Printer-friendly VersionThe Kurdish Globe
Globe: Do you think that all these demonstrations in Iran are really about Moussavi, or do people just use Moussavi as an excuse to demonstrate against the government? Are the people tired of the system?
Ahmedi: I think that it is quite obvious that the majority of people that are taking part in the demonstrations use Moussavi as an excuse to express their dissatisfaction with the Islamic Republic. That is not to say that Moussavi, or more rightly the so-called reformist fraction of the regime, has no support. A portion of the population in Iran believes that these reformists can bring about gradual change toward social and economic freedoms, but the vast majority knows that even if these so-called reformists would come to power there would be no real change in the system of the Islamic Republic.
There seems to exist a sense of hopelessness about the prospect of changing the Islamic Republic into a secular and democratic state amongst a portion of the population in Iran, especially the Persian group, making them inclined to support people like Moussavi despite the fact that they know that none of the "reformists" will be able to bring about their real desires of freedom, democracy, and equality.
Globe: Why is the regime until now so strong?
Ahmedi: The regime has been able to stay in power largely because of its willingness to use unlimited and extreme forms of violence. But that doesn't make it strong; on the contrary, it makes it much more vulnerable. Human beings have a tendency to fight back when they are pushed too far. History has shown us that a regime like the current one in Iran will not be able to rule for a long period of time. I am confident that Iran will go down the path of peace and democracy.
Globe: How can all of the opposition become united? Even all of the Kurdish opposition does not agree on the same thing.
Ahmedi: I think that the divisions amongst the different opposition groups are unfortunate, but even with all of their differences most of the Iranian opposition groups agree that Iran should be a secular and democratic state. In regard to the Kurdish opposition groups, we have no political differences; all of the major Kurdish opposition organizations have expressed their desire to turn Iran into a federal, secular, and democratic state in which Iranian Kurdistan is a self-governed region within the current borders of Iran. With that said, I think that it is important that all of the opposition groups, whether Kurdish or Iranian, need to work on what they have in common and not on what divides them.
Globe: Do you thing change should come from outside Iran or inside Iran in the hands of people and oppositions?
Ahmedi: I think that it is very important that any kind of change should come from within Iran, but that doesn't mean that we would refuse help from the outside; on the contrary, we would welcome it.
Globe: Are the Kurds in Iran becoming hopeless about the possibility of change in Iran?
Ahmedi: No, the vast majority of the Kurdish people in Iranian Kurdistan are very optimistic and they have shown that they are ready to make the necessary sacrifices to attain freedom, democracy, equality, and prosperity. We have a new generation of Kurds in Iranian Kurdistan that are willing to struggle harder and sacrifice whatever is needed to continue the struggle, and I am very confident that this generation will succeed in reaching its goals, and if they don't there will be a generation after them and another after them and so on that will continue to struggle and make sacrifices until we obtain freedom.
Globe: Do the PDKI have any military activity or do they only have civilian activities?
Ahmedi: Even if we do not reject armed struggle as a method, our Peshmerga Forces are not carrying out any military operations at the moment because we believe that there are other opportunities that are less costly in terms of human lives that are worth perusing.
Globe: Do you think that if the regime has nuclear weapons, it will become stronger?
Ahmedi: The regime would most definitely become stronger if it would attain nuclear weapons. Iran would become a dominant regional power that would use its nuclear weapons as a deterrent and attempt to spread its Islamic Revolution more aggressively.
Globe: Is it good or bad to attack Iran's nuclear sites?
Ahmedi: I do not think that an aerial attack on Iran's nuclear sites would eliminate Iran's nuclear program. And I think that the powers that could carry out such an attack know that it would not be worth the risks and that it would at best only delay Iran's attempts to attain nuclear weapons.
Globe: Do more sanctions on Iran weaken the regime, or is it only the people who will suffer more?
Ahmedi: Even if sanctions limit the economic and military development of the Islamic Republic and make life harder for the theocratic regime, they will not have the affect of making the Islamic Republic implode. The regime would survive any kind of sanctions, and both the Western powers and the regime know this. The powers that recognize that the Islamic Republic is a threat to regional and international security should instead support and help the democratic opposition to change the regime from within.