From Seizing Power to Building a Citizen Society

Iran’s future is not only an internal question for Iranians. It is a regional issue with direct consequences for Israel, neighboring states, and the broader balance of the Middle East. That is why the real question is not simply how the Islamic Republic ends, but what kind of political and social order emerges afterward.

Much of today’s debate focuses on regime change. That is necessary, but not sufficient. History shows that movements can seize power without building stable societies. Iran’s challenge is not only to replace one ruling system with another, but to create the conditions for a durable civic order.

At the center of that order lies the concept of citizenship. Citizenship is more than legal status. It is the basis of a political community in which individuals are equal before the law, regardless of ethnicity, religion, ideology, or faction. In a diverse country like Iran, this is the only framework capable of holding the nation together after transition.

Iran has already lived through several major political........

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