(Commentary) Jonathan S. Tobin - The latest clashes in Tehran must not be interpreted as a sign that the fall of the Iranian regime is imminent. It is an iron rule of history that tyrants fall only when they lose their will to shed blood. The mere fact of opposition in the streets of Tehran is no more of an indicator that the end of the Islamist nightmare is near than it was in the summer of 2009, when a stolen presidential election set off an even greater response than the collapse of the rial. If a shaky government like that of Syria, whose power base is a minority group, can persist so long as the government retains the loyalty of the armed forces and security apparatus and is able to fight back, how much more solid is that of its Iranian ally, which can still count on the backing of the religious establishment as well as the military.
2012-10-04 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive