Israeli Attack Would Strengthen Iran's Clerical Counter-Revolution
Lessons of the Iran-Iraq War: Imperialist War, Mass Mobilisation, and the Counter-Revolution in Iran
Iran’s war with Iraq, which erupted in September 1980, initially ignited a powerful surge of mass mobilisation and support for the defence of the Iranian revolution against what was widely understood as an imperialist-backed invasion. Millions of toilers rallied to defend the gains of the revolution, demonstrating a profound commitment to resisting external aggression. This initial fervour undoubtedly provided a significant, albeit temporary, boost to the legitimacy of the clerical capitalist regime. However, the impact of the war on mass sentiment proved to be a double-edged sword.
While the masses were prepared to fight for the defence of their revolution against the external enemy, the regime simultaneously and strategically used the war as a cover to accelerate the counter-revolution and dismantle the independent organisations of the working class and oppressed peoples. This marked a crucial turning point where the defensive struggle was exploited to consolidate the power of the new bourgeois state under the leadership of the clergy. The regime systematically attacked and effectively destroyed grassroots movements, such as the workers' shoras (councils), which were described as the "heart of the revolution". Independent workers' organisations were suppressed and forced underground or dissolved, often under the pretext of wartime necessity. This brutal repression completed the counter-revolution during the war years.
Furthermore, the war was accompanied by a severe erosion of democratic rights and political freedoms. Censorship intensified, and the right to assembly and expression was curtailed. The regime also intensified its repression of oppressed nationalities, particularly the Kurds, often using military force even while supposedly fighting Iraq.
The economic consequences of the war, combined with the imperialist economic boycott, also contributed to growing hardship among the masses. The war became an "excuse for capitalist enrichment combined with an austerity drive aimed at the workers and peasants". Failed populist economic policies and the drain of resources fuelled discontent.
Therefore, the war did not simply shift the masses towards or away from the regime in a monolithic sense. It produced a complex situation where the anti-imperialist sentiment galvanised support for the defensive struggle, but the regime's simultaneous use of the war for internal repression, the dismantling of independent class organisations, and the imposition of capitalist austerity led to profound disillusionment with the clerical capitalist regime itself. Support for the necessary defence against external attack coexisted with deep-seated opposition to the regime's counter-revolutionary project.
Lessons for today
The Militant, the newsweekly which reflects the views of the mis-named Socialist Workers’ Party in the US, has issued a gruesome call: "Working people everywhere should support Israel if it undertakes targeted strikes to destroy Tehran’s nuclear weapons capacity." The SWP, which left the Fourth International in the 1980s, has been on a meandering journey from Castroism arriving, in 2021, at Zionism. Let’s consider the potential impact of Israeli military strikes against Iran's energy and military infrastructure. A Trotskyist analysis provides a clear framework for understanding the likely reaction. Israel is a key component of US imperialism and a central pillar of reaction in the Middle East. Military actions against Iran by such a force would be widely perceived as imperialist attacks, akin to the Iraqi invasion in the view of the masses.
Historical examples illustrate that actions by US imperialism and its allies in the region have consistently inflamed anti-imperialist and anti-Zionist sentiment among the masses. Events like the invasion of Lebanon were seen to stir "rage and hatred" and lead to a "new crescendo" of struggle against imperialism and Zionism across the Middle East. Threats from US imperialism and opposition to Iran's national projects, such as the nuclear programme, have previously stirred nationalist sentiments within Iran.
Based on these dynamics, significant military strikes by the Israeli "Zionist entity" would almost certainly sharpen anti-imperialist and anti-Zionist consciousness among the Iranian masses and throughout the region. Such an external attack, perceived as an act of imperialist aggression, could also lead to nationalist rallying against the external enemy. This might temporarily give the clerical regime an opportunity to present itself as the defender of national sovereignty, potentially garnering some level of support against the perceived foreign aggressor, similar to the initial reaction to the Iraqi invasion and US threats.
Even so, this potential rallying effect would occur against the backdrop of the deep and persistent disillusionment caused by the regime's decades of repression, economic mismanagement, and its counter-revolutionary actions which dismantled the mass organisations during and after the Iran-Iraq War. While the external threat might create a temporary, defensive unity against imperialism and Zionism, it cannot erase the masses' awareness of the regime's true class nature and its fundamental opposition to their interests and democratic aspirations. The struggle against imperialism is intrinsically linked with the struggle against the internal capitalist regime, and external attacks, while generating outrage against imperialism, do not resolve this internal class contradiction. The balance between temporary nationalist rallying and existing profound discontent with the regime's oppression and capitalist policies would determine the overall impact on support for the clerical state.
Recommended Sources for Further Study:
To deepen understanding of this complex historical period and its implications, two particularly insightful sources are:
"Iran Workers Must Make Revolution Permanent" (Articles from Workers Power): This compilation provides a vivid, on-the-ground account of the revolution's early years, the rise of the clerical regime, the onset of the war, and the immediate impact on the working class and their organisations. It details the strategic use of the war by the regime to crush internal opposition and highlights the counter-revolutionary turn.
"Draft Resolution on the Iranian Revolution" (by Saber, HKS, Iran): This document offers a later analysis, reflecting on the lessons of the revolution and the war. It explicitly discusses the victory of the counter-revolution, the defeat of the mass movement, and the political context years after the war's beginning, providing a crucial overview of how the regime consolidated its power during this period.