In his new Weekly Standard piece Coming Soon: Nuclear Theocrats, the AEI scholar also has tough things to say about the State Department (where many assume a democratic Iran to be impossible), the CIA (its ineptitude in covert and overt operations regarding Iran) and waffling about the Mullahcracy within the Bush administration itself. But he concludes:
Remember: Ahmadinejad is heaven sent. Unfortunately, things in Iran are probably going to have to get a lot worse before they can get better. He and his supporters may ruin the economy and galvanize a much broader and braver base of internal opposition to the regime. He may add jet fuel to internal clerical dissent and open up lethal fissures in the ruling elite. No doubt, he will do all that he can to convulse and purify his society. Will we be ready to handle the challenge and the opportunity?
Ahmadinejad is the world’s wake-up call. Are we ready for it?
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