Something else to remember about Iran:
The Enforcers Turn on Their Masters
July 18, 2007: The Iranian government is losing control of its security forces and secret police. Islamic radicals increasingly refuse to obey orders from the top, claiming God has commanded them to do otherwise. The Islamic conservatives have remained in power by cultivating Islamic radicals in the security forces, men who were willing to fight to the death to keep an un-elected Islamic conservative government in power. But now the Islamic radicals are out of control, and bringing them to heel will threaten the ability of the Islamic conservatives to rule the country.
strategypage.com
This article makes a tremendous amount of sense. The Basiji, and other radical factions within Iran's government will lose tremendous power under a moderate government. The way they stay in power is to maintain, if not ratchet up, the extremism they have displayed.
How would they respond if the "Supreme Guide" suddenly told them that they have to discard their very "raison d'etre", namely paving the way for the return of the Mahdi? They'd tell him to "pack sand" because it would be evident he was succumbing to pressure from the west.
As the Saudis discovered, that's the problem with coming to power on the backs of fanatics. Once you have power, you have to placate them and give them another mission that furthers the "revolution". If you don't, you have to wipe them out.
That's what the Saudis did.
Hawk |
