alternative foreign policy views among the iranian policy elite

40 IRAN'S STRATEGIC INTENTIONSideas. ''28 Mohammad Javad Larijani, head of the MajlisResearch Center, argued that the conflict between Western andIslamic culture is not resolvable because "the Westerners aredominating the Islamic world and want to expand and maintainthat domination. 29While moderates like Larijani sympathize with the rejectionof Westemism, on the whole they place less emphasis on thecrusade against Western culture than on the need to developeconomically. That causes conflict, because the anti-Westemcrusade often clashes with economic liberalization, since theformer emphasizes respect for tradition while the latter permitsindividuals freedom of choice, inlcuding the choice to rejecttradition. To take an example that preoccupied Tehran inDecember 1993 and January 1994, the liberalization program hasencouraged foreign investment and permitted advertising forforeign goods--specifically Coca Cola and Westem-stylehamburgers. Revulsion against the United States extended so faras to force closure of a restaurant imitating the McDonalds styleopened by some Iranian who had long lived in Spain, and acampaign has begun against Coca Cola. Mohsen Rafiqdoost,supervisor of the Janbazan and Mostazafan Foundation, explainedcampaign against Coca Cola: "We shall not permit the return ofWestern culture even in its weak form under the cover ofeconomic prosperity." 30 Another example is the drive to set upgovernment-sponsored video clubs that will rent only Iranian andselect Westem videos (e.g., World Wrestling Federation shows).Yet another is the fulminations against satellite dishes which arenow popping up across Iran (estimates range from 50,000 to2s Keyhan, December 29, 1993, as printed in Akhabaar, December 30,1993.29 Resalaat, December 14, 1993, as transcribed in FBIS-NES, January6, 1994.30 Jomhuri lslami, January 18, 1994, as printed in Akhbaar.