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Source: https://www.commentary.org/articles/ray-takeyh/second-iranian-revolution/
A Second Iranian Revolution?
(Commentary) Ray Takeyh - A revolt has begun in Iran, just as one did in 1978. It features an aging autocrat who's dying of cancer and overseeing a rebellious nation that has tired of his rule and the corruption of his cronies. In the White House, Jimmy Carter assured himself that Iran's armed forces could be counted on to restore order. Yet, too often, we ignore the fact that national armies don't like shooting their own people. Iranians today are bereft of delusions. They know the theocracy remains in the grip of an unelected few and is drowning in corruption. The current uprising shows that the head mullah, Ayatollah Khamenei, forgot the most essential lesson of the shah's demise - that desperate masses have little choice but to revolt. The writer is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.