Another Velvet Revolution Implications of the 1989 Czech Velvet Revolution on Iran
Abstract
In a recent Washington Times article, retired Air Force officer, Lt. Gen. Thomas McInerney, provided commentary on potential US military courses of action to counter Iranian nuclear advances. The editorial published on 3 August 2010, quoted the General as statingIt will be primarily an air attack with covert work to start a velvet revolution so [the] Iranian people can take back their country. This thesis paper is presented in response to that statement and to examine the validity of the premise. It is intended to provide critical analysis of the two part hypothesis inferred by Lt. Gen. McInerney in his statement. He assumes that the preponderance of Iranian people want change and are willing to take back their country to make it happen. He also implies that US influence through air attacks and covert operations could set the conditions for a "velvet" revolution to take place. Accordingly, the thesis investigation will examine the state of affairs (political, social, cultural, economic, etc) in present day Iran to determine if a velvet revolution is indeed conceivable and what conditions must exist to promote it. In order to accomplish this task, the thesis will begin by defining the term velvet revolution in relation to the Czechoslovakia Velvet Revolution of 1989.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2011
- Accession Number
- AD1019375
Entities
People
- Christopher M. Valeriano
Organizations
- Air University