Can an outside power actually control who leads another country after a war? #infopods #newsextra
Welcome to the Politica UK InfoPod. One of the biggest questions emerging from the current conflict with Iran is not simply how the war ends militarily, but what happens politically afterwards. In particular, some supporters of Donald Trump have suggested that the war could ultimately lead to a change of leadership in Iran. That raises a fundamental question in international politics: can an outside power actually control who leads another country after a war? History suggests the answer is rarely straightforward. The Iranian political system is complex and deeply rooted. Since the 1979 revolution, the country has been governed by a system that blends republican institutions with religious authority. At the top of that structure sits the Supreme Leader, currently Ali Khamenei , alongside an elected president, parliament, and a powerful network of clerical institutions and security forces. Removing or weakening parts of that system through military action does not necessarily determin...