Terry Glavin: Iran faces horrific disintegration, not righteous revolution |
Trump dithers, the left ignores Iran and the so-called 'crown prince' is hardly a saviour
You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.
After nearly 47 years of subjecting the people of Iran to tyrannical cruelty and destroying the Iranian economy while serving as the financier and armourer of at least a dozen terrorist groups throughout the Greater Middle East, the Islamic Republic of Iran appears to be finally at the point of collapse.
Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.
Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.
Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.
Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.
That may be wishful thinking, mind you. It took a sustained year-long uprising to overthrow the dictatorship of the Shah of Iran in 1979, and the tragic result was the ascendancy of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
Historic geopolitical events are turning on dimes these days, but a democratic revolution to supplant the decrepit Khomeinist police state in Iran looks less likely at the moment than a total disintegration of the country, with the ayatollahs and the hard core of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps surviving in the rubble of economic and social ruin.
This newsletter tackles hot topics with boldness, verve and wit. (Subscriber-exclusive edition on Fridays)
By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.
A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.
The next issue of Platformed will soon be in your inbox.
We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again
Interested in more newsletters? Browse here.
Just as U.S. president Barack Obama allowed the Khomeinist client state of Bashar Assad’s Syria to cross his 2012 “red line” against deploying chemical weapons to slaughter Syrian civilians, the current supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has already been permitted to cross the red line President Donald Trump laid down on Jan. 2 against the merciless slaughter of Iranian protesters.
A withering American military response would be the result if the regime responded by killing civilians, Trump vowed. The United States would stand with the protesters and “come to their rescue” if they were met with gunfire and bloodshed. “We are locked and loaded and ready to go,” Trump pledged.
But that was nearly two weeks ago, when the confirmed death toll was only in the double digits. The latest tallies vary widely. The regime itself say 2,000 “martyrs” and security personnel have been killed since the country-wide uprising began in late December, following the collapse of Iran’s currency, the rial. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency says it has confirmed the killing of 2,403 protesters, as well as 12 children.
Following a brief reprieve from an almost total communications and internet blackout, CBS News reported Tuesday that 12,000 people may have been killed already. Other estimates suggest the number may be as high as........