With double-digit unemployment, widespread corruption and inequality, and a youth population ready for change, the recent protests in Iran are no surprise, says Abbas Milani, Stanford’s Hamid and Christina Moghadam Director of Iranian Studies. After arresting more than 3,700 protesters, the Iranian regime has quelled the demonstrations for now. Should we expect more, or will the government succeed in shutting them down? Milani tells FSI Director Michael McFaul that the recent demonstrations are more widespread than, for instance, the 2009 protests against a rigged presidential election. They are concentrated in small, religious towns with little history of anti-government action. Iran’s economic woes are not going away, and Milani expects protests will continue until they do.
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