Strategic Assessment

The protests that broke out in Iran in June 2009 following announcement of the election results were the largest in the history of the regime, and involved hundreds of thousands of people. Nonetheless, the regime successfully quashed the protests and has since held them in check. This essay reviews the reasons for the domestic unrest in Iran, surveys the role of the paramilitary, religious, and political establishments in the reform movement, and assesses prospects for the future of the reformist camp.