For the first time in the 30-year history of the Islamic Republic, the Iranian cabinet will have a female minister. Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi won the approval from the Parliament to become the health minister. She was one of 18 nominations for President Ahmadinejad’s new cabinet to be approved. Two other women were among three rejected nominees. While I am happy to see a woman break a gender barrier, the victory is hollow due to Dastjerdi’s extremely conservative credentials. Dastjerdi, in the past, has proposed introducing segregated health care in Iran, with women treating women and men treating men. Moreover, as noted in the Open Democracy blog, Iran: Players or Pawns?:
The appointment of these women thus fits into a broader picture of a nomination process largely based on loyalty to the president rather than merit. Young and inexperienced by ministerial standards, these women will owe Ahmadinejad a huge political debt if approved for their posts. Even in the improbable scenario that they ever assume their roles in the cabinet, it seems likely that their efforts will be focused on advancing Ahmadinejad’s interests rather than those of Iranian women.
I still believe that her victory is an important step for the Iranian women. Next time a woman is nominated for minister in Iran, she will not have to listen to spurious arguments about “religious uncertainties surrounding the limits of women’s abilities.” But now we know what Sarah Palin’s victory would have felt like.
Photo taken from the AFP.
A few months ago, I wrote about the early stages of the conflict in Ukraine through the lens of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. While it appears likely that the war will carry on into the foreseeable future, enough time has passed for us to make an honest assessment of each side’s relative […]
The Ukrainian Army has made dramatic strides in the last few weeks. Ukraine’s tactical commanders have outfoxed their Russian counterparts, and by issuing a feint towards the south the UA has been able to earn substantial gains in the north of their country. The impact of these efforts have been compounded by the steady stream […]
In mid-May the Irish political party, Sinn Féin, won the plurality of seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Many American readers might not fully understand the significance of Sinn Féin’s political victory- but rest assured that subjects of the United Kingdom and a wide range of political movements the world over have heard the message […]
The first wave of the Russian offensive in Ukraine has fallen short of Russian autocrat Vladmir Putin’s ambitions. Most analysts deduced that Putin had hoped to achieve a decapitation strike of the Ukrainian government- taking Kiev and replacing Ukrainian President Vladimir Zolinski with a pro-Kremlin voice. Kiev has been threatened repeatedly through the course of […]
On the weekend of March 26th, the notorious MS-13 gang went on a massive killing spree in El Salvador which left more than 70 people dead by Sunday. Even for a country where powerful gangs hold massive sway, this recent tragedy stands out considering that it was the bloodiest day on record since the civil […]
