Stolen revolution: Betrayal and hope in modern Iran

In 1979, a revolution in Iran swept aside a monarchy, fueled by the Iranian people’s dreams of social justice and political freedom. But in the years that followed, the movement’s leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and his acolytes instead built a system that served their narrow faction and significantly worsened the brutality and corruption that had existed under the previous government. Today, Iran is caught between crisis and hope.

In their new book “Stolen Revolution,” award-winning journalists Yeganeh Torbati and Bozorgmehr Sharafedin tell the entwined stories of six Iranians who, together, have lived the arc of modern Iranian history in all its bitter twists and enduring hopes.

On June 3, the Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings hosted authors Torbati and Sharafedin to discuss the personal narratives spotlighted in “Stolen Revolution” and reflect on how the events of modern Iranian history have led to the current moment. The discussion was moderated by Suzanne Maloney, Iran scholar and vice president and director of the Foreign Policy program at Brookings.