Time for regime change in Iran

JPost

Iran’s nuclear problem remains unresolved, and seems to be irresolvable, as the Islamic regime is desperate for a nuclear bomb. Iran has not shown any interest in the offers made by the international community. However, there is a road not taken, and that is investing in the Iranian people, who have experienced two major revolutions over the past 100 years.

Three years ago, the Iranian people showed that they are ready to take to the streets and protest against Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader. In order to stop an apocalyptic fundamentalist regime from acquiring a nuclear bomb, democratic states of the world need to change their policies toward the Iranian government.

The goal should be regime change in Iran, and the point of this article is to show how such a policy can be successful.

This article explains possible plans that would lead to a structural change in Iran in the short term.

The first step is to increase sanctions on the Iranian government. The sanctions should be designed in such a way that within the coming year the reserves of the Iranian government are reduced as much as possible. Consequently, the Iranian government will have to choose between assuring people’s costs of living and bribing its supporters in order to maintain its status quo.

As a result, the negative consequences of the regime’s existence will become more tangible, and supporting it less and less profitable. The maximum pressure of sanctions should be on the Iranian regime officials and their families, including prohibition of any travel outside Iran and the blockade of their bank assets.

The second step is an effective media, radio and TV campaign to motivate Iranian citizens to protest on the streets and encourage the supporters of the regime to join the protesters. Let’s not forget the important role of Al Jazeera in what is called the “Arab Spring.”

THE THIRD step is the implementation of an Internet freedom project in Iran.

Internet and other social networks such as Facebook are significant tools. A free Internet, without any government control, will increase the ability of Iranian social and political organizations to organize against the regime. From a technical and financial point of view, the Internet freedom project threatens the existence of the Iranian government, especially after Tehran launched its National Internet Project to cut Iranians off from any contact with the outside world.

Another step is the diplomatic isolation of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the international arena. Recently, the federal government of Canada took a significant step toward elimination of the Islamic Republic of Iran in North America by closure of the Iranian embassy in Canada.

FURTHERMORE, THE Iranian opposition groups that believe in democratic regime change in Iran should become more powerful. This can be done by creating a transitional council. Over the past months, there have been some efforts to unite the Iranian opposition groups. These efforts should be supported by pro-democracy governments and non-governmental institutions around the world; the Iranian people need to believe there is an alternative to the current regime.

The economic situation in Iran, that is becoming more severe day by day, is a great opportunity to motivate Iranian citizens to hold protests and bring about major changes. The regime is very much divided – more than at any time in its history. As said before, the economic situation in Iran is disastrous. This will give a mutual cause to especially the poor and middle class Iranians to start an uprising against the regime. We all should remember that evil cannot be contained, and the Islamic regime in Iran is a pure evil of our age.

Saeed Ghasseminejad is the spokesperson of the Iranian Liberal Students and Graduates and Sara Akrami is an Iranian-Canadian student activist at York University in Canada.