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A Revolt Against Iran in Iraq and Lebanon
(Jerusalem Post) Jonathan Spyer - The Middle East is currently witnessing the first examples of popular rebellion in countries dominated by Iran. In both Iraq and Lebanon, the demonstrators are being confronted with the fact of the domination of their country by an outside-imposed structure. In both situations, the protesters are faced with an unelected, armed, utterly ruthless political-military structure which is the final decider and wielder of power in the country. This structure is controlled from Iran via the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Iranian system most resembles a colonial one, in which the ability of local populations to decide for themselves disappears and an Iran-controlled structure places itself in rule over them. This rule is then conducted in a manner intended to benefit Tehran, with indifference to the economic and other interests of the subject population. The writer is director of the Middle East Center for Reporting and Analysis.