During this holiday week, much of the world may not have noticed, but there are protests being staged in Iran. Over the last few days, Iranians have taken to streets in anger. They are protesting high levels of unemployment (12.4%) and a stagnant economy with inflationary prices. They are also protesting extended overseas military engagements by Iranian forces, particularly in Syria. The regime is desperate to stop the unrest.
Economics and disillusion with military action are typical reasons for political protest and discord in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The economy is the foremost concern of Iranians—as with most people—and Iran’s continues to suffer from low wages, high prices, corruption and unemployment. The economy is often the cause of political change in Iran. An economic downturn was the primary reason why Iranians supported the radical populist, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, for president after the economic downturn under Mohammad Khatami.
Iran also has a history of national trauma from prolonged military engagements. The Iran-Iraq War, an eight-year brutal war in the 1980s, still influences the Iranian psyche.
Iran’s governmental system establishes bifurcated rule. The most powerful part is the unelected, autocratic religious establishment. The other part is the semi-democratic political apparatus. Only certain politicians are permitted to run for office, but the elections that are held are often essentially fair. The president sits at the top of the political part of the government. For the politicians, these protests are a major threat because the political class is seen as the entity responsible for the economic well being of the country.
