- 📣 My new article on Iran’s latest unrest for @phenomenalworld.bsky.social www.phenomenalworld.org/analysis/ira... Iran has witnessed another wave of unrest beginning on 28 December—the fourth major uprising since 2017. (1/5)
- Over the next three weeks, the turmoil only seemed to escalate: an internet blackout, a mounting death toll, apparent penetration of the protests by Mossad, threats of bombing and regime change from Washington. (2/5)Jan 22, 2026 13:38
- And then, in a matter of days, the momentum ebbed away, and the government appeared to regain control. Yet the crackdown has done nothing to address the origins of the upheaval, which lie in the country’s political economy and social structure. (3/5)
- These have been reshaped, in recent decades, by two primary forces: the neoliberalization of the state since the early 1990s, and the dramatic expansion of international sanctions since 2012. The result is a simmering crisis of legitimacy, which now routinely erupts into the open. (4/5)
- In this article, I examine how profound political-economic transformations created the context for the events of this month and interrogate their meaning for the future of the Iranian regime. Roiled from within and menaced from without, what are its chances of survival? (5/5)
- Many thanks to Maya Adereth, Oliver Eagleton, and Andrew Elrod for their comments and excellent editing.
- The article draws on my book "Capitalism in Contemporary Iran", now available in paperback from @manchesterup.bsky.social and included in its January Sale through its website (40% off automatically applied at checkout until January 31; use JAN40 in North America).
