Iran and the Fog of Regime Change (w/Hooman Majd) - #547

Hooman Majd comes from a family that reads like a parable about modern Iran: a grandfather who was an ayatollah, an uncle who worked for the Shah, and a folk-singing aunt. Everyone’s family has a version of this, right?-Iran is a tragedy-the sense of triumph has already faded-is Hooman happy the Supreme Leader was killed?-Trump’s motive: regime change, or only regime adjustment?-a ring of fire around Israel-hijab mandates, strict social rules, and the morality police using facial recognition-did the 1979 Islamic Revolution fail on its own terms?-MEK is a cult-is there room for a homegrown anti-regime revolution, or does war smother it?-who ends up in the IRGC?-the girls’ school bombing, and the propaganda machine-internet shutdowns, VPN life, and tweeting through a war-if you want to be an authoritarian, you cannot tolerate a free press-how to consume war info without getting played-outlets reporting on the new Ayatollah-sanctions: efficacy, blowback, and who they actually punish-Can Iran function like a normal state, and can it have workable relations with Israel?-Oct. 7 and Iran’s role-concerns about civil war-the mullah stereotype-“translating” for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad-death threats, anonymous phone calls, and “don’t ever come back”-defending against charges of being a regime apologistBuy Minister Without Portfolio: Memoir of a Reluctant Exile (Bookshop | Amazon)Prefer to watch & chat live with other members of the Fifdom? This episode premieres over on our YouTube channel at 12PM EST.The Fifth Column is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Follow The Fifth ColumnYouTube: @wethefifthInstagram: @we.the.fifthX: @wethefifthTikTok: @wethefifthFacebook: @thefifthcolumn This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe