First Thoughts on The Iranian Liberal Movement

Over the past few days, we have learned a great deal about the nature of our technologically-connected world. The most interesting lessons learned do not depend on whether the Iranian election was rigged, or who ends up as President of Iran. What is most remarkable is the way in which new structures of communication and cooperation were quickly developed over vast distances to empower the Iranian liberal movement.

In 1994 the Zapatista Army of National Liberation, or EZLN, declared war against the Mexican government and took up the cause of southern Mexico's poor indigenous people. What made their "mini-revolution" so notable was their use of the internet to gain international exposure and support for their cause. Millions of people worldwide learned of the plight of these poverty-stricken people, and a mass support movement emerged. The EZLN's cause was heralded as the first information age revolution. Since then, countless political movements from Amnesty International to al Qaeda have utilized the internet to connect globally. Looking at recent events in Iran, it seems the technologically-primitive EZLN model of information-age revolution has been taken to astounding new levels.

Fifteen years later, the Iranian liberal movement's explosion onto the world stage shows us how far we have progressed. Anyone with internet access can receive real-time updates from scores of Iranian students and activists, including photos and videos. Despite the Iranian government's ban on foreign journalists, virtually every rally and riot from Tehran to Tabriz is videotaped and documented from multiple perspectives. Every student in Iran with a cell phone, computer, or camera can easily disseminate information to millions of people all over the globe, in an instant. Supporters of the liberal cause are setting up proxies by the hundreds or thousands, so Iranians can circumvent government bans and continue to communicate with the outside world. Efforts by the Iranian government to isolate Tehran by excluding the media and shutting down phone systems largely failed due to the resilience and inventiveness of those supporting the Iranian opposition's cause.

According to most mainstream media experts, the unrest in Iran has little chance of truly challenging Ahmadinejad's hold on power. Pre-election polls showed that despite strong support for reform candidate Mir-Hussein Mousavi among urban residents and students, Ahmadinejad was more widely supported throughout the whole of Iran. You certainly wouldn't know this from the constant stream of news on twitter, which is decidedly anti-Ahmadinejad and often hyperbolic. Naturally, the tech-savvy, English-speaking students in Iran's cities dominate the narrative due to the silence of the rural, conservative supporters of Ahmadinejad. However, the movement has already exceeded all expectations in terms of size and intensity. The experts may very well be wrong.

What is most revolutionary about this convergence of technology and political action is that even if only a minority of Iranians really oppose Ahmadinejad, they have managed to set the world afire with their passionate and determined response to injustice. This whole phenomenon is no less remarkable -- and may actually be more remarkable -- if it is really the work of a well-connected minority of smart, resourceful Iranian students and urban liberals. There is no doubt that millions of Iranians have taken to the streets against Ahmadinejad, and that this unrest must be taken seriously. Whether it can challenge the very legitimacy of the Iranian government, on the other hand, is yet to be seen.