Friday, June 19, 2009

Khamenei Readying the Crackdown

Well, it looks like Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is going to go the way of the forgotten man of history as he might be choosing a Tiananmen Square style ending to the conflict.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei sternly warned Friday of a crackdown if protesters continue their massive street rallies, escalating the government's showdown with demonstrators demanding a new presidential election.

I think Saturday will be a crucial day in the history of Iran. If the government cracks down hard they might go the way of the Shah or they might bully people into submission this time. The army will be the key because if they side with the marchers or refuse to fire on their own people the revolution will be on.

In any case I think the young Iranian's just got a whiff of freedom and solidarity and might never back down again. My guess is that the regime will last 10 more years at most even if there isn't a crackdown. When these marchers get into positions of power in the army and the old Islamic radicals that overthrew the Shah start to die of old age it will be the end of the regime.

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