James Davis, a UW–Madison professor emeritus who studies Iranian politics, said speculation about regime change overlooks key political realities inside Iran.
“Coming back to the present, at this time, there is no recognized opposition movement. There is no recognized leader,” Davis said. “So, if the current regime were to collapse, what would take its place? At this time, we have no idea. I don’t know. The U.S. government doesn’t know. The CIA doesn’t know. Nobody knows.”