https://pjmedia.com/richardfernandez/2009/06/16/the-moving-finger-writes/feed/PJ Media is a leading news site covering culture, politics, faith, homeland security, and more. Our reporters and columnists provide original, in-depth analysis from a variety of perspectives.en-usFri, 12 Jun 2026 04:43:28 -0400<![CDATA[An American Enterprise Institute monograph published in November, 2008 described how the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps began reorganizing itself to meet internal threats late last year. The change was significant, because for the first time since it was formed, the IRGC reoriented its mission from meeting external threats to suppressing internal threats. (Hat tip: Doug) The IRGC is normally called the &#8220;Revolutionary Guards&#8221; in the media. It is a state within a state. &#8220;The IRG is separate from, and parallel to, the other arm of the Iran&#8217;s military, which is called Artesh (another Persian word for army). The IRG is a combined arms force with its own ground forces, navy, air force, intelligence, and special forces. It also controls Basij force, which has a potential strength of eleven million, although Basij is a volunteer-based force, and consists of 90,000 regular soldiers and 300,000 reservists.&#8221;]]>Tue, 16 Jun 2009 04:17:15 -0400<![CDATA[Richard Fernandez]]>https://pjmedia.com/richard-fernandez/2009/06/16/the-moving-finger-writes-n188533