks or money orders, please leave "pay to the order of" section blank).
[edit] Source
- The information on this page was taken from the interview with Payman Piedar, The Northeastern Anarchist (#10, Spring/Summer 2005). The full text is available here.
