"The Dead Don't Protest
March 28, 2011: The Arab countries on the west side of the Gulf are taking a closer look at what Iranians (including diplomats and legal residents) are doing in Arab countries. It's long been known that a lot of Iranian "diplomats" were actually members of the al Quds force, an organization that supports pro-Iranian terrorist activities in foreign countries. Al Quds, and other branches of the Iranian government, encourage Arab Shia Moslems to rebel against their government (especially if that government is not real friendly with, and deferential to, Iran). The Sunni minority ruling tiny Gulf state Bahrain (population under a million) believe that Iran orchestrated the current Shia Arab (the local majority) riots. Moreover, Iranian gangsters are very active on the Arab side of the Gulf, and these crooks will often do chores for the Iranian government (in return for some favors back home). Meanwhile, al Quds is not taking credit for the recent unrest in Bahrain, but is trying to keep it going. Other Arab Gulf states have sent soldiers and police into Bahrain to help control the violence, and in so doing have made it clear to Iran that Bahrain will not become another Iranian pawn (like Syria or Hezbollah controlled southern Lebanon) or client (like Hamas in Gaza).
In the last few months, the government has quietly attacked the security of electronic communications in and out of the country. The government has organized a team of hackers (Iranians and foreign mercenaries) to use various method (deep packet inspection, forged SSL certificates) to read email that users thought was encrypt or anonymous. That may explain an increase in the number of pro-reform people arrested lately. But the main goal appears to be scaring the opposition away from using the Internet.
For the last three years, a mysterious outfit, the Iranian Cyber Army, has proclaimed its willingness to hack for the rulers of Iran. While the Iranian Cyber Army is largely individual hackers inside and outside Iran, there is an official operation as well. During the same period, Iran has admitted having formed a government Cyber War organization. This outfit appears to concentrate on internal matters, and catching Iranians who are using Internet access to work against (that includes protesting) the government. One recent hack, which a 21 year old individual took credit for, briefly gave the culprit the ability to more easily examine email. This hack attack on an Internet security company was soon detected, traced back to Iran, and fixed.
The anti-tyrant uprisings sweeping the Arab world since the start of the year, have not bypassed Iranian allies. Despite being one of the most brutal police states in the world, Syria is suffering from an increasing number of anti-government demonstrations. So far, the death toll (among protestors) is only in the hundreds. In the past, Syrian dictators have killed over 10,000 of their subjects, in the name of restoring order. Pro-Iranian rulers in Lebanon and Gaza are also suffering from growing protests. Iran seems to be telling everyone to follow the Iranian example. Just start killing opponents, and keep killing until the opposition goes silent. The dead don't protest. Iran is doing more than give advice, and has sent security experts to Syria and ordered Hezbollah gunmen into Syria to help with terrorizing freedom lovers.
In Iran, more and more state owned businesses are being turned over to the Revolutionary Guard (the military and paramilitary organization composed of Islamic zealots who will kill to keep the religious dictatorship in power). The clerics apparently see this as a way to deal with the growing corruption, as the Guard's are one of the least corrupt organizations in the country. But the Guards are still corrupt, and getting more so now that they have access to all these new resources. The more corrupt and less corrupt Guard commanders are spending more time feuding with each other. These new business responsibilities have also distracted many Guard commanders from their military and police duties. As the Guard grows richer, it's ability to influence events on the street declines.
Meanwhile, violence, including beatings, imprisonments and executions, against reformers (and government opponents of all sorts) is increasing. The government is also demanding more discipline from senior officials, especially clerics. Those who display any sympathy to reformers can expect to lose their government job, and any other goodies they receive from the establishment."
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