How The Revolutionary Guards Could Reshape Iran

February 24, 2020 Topic: Security Region: Middle East Blog Brand: Lebanon Watch Tags: IRGCIranDonald TrumpIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

How The Revolutionary Guards Could Reshape Iran

Iran’s clerical army could decide that an internal transition is the best answer, and move to remove (or at least subordinate) the country’s current clerical elite. Such a step, after all, would allow the IRGC to preserve its current, extensive grip on national power while simultaneously working to alleviate economic pressure from the U.S. and reintegrate into the international community.

Ilan Berman is Senior Vice President of the American Foreign Policy Council in Washington, DC. This piece is the tenth and final installment of a series of articles exploring the beliefs, ideas and values of different factions within the Iranian opposition, as well as the challenges confronting them.

The first installment, covering the agenda of former Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi and his supporters, can be found here. The second, outlining the worldview of the Mujahideen e-Khalq, appears here. The third, examining the activism of Masih Alinejad and the broader Iranian anti-hijab movement, is located here. The fourth, detailing the efforts of activists like Mariam Memarsadeghi and Tavaana to promote democracy within Iran, is accessible here. The fifth, introducing the “Council of 14” group of human rights activists and campaigners, as well as their international backers, appears here. The sixth, a discussion of the Iranian regime’s growing capacity for cyber-repression, is accessible here. The seventh, an exploration of Iran’s ethnic politics and groupings, is located here. The eighth, covering efforts by Iranian opposition groups to create a new constitution, is accessible here. The ninth, which examines the impact of Iran’s changing demographics on protest and allegiance to the Islamic Republic, is available here.