Collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime and manifest defeat of the Revolutionary Guard’s strategy in Syria have exposed the organization to public critique in Iran. While still short of demanding accountability, reformist politicians are openly calling for civilian control over the military, and civilian supremacy in national security decision-making. There is, however, no indication that the Revolutionary Guard leadership is willing to voluntarily subject itself to civilian control or give up its decisive influence over national security decision-making. On the contrary, as evident on the front page of Revolutionary Guard mouthpiece Javan newspaper, the Guard is likely to use the Judiciary to prosecute and terrorize critics.
