Iranian president dissolves think-tank of reformist predecessor

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Hardline Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has dissolved a think-tank for international dialogue set up by his reformist predecessor, the government said Monday. Analysts say the move is part of a concerted attack against the reformist bloc of former President Mohammad Khatami, who recently stepped back into the political spotlight with increasing criticism of Ahmadinejad's rule. Khatami set up the International Center for Dialogue Among Civilizations in 1999 to promote communication between different cultures. The organization was meant to counter the idea of an irreconcilable conflict between civilizations, as proposed by Samuel Huntington's influential 1996 book, "The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order."