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Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/13/AR2009071302575.html
Tipping Point in Tehran: A Gathering Opposition Faces a Weakened Regime
[Washington Post] Robin Wright - The erratic uprising in Iran has redefined political action throughout the Middle East. Before the June 12 presidential election, the Islamic republic had never been so powerful. Tehran had survived three decades of diplomatic isolation and economic sanctions and emerged a regional superpower, its influence shaping conflicts and politics from Afghanistan to Lebanon. But the day after the election, the Islamic republic had never appeared so vulnerable. The virtual militarization of the state has failed to contain the uprising, and its tactics have shifted the focus to Iran's leadership. Given its advancing nuclear technology and regional influence, Iran believed before the election that it held the trump cards in any negotiations. Now, politically disgraced, it is the needy one.