General

To Hijack a Revolution

The Iranian Revolution (January and February 1979) began with protests a year earlier. People protested against the Shah of Iran’s crackdown on civil liberties. The Shah suspended the constitution. Protests erupted into violence when security forces fired into a crowd killing 64 protesters.

Shah Pahlavi was interested in limiting the influence and power of the Shia clergy. He attempted to modernize the Iranian society. One of his efforts was to change the Iranian calendar to one based on the Persian Empire rather than the Islamic one. Another effort was women’s suffrage. This was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Protests became intense and Pahlavi suspended the constitution. This threw more fuel on the fire. The Shah’s attempts to further Westernize Iranian society led to his downfall.

Iranian groups; workers unions, student organizations, religious groups demonstrated to have the constitution restored. The Shah, influenced by the US and French governments opted to appease the populace. He allowed the Ayatollah Khomeini to return from exile in France. The Ayatollah promised to bring peace to the country.

Upon arrival the Ayatollah organized Shia militias and began a revolution. The various opposition groups supported him. When the Shah was deposed Khomeini emerged as the head of the country and instituted a Shia Theocracy. The Ayatollah arrested and executed many fellow revolutionaries who weren’t aligned with his new religious government.

As discussed in yesterday’s post, Yemen in the 1990’s was an economic disaster. The newly formed coalition government did not handle the economy well. A huge income gap due to elite politics and a weak centralized government left many groups disadvantaged. The 1994 Yemeni Civil War was one result.

In 2000, Ansar Allah (or Houthis), attacked the destroyer USS Cole. President Saleh moved to disarm the Houthis. This attempt led to the Houthi revolution in Yemen. The Houthis also assaulted Saudi border checkpoints with attacks and missiles.

Why did the Houthis randomly attack a US naval vessel? Why did they attack the Saudis? Both of these nations are much more powerful than the Houthi clan. The assaults were a political gamble to attract members and finances to their movement. It worked well. Anti American and anti Saudi sentiments made them into heroes with many of the Shia tribes. Already backed by Iran they were able to arm a large enough army to challenge the Yemeni government. The Houthis hijacked more than their share of the Yemeni opposition.

The Syrian Revolution against Bashir al-Assad was/is composed of various factions. Civilian protesters and militias, the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria, Jaysh al-Islam, the Front for the Conquest of the Levant and the Free Syria Army are examples.

The new Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa created the al-Nusra Front (Front for the Conquest of the Levant) with the help of al-Queda. He joined al-Queda in Iraq after the US invasion. It is believed he was a deputy of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Al-Sharaa was arrested by the US while preparing a bombing in Iraq in 2006.

Al-Sharaa was released by the US in 2011 as the Syrian Revolution began. He traveled to Syria to establish an al-Queda presence.

Under al-Shara’a’s leadership, al-Nusra Front and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham perpetrated a series of war crimes, suicide bombings, forced conversions, ethnic cleansing and sectarian massacres against Syria’s Christian, Alawite, Shia and Druze minorities. These included the January 2012 al-Midan bombing, which killed 26 people and wounded 63. In 2015, al-Nusra fighters killed Druze villagers during the Qalb Loze massacre. Wikipedia

In December of 2024 Syrian President for Life almost Bashar al-Assad left the country for Moscow. The new defacto leader became Ahmed al-Sharaa; a “good looking man” according to US President for Life hopeful Donald Trump.

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