- Prof. Gerald M. Steinberg
- February 3, 2020
- Paper No. 1434
The display of fundamental incompetence, followed by denial and a cover-up, that accompanied the recent shooting down of a Ukrainian passenger airliner by Iran are reminiscent of the Soviet Unionโs reaction to the explosion and fire at the Chernobyl nuclear plant in 1986โa response that marked the beginning of the end of the USSR. The Tehran regimeโs combination of ineptness and self-protective lying similarly triggered an unprecedented voicing of criticism by Iranian citizens, suggesting that popular rage is overcoming fear of regime violence and repression.