Welcome to 2026, which started off well. Monday was MTG Resignation Day; no, it’s not a national holiday (yet?), but it’s a great way to start the New Year. With her departure, Congress just got that much smarter, but the waters have only gotten choppier as Speaker Johnson’s majority continues to shrink due to unforeseen tragedies and retirements. But we digress. The departure of the AOC of the right from Washington is barley newsworthy next to the events that have taken place over the past week-and-a-half in Iran and Venezuela.

Protests Rock the Islamic Republic

The Iranian people have taken to the streets in droves to protest their government. The mass civil disobedience is rooted in the poor economic conditions and water crisis wrought by the Islamic Republic’s fixation with power and terror. For example, the Rial, Iran’s currency, has once again hit record lows while prices for core goods have skyrocketed.

As of Tuesday afternoon in Iran, the protests had spread to all but four of the Republic’s 31 provinces. The regime’s reaction to the shopkeepers, students, and average citizens taking to the streets has been predictably brutal.

Dozens have been killed, at least 1,500 people have been arrested, and Tehran’s barbarians have even sought fit to attack hospitals treating wounded protestors and then kidnapping the dissidents.

Everything is Connected

The other major piece of international news in recent days has been the American forced extradition of Venezuela’s criminal ex-President, and the country’s subsequently teetering on the brink of a coup d'état.

Ostensibly what happens in South America and what happens in the Middle East are not directly connected. However, Venezuela has been a longtime ally of Iran and Russia, and a central area of operations for Hezbollah’s illicit activities.

As the Action Fund’s Boris Zilberman noted in Monday’s SitRep:

The Trump administration has been nimble in its ability to deal with multiple complex international situations over the last year and act decisively.  Make no mistake, Venezuela is an important node in the global operations of Iran and its proxies, and a Caracas that drops this alliance ensures a safer Western Hemisphere.

Moreover, America’s action was bold – really bold – and people take notice of such. Further, the action in Venezuela took place just as President Trump was delivering a rather blunt message to Tehran concerning their gross mistreatment of the protestors.

And the leaders of the Islamic Republic appear to have taken notice, as they have both doubled-down on their the West is to blame for everything messaging, and there are reports of the Ayatollah ensuring his plan to fly to Moscow when the regime falls is ready to roll.

So, does that mean that we’re ready for a revolution? Maybe.

Overthrowing the Government 101

Analysts indicate that the current wave of protests is different from their predecessors. The protests have grown and have spread from economically oriented to politically oriented – basically, all politics remains local, and the protests are bearing that out.

Conversely, the people alone do not make up all the ingredients necessary for a revolution (usually). Odd as this may sound, in a manner of speaking, revolutions of this nature require partial government involvement.

Fissures must begin to appear in the security apparatus. The military cannot be fully united internally, and with its most extreme elements. Generals must defect or challenge political leadership’s orders. 

In addition, public relations is the fundamental battle ground. The regime in Tehran has already lost its legitimacy in the eyes of most Iranian people. But reported/perceived momentum as well as propaganda will directly impact the longevity of the protests. And they must be sustained in order to achieve the desired result. Revolutions are filled with memorable moments, but to come to fruition, they take time.

Thankfully, here in the U.S., if we don’t like how we’re led, we get to (peacefully) overthrow our government every 2-4 years. For example, four years from now the people of New York City, God willing, will have the opportunity to overthrow Mayor Zohran Mamdani – who wasted no time revoking protections for Jewish people in the city while tearing up the IHRA definition.

Don’t worry, we mention this because it’s new(ish) - while recognizing the novelty has already warn off. We won’t spend the next four years noting every single piece of rot the Mayor of the Big Apple brings to the once great city.  Neither will we bother you with every foolish, anti-conservative, anti-Christian, and antisemitic message that comes from the Woke Right.

But we will fight them, and we will defeat them because with God on our side, all we have to do is stand up, speak out, and be counted amongst the righteous.

Happy New Year,

The CUFI Action Fund Team