(Jerusalem Post) Dr. Jonathan Spyer - The protests in Iran appear to be subsiding. The regime reacted with a strong hand - 25 people are dead and hundreds more are wounded. A major absence is that of a revolutionary party or trend with a level of organization and popular appeal, a vision for the future and a broad strategy for defeating the Islamist regime. At present, nothing of this type exists. As long as no nucleus of political (and, probably, military) opposition to the regime emerges, it is difficult to see a way that a wave of unrest can smash the edifice of the Islamic Republic. Tehran foments unrest in neighboring countries in order to keep neighbors weak. There is now an opportunity to return the compliment. There are a variety of ways that this might be achieved - from ensuring that protesters and demonstrators remain organized and in communication with one another, to punitive means to disincentivize those countries and individuals assisting the regime in acquiring the means of repression. The writer is a Senior Research Fellow at the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center and a fellow at the Middle East Forum.
2018-01-19 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive