Who Is Moussavi?

TW: With the evolving turmoil in Iran, little has been written about the person opposing Ahmadinejad. This piece is merely a start, two things struck me. One, Moussavi is clearly a different cat than Ahmadinejad and two how similar in certain ways their debate sounded relative to one of ours. The big question would be how would Moussavi govern differently than Ahmadinejad should he somehow actually gain power. Stay tuned for a later post...

From NYT:
"...Iran's former premier and reformist presidential candidate...The sharp attacks by the candidate, Mir Hussein Moussavi, came during a fierce 90-minute debate with Mr. Ahmadinejad that was broadcast throughout Iran. The two candidates clashed repeatedly during the one-on-one debate, with each accusing the other of radicalism and undercutting the country’s interest.

Mr. Moussavi, a former prime minister whose moderate views have won him support from other reformers in Iran, including former President Mohammad Khatami...Support from the Islamic authorities for the Ahmadinejad, who is a religious conservative, appears to have weakened, and he is now widely criticized for Iran’s economic malaise.

....Mr. Moussavi was on the offensive during the debate...At one point he accused Mr. Ahmadinejad of moving Iran toward “dictatorship.” At another, he said that the president’s foreign policy suffered from “adventurism, illusionism, exhibitionism, extremism and superficiality.”

He also took issue with Mr. Ahmadinejad’s constant questioning of the Holocaust, saying that it harmed the country’s standing with the rest of the world and undermined its dignity. “For the past four years you kept saying that the United States is collapsing,” Mr. Moussavi said. “You have said Israel is collapsing. France is collapsing.”

He added, “Your foreign policies have been based on such illusional perceptions.”

Mr. Ahmadinejad, who opened the debate, presented himself as a lonely incumbent who was being challenged by a powerful circle of leaders eager to bring him down. He said that two former presidents, Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mohammad Khatami, were supporting Mr. Moussavi to end his tenure.

He accused Mr. Rafsanjani, an influential cleric, and Mr. Rafsanjani’s sons of corruption and said they were financing Mr. Moussavi’s campaign. Mr. Ahmadinejad also cited a long list of officials whom he accused of unspecified corrupt acts, including plundering billions of dollars of the country’s wealth.

...Mr. Ahmadinejad contended that the early founders of the Iranian revolution, including Mr. Moussavi, had gradually moved away from the values of the revolution’s early days and had become “a force that considered itself as the owner of the country.”

...Because the state-run television has given presidential candidates limited time to broadcast campaign videos, the debates could prove crucial. Analysts believe that in the 2004 election, Mr. Ahmadinejad won the support of many voters with a video in which he showed his modest home. The video was broadcast a few nights before the election..."
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/04/world/middleeast/04iran.html?_r=1&scp=18&sq=nazila%20fathi%20moussavi&st=cse