Democracy News

CCD Board Member Ambassador Jeremy Kinsman Writes on Future Prospects for Democratic Change in Iran
August 13, 2009

In the forthcoming September issue of Policy Options magazine, Ambassador Jeremy Kinsman, CCD Board Member and Director of the Diplomat’s Handbook for Democracy Development Support, writes on the June 2009 elections in Iran and what they mean for the future of democracy in Iran:

“In the turmoil that followed the Iranian election in June, ‘a million voices roared from the roofs at night in outrage against a corrupt and tyrannical regime,’ writes Jeremy Kinsman in a piercing analysis that sees both parallels and differences to the first Iranian revolution. This time, it is the mullahs who are entrenched in power, supported by the Revolutionary Guard. The Iranian theocracy has stifled dissent, trampled on women’s rights and now is staging show trials of opponents of the regime, that may include dissident clerics. ‘The crucial fact,’ writes Kinsman, ‘is that millions believed they had been cheated of their votes.’ Are the turbulent events of this summer a prelude to a second Iranian revolution, or will the crackdown stifle the voices of dissent?”

Download the full article, “Mulling the Mullahs: Prelude to the Next Iranian Revolution?” (Distributed with permission)