Q&A
Aaron David Miller, Karim Sadjadpour, Robin Wright
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Source: Getty
In The Media
Why Iran Is Different From Egypt
Although the circumstances in Egypt and Iran are significantly different, protestors in Iran are being inspired by Egypt’s example and some of the Iranian opposition have begun to call for an end to the regime in Tehran.
Published on Feb 15, 2011
Source: CNN
For the first time since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the narrative in the region is no longer that Arabs are being inspired by Iranian theocracy, but that Iranians are being inspired by Arab, specifically Egyptian, democracy, explained Carnegie’s Karim Sadjadpour on CNN. However, “Egypt and Iran have some significant differences”, noted Sadjadpour. In particular, Iran has a great deal of oil wealth that it can use to financially co-opt its disaffected citizens and to arm its shock troops. Further, suggests Sadjadpour, “anti-American regimes like Iran are less vulnerable than U.S.-allied autocracies because Iran doesn’t have to worry about a reaching a threshold of violence where the U.S. will pull its funding.”
In the immediate aftermath of the contested June 2009 presidential elections, protesters were calling for transparent elections. Two years later, inspired by the revolutions in the Middle East, some of the opposition is calling for the downfall of the regime. While many of the leaders of the opposition, members of the old guard, are simply calling for reforms to the system, Sadjadpour explained that the youth are calling for structural changes. Moving forward, the opposition must coalesce around a common goal. In the short term, “it is going to be very difficult to rid Iran of the regime because the regime has a lot to work with in terms of oil wealth and shock troops,” said Sadjadpour. Yet he argued that the future does not augur well for Islamic Republic as change continues to sweep the region.
About the Author
Karim Sadjadpour
Senior Fellow, Middle East Program
Karim Sadjadpour is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he focuses on Iran and U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East.
- What’s Keeping the Iranian Regime in Power—for Now
- How Washington and Tehran Are Assessing Their Next StepsQ&A
Aaron David Miller, David Petraeus, Karim Sadjadpour
Recent Work
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
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