Mousavi’s campaign, and its aftermath, showed clearly that those who professed to see no difference between the candidates, except in style and presentation, were wrong: even if the election was rigged, the voices of opposition to clerical authoritarianism were heard. The quiet dignity of the protests that followed did more for Iran’s standing in the world than any amount of belligerent posturing by a populist president.
穆萨维的竞选及其后果清楚地显示出：那些只表示看出候选人之间在风格和陈述上的差别，而对其他不同视而不见的人错了­——即使存在选举舞弊，反对神职威权主义的声音也被世界听到了。对于伊朗在世界的形象而言，选举后的抗议所体现出的静默的尊严，远胜于任何一位民粹派总统摆出的或多或少的好战姿态。