Iran
The Central Issue Is Why Sustained Unrest Has Not Yet Fractured the Regime—and the Answer Is That the Islamic Republic Was Built That Way
Why the Collapse of Clerical Rule Would Trigger a Struggle Over Power, Not an Instant Transition to Democracy
Iran’s Ruler Will Not Compromise with the United States at the End of His Life, Especially If That Means Accepting Israel’s Existence
Iran’s Long Memory of Foreign Concessions Explains Why Transactional Regime Change Would Fail
Decades of Security Preparation, Economic Capture, and Elite Cohesion Complicate Any Path to Change
Iranian Forces Reportedly Are Entering Hospitals to Murder Wounded Iranians and Many Iranians Are Afraid to Seek Treatment
If Trump Does Not Follow Through with His Threat Against the Regime, Russia and China Will See His Rhetoric as Empty
Witnesses Describe Point-Blank Shootings, and Detained Protesters Were Stripped Naked and Forced to Stand Outdoors in the Cold
A Post-Islamic Republic Iran Will Need Billions of Dollars to Rebuild After Nearly a Half-Century of the Ayatollahs’ Mismanagement
Unlike in the Past, This Time the Regime Did Not Sever Access but Instead Degraded Internet Function
Tehran Dismissed Trump’s Remarks as ‘Nonsense and Baseless Talk,’ Promising a ‘Decisive, Deterrent, and Swift’ Response
Progressives Hesitate to Criticize a Regime, Fearing Accusations of Islamophobia or Alignment with Imperialism
Today’s Protests Lack the Elite Defections and Institutional Collapse That Toppled the Shah
Widespread Unrest Has Revealed the Islamic Republic’s Inability to Address Economic Collapse or Public Anger
Targeted Support for Protesters Could Shift the Balance Without a Full-Scale War
Iran’s Capacity to Respond to Such an Action Is Far More Limited than Its Leaders Suggest
A Middle East Quarterly Special Report
Some Argue the Islamic Republic Has Lost Any Chance of Recovery, That Public Rage Will Not Fade After the Atrocities Committed
Trump and Rubio Should Approach Iraqi Leaders with Generosity; Co-Opting Former Opponents Is Wiser than Bludgeoning Them
Iran’s Collapsing Legitimacy and Escalating Violence Are Forcing the United States to Move beyond Containment and toward Decisive Action