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The demise of Qassem Soleimani is the latest and worst in a series of blows to the Islamic Republic in recent months. In October, anti-corruption protest movements erupted in Iraq and Lebanon, where demonstrators called for an end to the privileged status that the regime’s proxies have come to enjoy. The anti-Islamic Republic demands are most explicit in Iraq, where militias loyal to Khamenei and built by Qassem Soleimani have attempted, unsuccessfully, to suppress the demonstrations with extreme violence.
Damage to the political legitimacy of the Islamic Republic has also come from inside Iran itself. In November 2019, another wave of protests against the regime swept the country, engulfing every major town and city. All ethnic groups and social classes were represented in demonstrations that were quelled ultimately through the killing of 1,500 peaceful protesters and the detention of thousands more. Throughout the country, protestors chanted slogans in favor of the former crown prince, Reza Pahlavi, the son of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi.
Mr. Pahlavi is the most prominent Iranian opposition figure and, increasingly, a unifying symbol among Iranians who seek to replace the current regime with a secular liberal democracy. He is uniquely positioned, therefore, to shed light on Iran at the crossroads. Can it manage the unprecedented series of historic challenges that it faces? How will it seek to break out of the corner into which President Trump has maneuvered it? And what strategy should the United States adopt to achieve the best results for itself and the Iranian people?
Join Hudson Institute Senior Fellows Michael Doran and Ludovic Hood, Research Fellow Zineb Riboua, and Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior director of the Iran Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, for a timely discussion about the conflicts in the region and America’s strategic and diplomatic paths forward.
Join Senior Fellow Dr. Rebeccah Heinrichs and Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) for a fireside discussion on how Congress can guide American strategy, the need to modernize the defense industrial base, and the vital role of allies and partners in an unstable international environment.
Join Senior Fellow Michael Doran for a candid conversation with H.E. Narek Mkrtchyan, ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to the United States of America, as they discuss the developments, challenges, and opportunities defining the US-Armenia relationship.
Please join Hudson Institute’s China Center as Miles Yu hosts a panel with key members of Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan and the Democratic Progressive Party to examine Taiwan’s mobilization efforts against the CCP’s increasing threats.
