This atmosphere allowed analysts to discuss change in that country, the orientation of this (eventual) change and its repercussions for the Iran-Israel relationship. We have today another discussion topic, as Mahmoud Ahmedinejad has announced his Cabinet list.If approved, the next Iranian government will include three women among its 21 members.. After the list's announcement, some clerics reiterated their reticence, declaring that they had religious doubts about women's management abilities and called on the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to clarify the situation. In other words, the conservative Ahmedinejad is now struggling with people more conservative than him about the position of women.
For reformists, Ahmedinejad's decision to include women in the government is simply an effort to legitimize his highly contested election and it's senseless to say that there is “change” simply because a few women have acceded to the government; they don't see this development as the establishment of male-female equality (which is one of the pillars of pluralist democracy), either. Some reformists believe that the discussion is based on paradigms dictated by the West and claim that reducing the debate to the presence of women in the Cabinet is another form of discrimination, particularly when this presence is not the result of a natural political evolution. Some others affirm that it is not the presence of women in the Cabinet that counts, but these women's political profiles and as Ahmedinejad has nominated very conservative women for the ministerial posts, the fact that they are women bears no great importance. Consequently, they accuse Ahmedinejad of being a populist leader trying to fool everyone by using women. No matter what, this is an important development, and the discussion is justified. The only negative thing about this discussion is that it is about women, but is conducted by men.
Another name in the future Cabinet is also important, as his presence shows Iran's future intentions in the foreign policy domain: Ahmad Vahidi, who is expected to become minister of defense, is wanted by Interpol because of his alleged links to the 1994 bombing of a Jewish center in Argentina in which 85 people died and is considered by many countries, especially Argentina and Israel, an anti-Israeli terrorist. Appointing someone like Vahidi demonstrates that Ahmedinejad has no intention of modifying his position on Israel and this country's allies. In fact, it sends a signal that he could become even more radical from now on. Of course, it's not hard to find names within the Israeli Cabinet allowing similar analyses. But the real problem is that this escalation could lead to war one day.
Perhaps Ahmedinejad is trying to restore his reputation, which has been damaged in the eyes of hard-liners because of his willingness to appoint female ministers, by using nationalist feelings based on anti-Israeli sentiments. Perhaps he tries to legitimize the elections by noting that there are also women in his camp and that he will pursue his anti-Israeli stance in the next term. Perhaps all these events reflect the pressure of change that keeps coming from society. Naturally, all this depends on the definition and the content of the word “change.”
