NOT! THE SPIRIT OF 1688

Iran is NOT on the verge of a second revolution or civil war (Amir Taheri, 7/01/03, Jewish World Review)

The students' demand for constitutional change seems to have some support within the establishment. More than two-thirds of the members of the Islamic Majlis (parliament) have published an open letter to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the spiritual leader, to endorse the call for the separation of mosque and State. Another open letter, signed by 250 intellectuals with impeccable Khomeinist credentials, calls for the establishment of a Western-style democratic system.

A consensus may yet emerge for change through a referendum. One popular idea is to amend the Constitution to separate the mosque from the State: The position of Supreme Guide, held by Ayatollah Khamenei, would be abolished, letting Iran become a "normal" republic with a president and parliament elected by and accountable to the people.

Today hardly anyone, even within the establishment, is prepared to defend the principle under which the Supreme Guide is regarded as the embodiment of divine will on earth and given absolute powers. Even Khamenei's associates now admit that the pro-democracy movement is too broad-based to be dismissed as part of the pressure that the Bush administration is exerting on the regime.

This argument, that the transition from authoritarian theocracy to Western-style democracy does not represent revolutionary change, is rather inane. Call it evolution or reform or whatever you want to, but what it may most resemble in the long run is Britain's Glorious Revolution. Posted by Orrin Judd at July 1, 2003 12:28 PM