9781422275740

In the News Protests in Iran The Iranian economy has been stifled by sanctions. The stagnation and lack of opportunity has fueled recent protests. Throughout the winter of 2017 and into 2018, many street protests took place in Iran. They lasted days and evenweeks in some cities. Although large protests have hap- pened before in Iran, these were the first where activists dared criticize the religious nature of the government. Protesters directly attacked religious institutions for the first time in the summer of 2018. “Downwith the dic- tator!” became their rallying cry as they criticized the country’s powerful supreme leader . Today Iran is driven by the efforts, talents, experiences, and insights of workers whose average age is 31. The ambitions that these young Iranians have for their country seem more and more at odds with the goals of the government. U.S. sanctions threaten the well-being of all Iranians. Goods and services that are needed to create important business and infrastructure projects are prohib- ited. It’s as though Iran’s progress has come to a halt while everyone who keeps the country running waits either for the United States to change its demands or for the Iranian government to satisfy the U.S. demands for access to and accountability of Iranian nuclear activity. Moving away from any appearance of working on nuclear weapons would likely end U.S. sanctions. Even in the short time that U.S. sanctions were lifted, Iranian economic activity heated up, and residents started to breathe more easily. Offering its people a better lifestyle would go a long way to easing social tension in Iran. In practice, the government of Iran has a guaranteed hold on power.Drastic, citizen-based reform is near impossible.For example, the constitution makes Islam central to the rights and operation of the government. The religious compatibility of a law must be voted on before the law can take effect. This means that making a change such as diminishing the influence of religious scholars is very unlikely. will maintain its hold on the hearts and minds of average Iranians seems in doubt.

Nations in the News:

12