Regime Change We Can Believe In?

Juan Cole discusses the prospect of former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami re-winning his old post in elections expected this June. A little bit on Khatami from the post:

Khatami was head of the Islamic Center in Hamburg and a counselor for Iranian students in Germany in the 1970s and while there learned German and studied the thought of sociologist Jurgen Habermas. He later applied Frankfurt School critical theory to his analysis of the need for a more open society in Iran. He also called for a "dialogue of civilizations," and set in motion such dialogues under the auspices of the UN. He was influential with Shiite liberals in Iraq who supported democratic elections in that country.

He also discusses, among other things (it is a long, detailed post--Cole, a renowned scholar of the region, provides valuable context that newspapers scarcely do), the missteps made by Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, Iran's current president, that may cost him the election. Can a girl have hope? Here's to the best--