Is Iran going to have another revolution?
Iran has already had two revolutions in the last century: the constitutional revolution of 1905-1911 and the Islamic revolution of 1978-1979. To see these revolutions in the context of the wider history of Iran, read my book reviews here.
So does the continuation of the demonstrations, following the fraudulent re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June, presage a further revolution? I would certainly like to think so and the bravery of the protesters is as moving as it is encouraging. But the regime is far from giving up its totalitarian grip.
“Guardian” columnist Simon Tisdall believes that in Iran a further revolution is “finally under way” as he explains in this report.
But, at the conclusion of this story, Iranian political analyst Hossein Bastani warns: “The shah’s regime collapsed when many members of the army, who were just doing their military service and were really supporters of Khomeini, rebelled and went over to the other side. This regime has learned from that. They have invested too much in creating their own dedicated forces. They may be a tiny proportion of Iran’s population, but they are absolutely committed to the Islamic republic, very violent and very efficient.”
Meanwhile i have produced a fictional examination of the situation in my short story “The Man From Iran”.