I’ve been until a couple days ago in Najaf and offline, but with everything going on in Iran and increasing hope among commentators and analysts that events in Iran may lead to the Islamic Republic’s collapse, this article from 2006 comparing Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution with more recent unrest may be worth a second read. Here.

And, with regard to the impact of technology on the movement, here’s some background from MESH.

In Najaf, I had meetings in the houzeh with one grand ayatollah and senior representatives from two of the three other grand ayatollahs resident there. The events in Iran were followed closely, but more on that later.