Iran’s history suggests Green opposition will re-emerge
The imminent departure of John Limbert , the US administration’s leading point man on Iran , is casting further doubt on the feasibility of engaging the Islamic Republic. But if Iran ’s politically tumultuous history is any guide, the opposition Green movement will survive its current downturn, consolidate and emerge as a force for democratic change, Michael Singh argues in Foreign Affairs . “After all, movements propelled by similar social currents have succeeded in dramatically changing Iran in the past,” he notes, citing the Constitutional Revolution of 1905–11; the Mossadeq era of 1951–3; and the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Each episode emerged from the confluence of popular anger over corruption, a rupture between ruling and clerical classes, and discontent over foreign relations, writes Singh, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. In each instance, secular and liberal forces temporarily aligned with politically active clergy in opposition. But int...