Bijan Sees 2 Rival Blocs Shaping Middle East as 85% of Iranians Back Democratic Change
Updated
Updated · The Media Line · Aug 23
Bijan Sees 2 Rival Blocs Shaping Middle East as 85% of Iranians Back Democratic Change
3 articles · Updated · The Media Line · Aug 23
Summary
Dr. Pejman Bijan says the Middle East is being pulled between two competing futures, with Iran’s next chapter likely to determine which path prevails.
One vision centers on trade and normalization — the Abraham Accords, a democratic Iran, and the India-Middle East-Europe corridor linking India to Europe through the Gulf, Israel and the Mediterranean.
The rival path, he argues, is a Saudi-Pakistani-Turkish defense alignment that could entrench political Islam; he also casts Pakistan as closer to China and accuses Qatar of aiding radical Islamist currents.
Bijan says Iran’s system is a resilient hybrid regime, not one that falls with a single leader, with pragmatists and hard-liners still using a familiar negotiation-versus-confrontation dynamic to preserve it.
Citing what he calls Iran’s secular “golden generation,” Bijan says 85% of Iranians favor democratic change but warns another uprising will need credible outside backing.