Babak Yektafar

If there is a parallel to be drawn between the events that led to the Iranian revolution 31 years ago and the events that have besieged the Islamic Republic in the past eight months, it lies in the erosion of trust and connectivity between the regime and the Iranian people. Following in the footsteps of its predecessor, the Islamic Republic is failing to make the regime accessible to all its citizens.
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Last June's disputed presidential election was the culmination of a campaign by the Iranian regime that dates back to an ominous letter signed by 24 leaders of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution Corps and delivered to then-President Mohammad Khatami in 1999. The letter served as a warning, and effectively tipped the balance of the debate regarding the future of the Islamic Republic. more

Critics of the Iranian regime often dismiss Iranian elections as a manipulative sham used by a malevolent regime to flaunt its supposed legitimacy to the outside world. Obviously, elections alone in the Islamic Republic of Iran do not make the country an ideal democracy. They do, however,provide for two unintended, yet noteworthy, outcomes that are rarely reflected upon in the West. more

When formulating a practical and forward looking policy towards Iran, the Obama administration would do well to heed certain realities. Thirty years of muscular posturing by five successive administrations have not afforded the White House a handle on the Islamic Republic. Neither have they ushered in a new dawn of Middle Eastern stability or, for that matter, Israeli security. Instead, the United States must lead the way in establishing a strategic alliance with the Islamic Republic of Iran, in the context of a more engaged foreign policy. more