CIAO DATE: 07/2010
June 2010
United States Institute of Peace
Iran has the most politically active youth among the 57 nations of the Islamic • world. As the most restive segment of their society, Iranian youth also represent one of the greatest longterm threats to the current form of theocratic rule. • Young activists have heavily influenced the Islamic Republic’s political agenda over the past 13 years. After the 2009 presidential election, youth and women were the two biggest blocs behind the region’s first sustained “people power” movement for democratic change, creating a new political model in the Middle East. • The Islamic Republic has forcibly regained control over the most rebellious sector of society through mass detentions of young activists, expulsions from universities and widening the powers of its own young paramilitary forces. • Nevertheless, the demands from young people have not changed over the past year, and their anger is boiling just beneath the surface. The regime also remains vulnerable because it has failed to address basic socioeconomic problems among youth. • The impact of Iran’s youth on the political, economic and social agenda of the country over the next 25 years is important for U.S. policymakers to consider when facing complex decisions in balancing Iran’s nuclear program and its internal political turmoil.
Resource link: Iran's Youth: The Protests Are Not Over [PDF] - 233K