...While Iran steps forward with Democracy, the West continues to step back…Ho Ho …who believes any of it…!!

This article is symptomatic of the blinkered and naive view the West has of islam; a 'moderate' muslim beats extreme muslims and democracy is the winner.

There is no such thing as a moderate muslim; the only differences in islam is the degree of activity in violence by muslims towards non-muslims and other muslims.

Iran is a totally islamic nation as is any nation which has a majority muslim population; it's election was about how active the elected leader would be in promoting islam.

To say that Iran has "functioning democracy" is a contradiction in terms; if you renounce islam in Iran you are dead; how is that democratic?

Completely witless.

Democracy?

Where the president has limited powers and reports to the supreme Ayatollah?

Where the candidates for president and parliament are vetted for the correct religious and political views before being allowed to stand?

Where the media is carefully controlled and censored?

Where someone can be arrested, given a show trial and executed in short shift on trumped up charges?

My definition of democracy must be out of date.

A well-written, thoughtfully reasoned article, Graham.

Of course, to the West, no Muslim country can have a democratic election unless the results favor their interests. Look at what happened to Hamas!

Hopefully, the new leader in Iran will be able to neutralize the rhetoric spewed out by Israel and warn the 'Chosen People' what will happen if they attack his country.

If Iran is attacked, the Middle East will go up in flames, radio-active flames!

Kiss your children each night.

Grahme Cook is one of the few who have the courage to speak the truth.

We in the West do not have democracy because we don't have monetary sovereignty. Mayer Armchel Rothschild," Give me control of a nations currency and I care not who makes the laws."

The author confines his remarks to apparent electoral democracy in Iran. He does not comment on civil liberties, freedom of expression or religious freedom, which, if they exist, are heavily restricted in Iran.

In the words of Thomas Jefferson, without liberal democracy, electoral democracy is “nothing more than mob rule where 51% of the people may take away the rights of the other 49.”