The Islamic Republic’s War on Iranians

Abstract: The protests of the 2022–23 Woman, Life, Freedom (WLF) movement—sparked by the death of Mahsa (Jina) Amini—brought women’s issues squarely to the center of the political stage, marking a new phase in the estrangement between the Islamic Republic and Iranian society. Unlike earlier mass protests rooted in economic grievances, the WLF movement was from the outset a direct ideological challenge to the regime. However, eMorts to formalize opposition faltered amid disunity, while Tehran escalated its hybrid war against dissent. The Islamic Republic’s war against the Iranian people is part of its global war against liberal democracy. Liberal democracies must build a coordinated multinational alliance to confront this cold war on democracy. The Realpolitik-based worldview is ill-suited to the current global reality—and to the war being waged against liberal democracy.