The Crisis of the Islamic Revolution: 1979–2009–2026

On April 9th, 2026 at the Northwestern University, the Platypus Affiliated Society hosted a panel titled "The Crisis of the Islamic Revolution" as a panel at its 18th International Convention. Description: The recent protests against the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) recall the Green Movement in 2009, when election results provoked an immediate and nationwide outbreak of popular demonstrations. At the time, the Left hailed this social upheaval as a progressive democratic movement with revolutionary implications. While President Obama offered direct negotiations with Tehran, Trump’s current war on Iran presents the possibility of dealing a final blow to the IRI. But what would take its place? Maybe all that will be destroyed is the “republic” and not its Islamist politics, resulting in a rule of the mullahs without the accoutrements of “democracy.” With the present crisis in Iran and its grim outlook we pay the price for the historical failures of the Left, going back at least to the period of the 1960s–70s New Left of which the Islamic Revolution was a product. What lessons should the Left take from its role in the 1979 Revolution in Iran? What was the Left's role in the Green Movement? What opportunities did the Green Movement present for the Left? What would the end of the Islamic Republic of Iran mean for the Left today? How is the trajectory of the Islamic Republic a part of a larger political history that extends beyond Iran? What does it tell us about the history of the Left in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries? Speakers Chris Cutrone (Platypus Affiliated Society) Mateo Farzaneh (Northeastern Illinois University) Tirdad Kiamanesh (Northwestern University) Grayson Walker (American Communist Party) Moderator: Ed Remus ___________________________________ Curious to learn more about Platypus? E-mail [email protected] to be connected with a chapter in your area. The Platypus Affiliated Society organizes reading groups, public fora, research, and journalism focused on problems and tasks inherited from the "Old" (1920s-30s), "New" (1960s-70s), and post-political (1980s-90s) Left, for the possibilities of emancipatory politics today. http://www.platypus1917.org