Boston Review

Iran After Khamenei An interview with sociologist Asef Bayat on the U.S.-Israeli war, democratic opposition to the Islamic Republic, and the country’s uncertain future.

“Far from ‘uniting’ the diverse opposition, Reza Pahlavi has deepened divisions. Lacking a political structure inside Iran and refusing to build coalitions with other opposition groups, he has relied almost entirely on foreign support—particularly from the United States and Israel.”

War on Iran and the Folly of Regime Change Essential reading from the BR archive.

“Gaza exposed the falsity of the belief that the United States would constrain Israel and that conventional force would be sufficient to deter Israel. So much of Israel’s military success reflects the lifting of all U.S. constraints on how Israel could use force, breaking all codes of conduct.”

Iran After Khamenei An interview with sociologist Asef Bayat on the U.S.-Israeli war, democratic opposition to the Islamic Republic, and the country’s uncertain future.

“The monarchists have capitalized on this sentiment without being burdened by what political scientist Daniel Ritter calls the ‘iron cage of liberalism.’ The global rise of anti-democracy movements has made it easier for them to embrace their authoritarian ethos.”

An interview with Asef Bayat:

Rise Up A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is set in a familiar realm of forever wars fought at the behest of cruel elites. Like all great fantasy, it shows us what might be otherwise.

Fantasists have long been aware of the truth effect of their art: think of Terry Goodkind’s description of fantasy as “stealth philosophy,” or Ursula K. Le Guin’s insistence on fantasy’s radical potential, or N. K. Jemisin’s contention that fantasy is a way to “train for reality.”

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s remarks at a March 4 press conference: “Starting last night and to be completed in a few days, in under a week, the two most powerful Air Forces in the world will have complete control of Iranian skies, uncontested airspace. I hope all the folks watching understand what uncontested airspace and complete control means. It means we will fly all day, all night, day and night finding, fixing and finishing the missiles and defense industrial base of the Iranian military, finding and fixing their leaders and their military leaders, flying over Tehran, flying over Iran, flying over their capital, flying over the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps], Iranian leaders looking up and seeing only US and Israeli air power every minute of every day until we decide it's over. And Iran will be able to do nothing about it. B-2s, B-52s, B-1s, Predator drones, fighters controlling the skies, picking targets, death and destruction from the sky all day long. We're playing for keeps. Our warfighters have maximum authorities granted personally by the president and yours truly.”

“Schmitt saw with prescient clarity that air war would not only create an ‘intensification of the technical means of destruction‘ but also intensify the problem of unequal sides… a world in which those who command the sky could police & punish those who do not.”

www.bostonreview.net/articles/hus...

This is excellent. Highly recommend.
@bostonreview.bsky.social

Iran After Khamenei An interview with sociologist Asef Bayat on the U.S.-Israeli war, democratic opposition to the Islamic Republic, and the country’s uncertain future.

Another good interview on Iran with sociologist Asaf Bayat: www.bostonreview.net/articles/ira...

Iran After Khamenei An interview with sociologist Asef Bayat on the U.S.-Israeli war, democratic opposition to the Islamic Republic, and the country’s uncertain future.

“Does what we are witnessing amount to a ‘national revolution,’ as some have claimed? I would hesitate to use that term. The recent uprising and the developments that followed are better understood not as a revolution but as a signpost along a revolutionary course.”

An interview with Asef Bayat:

Iran After Khamenei An interview with sociologist Asef Bayat on the U.S.-Israeli war, democratic opposition to the Islamic Republic, and the country’s uncertain future.

Great deep analysis of the current situation. www.bostonreview.net/articles/ira...

Rise Up A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is set in a familiar realm of forever wars fought at the behest of cruel elites. Like all great fantasy, it shows us what might be otherwise.

“Our hegemons love conflating the real and the possible, but our best fantasists never will.”

Now online: Junot Díaz reviews A KNIGHT OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS

War on Iran and the Folly of Regime Change Essential reading from the BR archive.

“Gaza exposed the falsity of the belief that the United States would constrain Israel and that conventional force would be sufficient to deter Israel. So much of Israel’s military success reflects the lifting of all U.S. constraints on how Israel could use force, breaking all codes of conduct.”

The Sound of Terror The phenomenology of a drone strike.

“Carl Schmitt’s The Nomos of the Earth saw with prescient clarity that air war would not only create an ‘intensification of the technical means of destruction‘ & the ‘disorientation of space‘ but also intensify the problem of unequal sides & allow the dominant side to re-label enemies as criminals.”

Iran After Khamenei An interview with sociologist Asef Bayat on the U.S.-Israeli war, democratic opposition to the Islamic Republic, and the country’s uncertain future.

“Far from ‘uniting’ the diverse opposition, Reza Pahlavi has deepened divisions. Lacking a political structure inside Iran and refusing to build coalitions with other opposition groups, he has relied almost entirely on foreign support—particularly from the United States and Israel.”

Iran After Khamenei An interview with sociologist Asef Bayat on the U.S.-Israeli war, democratic opposition to the Islamic Republic, and the country’s uncertain future.

“The opposition remains deeply fragmented. Many constituencies—including liberals, democrats, leftists, women’s groups, and marginalized communities such as Kurds, Azeris, Baluchis, and those in southern Khuzestan—do not align with Pahlavi.”

@alexshams.bsky.social talks with Asef Bayat:

Iran After Khamenei An interview with sociologist Asef Bayat on the U.S.-Israeli war, democratic opposition to the Islamic Republic, and the country’s uncertain future.

“Does what we are witnessing amount to a ‘national revolution,’ as some have claimed? I would hesitate to use that term. The recent uprising and the developments that followed are better understood not as a revolution but as a signpost along a revolutionary course.”

An interview with Asef Bayat:

The Making of the Deportation Machine The pillars aren’t new. They were built over decades, with bipartisan consensus.

www.bostonreview.net/articles/the...

Iran After Khamenei An interview with sociologist Asef Bayat on the U.S.-Israeli war, democratic opposition to the Islamic Republic, and the country’s uncertain future.

“Only through autonomous and organized civic agency can Iranians safeguard their own future—and the future of their country—amid profound and uncertain transformation.”

Iranian sociologist Asef Bayat talks with @alexshams.bsky.social about the war, democratic resistance, and what may come next:

Iran After Khamenei An interview with sociologist Asef Bayat on the U.S.-Israeli war, democratic opposition to the Islamic Republic, and the country’s uncertain future.

The war comes as Iranians are still reeling from the government’s crackdown on mass protests in January, when hundreds of thousands took to the streets and security forces brutally responded with the worst mass slaughter of protesters in Iranian history.

An interview with Asef Bayat:

Iran After Khamenei An interview with sociologist Asef Bayat on the U.S.-Israeli war, democratic opposition to the Islamic Republic, and the country’s uncertain future.

“In a sense, we have witnessed the ‘Syrianization of Iran,’ not in terms of civil conflict (though it remains a risk) but in the brutality of governance.”

Just online, @alexshams.bsky.social talks with sociologist Asef Bayat about the U.S.-Israeli war, recent protests, and Iran’s uncertain future:

Iran After Khamenei An interview with sociologist Asef Bayat on the U.S.-Israeli war, democratic opposition to the Islamic Republic, and the country’s uncertain future.

www.bostonreview.net/articles/ira...

Superb interview with Asef Bayat:

‘Iran’s leftists are also frustrated with the Western left, which they believe mischaracterizes the Islamic Republic as “anti-imperialist” and overlooks the real struggles of Iranians fighting for dignity and democracy.’

Iran After Khamenei An interview with sociologist Asef Bayat on the U.S.-Israeli war, democratic opposition to the Islamic Republic, and the country’s uncertain future.

“In a sense, we have witnessed the ‘Syrianization of Iran,’ not in terms of civil conflict (though it remains a risk) but in the brutality of governance.”

Just online, @alexshams.bsky.social talks with sociologist Asef Bayat about the U.S.-Israeli war, recent protests, and Iran’s uncertain future:

fucking useless

these centrists & their billionaire donors spend all their time, energy and money trying to defeat Dems

they have this warped view of "the middle" that only makes sense to them

read @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social & @adambonica.bsky.social on that

www.bostonreview.net/forum/how-no...

Our Man for Tehran The U.S.- and Israel-backed campaign positioning Reza Pahlavi, son of the Shah, for regime change in Iran.

“Pahlavi is fond of pretending that his ‘restoration’ to the crown is a fait accompli. He spent the 12-day war in June insisting he would return to Tehran on the back of U.S. tanks and Israeli missiles, going so far as to boast of plans for his first 100 days in office.”

War on Iran and the Folly of Regime Change Essential reading from the BR archive.

The U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran mark a dramatic escalation of Trump’s belligerent foreign policy.

Essential reading from the BR archive on the folly of regime change, with Alexander B. Downes, Greg Grandin, Neta C. Crawford, @alexshams.bsky.social, @tparsi.bsky.social, Aslı Ü. Bâli & Aziz Rana:

Empire of Vice In a perverse twist on virtue signaling, the Trump administration is training Americans in the politics of raw domination.

“We have an elite impunity problem. Twenty years ago the United States invaded a country on pretenses now widely acknowledged to be basically fraudulent. This fact barely merits an ‘oops’ from the many actors who promoted it—most of all George W. Bush.” @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social

War on Iran and the Folly of Regime Change Essential reading from the BR archive.

Promises made, promises broke.
“I’m not going to start wars,” Trump declared on election night in 2024.
www.bostonreview.net/articles/war...

War on Iran and the Folly of Regime Change Essential reading from the BR archive.

The U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran mark a dramatic escalation of Trump’s belligerent foreign policy.

Essential reading from the BR archive on the folly of regime change, with Alexander B. Downes, Greg Grandin, Neta C. Crawford, @alexshams.bsky.social, @tparsi.bsky.social, Aslı Ü. Bâli & Aziz Rana:

Our Man for Tehran - Boston Review The U.S.- and Israel-backed campaign positioning Reza Pahlavi, son of the Shah, for regime change in Iran.

“Hardly anything could be more damaging to Iran’s pro-democracy movements than making this unpopular, deposed monarch with ties to Israel and U.S. neocons the face of opposition.”

@alexshams.bsky.social on Reza Pahlavi and regime change ambitions in Iran:

“Where’s our bomb?” Trita Parsi talks with Rajan Menon about the “self-fulfilling prophecy” set in motion by Israeli and U.S. attacks on Iran.

“I think this is one of the biggest stories that has not been told: so much of Israel’s military success reflects the lifting of all U.S. constraints on how Israel could use force, breaking all codes of conduct.”

@tparsi.bsky.social after the Israeli and U.S. bombings of Iran last June:

“Where’s our bomb?” Trita Parsi talks with Rajan Menon about the “self-fulfilling prophecy” set in motion by Israeli and U.S. attacks on Iran.

“I think this is one of the biggest stories that has not been told: so much of Israel’s military success reflects the lifting of all U.S. constraints on how Israel could use force, breaking all codes of conduct.”

@tparsi.bsky.social after the Israeli and U.S. bombings of Iran last June: