A Discussion |

Dr. Assaf David, VLJI in conversation with Dr. Elisheva Machlis, Bar-Ilan University

For Israeli politicians and journalists, Israel’s attack on Iran has created an opportunity to topple the regime as a decisive stage in the attempt to collapse the “Shi’ite axis” and establish a pro-Western regime in Iran, as it once had. Although large parts of the Iranian population oppose the regime of the ayatollahs, one must ask whether an attack from without can bring about the downfall of a political regime, or whether it will strengthen the internal cohesion and the patriotic spirit of the nation. In this conversation we will ask who are the opposition forces in Iran, what the country’s demographic composition is, whether opponents of the regime support the return of the shah, how the Israeli attack is perceived by various streams in Iranian society, and what mechanisms help the current regime to stay in power.