A public hanging in Iran.
An important axiom of the regime, necessary for US. policy makers to remember, is that the Islamic Republic’s ruling class is an inveterate enemy of the United Stares and the existing world order. The regime’s overall objective is the destruction of the United States and the civilization it represents.
What is to be done about Iran? The current U.S. Administration might be better served if it would engage in some strategic thinking. The concentration of media pundits has focused on only one dimension of the Islamic Republic, its nuclear program. This sole focus obscures the essence, motivations, and objectives of a regime ultimately more dangerous to the world than even its nuclear capability.
To begin with, U.S. policy makers might take a fresh look at the operating principles by which the regime lives — as well as its strengths and weaknesses — to develop better a series of policy options on how best to weaken or even destabilize the regime. At the very least, such a process might yield an approach that would induce the regime to curtail its terrorist activities and support for radical movements throughout the globe, if not slow down its nuclear program.
Operating Principles of the Regime
The prime directive of Iran’s ruling class is to ensure the regime’s stability. During its three and a half decades, the Islamic Republic has successfully negotiated contentious passions within the regime’s power centers to avoid open confrontation. When it appeared that factional intra-regime differences were about to unravel the existing order, the regime’s leaders pulled back and restored equilibrium within its senior ranks. The most memorable example of this pattern transpired during the era of Mohamad Khatami (08/1997-08/2005), when his election to the presidency emboldened Iran’s population to push the theocracy for comprehensive reforms. Continue reading →
