New Iranian opposition: U.S. adopts new approach

I'm not a big a fan of Mr. sazegara. Despite some of his leadership skills (mainly courage and connections), many in Iran don't find him a trustable politician.

Ordinary Iranians can hardly find it genuine when someone with strong previous ties, both politically and financially, to the core of the regime until eight or nine years ago, suddenly becomes an opposition figure, willing to work with conservative think-tanks close to the Bush administration. They also see this as a betryal to Iranian nationalistic feelings, especially when they suspect someone has joined a force that could seek violent change in Iran for his or her personal benefits.

However, as an outsider, I'm glad to see the Bush administration has finally realized that the self-proclaimed opposition groups, with fake constituency inside Iran, not only have been far from effective, but also has only harmed the U.S. by their unrealistic and most of the times stupid actions. (You may want to watch LA-based satellite TV stations for five minutes to see my point.)

Apart from my personal judgment about Mr. sazegara and his friends, I believe that American think-tanks and decision makers would benefit a lot by getting advice from such figures who -- their credibility aside-- at least have not lost touch with the reality of Iran by living and working in Tehran until very recently.

At the same time, when I see the Americans have abandoned their tough and ideologically charged positions against anyone who has had ties with the Islamic regime in Tehran (Mr. sazegara has been actively involved in the top level military, security, and industrial institutions of the Islamic regime in the early 80s), I don't understand why they still refuse to to engaging directly with the current Iranian leadership.