No New Revolution in Iran

“Assertions that the Islamic Republic is now imploding in the fashion of the shah’s regime in 1979 do not hold up to even the most minimal scrutiny,” the publishers of the Web site Race for Iran write in Wednesday’s New York Times. For one thing, more demonstrators—up to a million—turned out for a pro-government rally on December 30 than the recent protests, which numbered, at most, in the tens of thousands. Unlike the 1979 revolutionaries, today’s lack a coherent agenda or go-to leader. They no longer champion the presidential bid of Mohammad Khatami, and most do not support the actual overthrow of the Islamic Republic. “The Islamic Republic will continue to be Iran’s government,” they write. “And, even if there were changes in some top leadership positions … this would not fundamentally change Iran’s approach on regional politics, its nuclear program and other matters of concern.