Iran’s apparent electoral fraud and subsequent repression of civil liberties and human rights abuses are completely unacceptable. The international community is aware of the Iranian government’s increasingly violent crackdown on its opposition and is responding with growing protest movements, particularly from Iranian exiles who previously shied away from joining the Green (opposition) movement. Still, it is imperative that people sit up and take notice of the travesty of justice occurring in Iran. With so many pressing global issues, it becomes easy for people to forget about the lack of democracy and government repression in Iran. This is a call to action for both the governments and the people of the world to keep Iran’s transgressions in the public view and to prevent future abuses of Iranian citizens by working towards reforms that will provide at least some semblance of democracy in future elections.

Regime change or reform?

Prior to the elections, much of the opposition movement focused on reforms within the current Islamic regime, rather than overthrowing the regime and replacing it with a secular regime. Opposition groups that advocated total regime change, such as supporters of the Shah’s son or communist groups, were considered radical and fringe groups. The recent elections brought accusations of flagrant abuse of the electoral system, which has led to a new wave of support for regime change from the Green movement, particularly from the youth. By supporting Ahmadinejad, in spite of allegations that he was not the electoral winner, the Islamic regime has lost a great deal of legitimacy, both within Iran and throughout the world. This event has cast a great deal of doubt on the regime as a whole, and now reform simply may not be enough to placate the Green movement. Many protesters shout the slogan “Death to the dictator.”

While regime change presents the best opportunity for a renewed attempt at Iranian democracy, it may not be possible, and certainly not without a great deal of violence. Right now, the international community has a responsibility to support Iranian opposition leaders and place strong pressure on the regime to make some serious reforms, beginning with a reversal of the government crackdown on the opposition. Interestingly enough, last week’s protests at the annual Quds Day (a day to express solidarity with the Palestinian people) rallies in Iran revealed a slight policy change, as the police were more lenient and less violent with protesters, in spite of warnings from the government that the opposition should not protest on this day. Unfortunately, the issue of regime change and Iran’s fear of a velvet revolution by the U.S. make it difficult for the international community to gain Iran’s acquiescence on other issues, in particular their stance on nuclear weapons. The Iranian government’s desire to maintain power makes the regime less willing to deal with the U.S. and the international community on issues of nuclear proliferation when the potential for international sponsored regime change remains.

What can we do?

At the micro level, individuals from around the globe must unite in support of a democratic Iran, complete with political rights and civil liberties. People have the power of their voice and an unprecedented opportunity to network with international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to initiate a grassroots movement to encourage democracy in Iran. An opposition movement already exists in Iran, and the young people in particular are rallying for regime change. Rather than support from world governments, which could exacerbate the nuclear proliferation situation, NGOs are perfectly situated to provide global support to Iranian opposition movements and ensure that the Iranian government’s abuses and corruption remain in the public eye.

For governments and world leaders, exporting democracy to Iran must be placed in the context of other foreign policy goals. While government advocacy of regime change may further entrench the Iranian government, on issues of democracy as well as nuclear proliferation, world leaders do have the opportunity to use diplomacy and soft power to encourage reform within the Iranian regime. The governments of the world, particularly the U.S., must continue to pressure Iran for reform, as long as they are careful not to inflame hatred of the West and its power. Russia and China must join in multilateral sanctions against Iran. Russia hinted this week that it was now more willing to engage in sanctions; individuals and NGOs must continue to pressure China to do the same. In the face of strong multilateral sanctions, Iran is somewhat more likely to make at least some effort towards reform.

Iran is at an important precipice. We have seen the perils of exporting democracy by force. Now is the time to combine diplomatic reasoning with public pressure to encourage government reform and support the creation of a truly democratic system within Iran.