Iranian Democracy

Iran's Supreme Leader has decided the vote held for the presidency was fair and has threatened to crack down on protests against his ruling. At this point, no one believes that a revolution against the Islamic republic is possible, given the general support for the theocratic state and the previously explained willingness of the opposition led by Mir Housain Mousavi to work within the system had they won (which they probably did - are you telling me all of those paper ballots were counted so quickly?). But given Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's arrogance, it could be that the clerics who run the country could re-arrange the positions of power to hold onto them. Bear in mind that the Soviet Politburo was able to purge Nikita Khrushchev from the Communist party leadership and the government premiership in 1964 out of dissatisfaction with the way he was running the show. Something similar could happen in Iran. Or, maybe the mullahs will freak out and crack down on dissenters as was done in China twenty years ago.

It's going to get very interesting there very soon.