In Iran, anger against the regime runs deep, shaped by economic hardship and repeated cycles of protest. However, this discontent has not translated into support for external efforts to bring about regime change. The reasons lie not only in present conditions but in a longer history of intervention, betrayal, and resilience. Why do Iranians distrust those who claim to act on their behalf?
The Iranian people have been on a roller-coaster of hope and despair over the past half-century. There is mounting discontent with the ruling system (dubbed as the “regime”) across a large section of the population. And yet this discontent has not translated (as of mid-March) into any apparent support for a US-Israeli fight against that very regime. Why is this so?