Talkin' 'Bout a Revolution

Well, you know, we all want to change the world. And for the past week, courageous Iranian citizens have been trying to change their little pocket of it, having rightfully rejected the results of an election that returned president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power. All indications leading up to the vote last Friday suggested that it would be a photo finish between the bombastic, conservative Ahmadinejad and the reformer - a relative term, to be sure - Mir Hussein Moussavi, but the incumbent was announced as the winner by a landslide, an outcome that leaves little doubt that the election was rigged.

The thousands of Iranian demonstrators who have taken to the streets since then are proof that it isn't just an adversarial West that suspects this "election" has earned its scare-quotes. After 30 years of rule by an Islamic theocracy that holds the true power in the country (Ahmadinejad's a puppet figure, as is Moussavi, to a lesser degree, because no one can run for office without the mullahs' approval), Iran's overwhelmingly young, educated and urban population seems to have had enough. They're protesting the sham election, and they're risking imprisonment and death at the hands of their rulers to do it. 

In any repressive regime, there are bound to be political dissidents, but without widespread support, they can't bring down the existing powers. So the outpouring of grassroots support for change in Iran is encouraging - on the surface, it seems like the numbers are there for a new, democratic revolution. Sadly, in this case the usual equation - determined individuals lacking broad support and resources - has been flipped upside down. In Iran, as noted here in Slate, the broad support is there, but the people lack a rallying figure or party. Moussavi might not be as bad as Ahmadinejad, but the difference is more shades-of-grey than black and white.

Still, revolutions have to begin somewhere. 30 years ago, a revolution in Iran created the current regime. No matter how viciously they crack down on the current uprising, Iran's leaders, from the puppets to their masters, have been forced to face the fact that a new revolution is coming, even if it takes decades.