Just as the cornerstone of the GOP is a bargain between the Reactionaries and the PBPs, the basis of government in Iran is a deal between the security forces, which get money and privileges, and the mullahs, who get protection from an angry public. Many commentators think the current theocracy has run its course and will be replaced at some point by a nationalist dictatorship run by the Revolutionary Guards. Is that inevitable?
No, because the theocracy provides a rationale for the Guards’ power and privileges. If they don’t come from either God or the public, why should they exist?