The 60 Second Update with

Ilan Berman

5. There's growing evidence that the Iranian people are unhappy with their government. What, if anything, should the United States do to help them replace the current regime?

When it comes to assessing Iranian policy, we tend to view  Iran as a monolith. In fact, it is a country in the midst of a profound socio-economic transition. Half of its population of 70 million is 24 or younger, while the clerical regime that came to power nearly three decades ago is aging and increasingly unpopular. The future of Iran, in other words, lies not with the ayatollahs but with the country's young, vibrant and Westward-looking population. We have every interest in working with that constituency to bring to power a more pluralistic, humane and representative regime.

This, of course, requires a much greater American investment in programs that promote grassroots democracy within Iran, and more serious international attention to the regime's abysmal human rights record. Most important, though, is that the United States and its allies not make some sort of a "grand bargain" with the current regime. Doing so would give a new lease on life to Iran's ayatollahs, and sound a death knell for their democratic opposition.

 Question 1. Who is the Mahdi and why does he matter?