Iran | Speaking of Poorly Understood Religious Leaders…

Interesting news regarding Iran's upcoming presidential elections (held in June) - the FT is reporting that former President Khatami may lead a reformist ticket against incumbent President Ahamdinejad. This match-up would represent something of a clash of the titans, with Khatami's Dialogue of Civilizations going against Ahmadinejad's...less cosmopolitan...political philosophy. This isn't a done deal yet, though, with Khatami reportedly negotiating with former premier Mir-Hussein Mousavi over which of them should run for the reformers. If you're wondering what Ayatollah Khamenei, the most powerful figure in Iran, thinks about all of this, a good place to start is with our series on poorly understood religious leaders. We did a session on Khamenei last year, with the Carnegie Endowment's Karim Sadjadpour (whose great piece Reading Khamenei: The Writings of Iran's Supreme Leader, is a must-read). Update: Confirmed! Hang onto your hats, this will be an election to watch.