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Thanks for the post and the details. All the points you mention are very valid.

No, I have never spent any time in a communist country. My opinion is based on some readings, analysis and comparisons. But, I’m more familiar with and have more first hand knowledge of Iran.

“For a while I was certain that Iran theocracy will follow USSR, to its grave. However it didn't happen I was so shocked that it made me think. Finally I concluded that there are extremely important differences between Eastern Europe and Iran.”

It took 75 years for the USSR to fall, IRI has been in power for some 28 years and I don’t think it will stay in power as long as USSR did. And, yes, there are some key differences between Eastern Europe and Iran. In addition to the points you mentioned, the main ones are that of culture and history. Also, Islamism looks to manipulate and exploit the believers’ “faith”. That is, partly, why I think it will be much harder to defeat or even neutralize than communism. By Islamism I mean the political doctrine of Islam not those Muslims who choose to privately practice their faith. Of course, Islamism is not unique to Iran either.

'In addition to the points you mentioned, the main ones are that of culture and history'

I want only to say that the thing that really made me so preoccupied with Iran was the observation that societies with so different cultural baggage developed similar way to deal with insane bureaucratic systems. Although ideologies behind those systems were different.

If you have first hand experience of Iran you would probably appreciate something I called 'sausage syndrome'. Few months ago or something like that Iranian government organized. I anti-izreali really. In western press it was doom and gloom a lot of people with banners shouting slogans. A reporter from my country wrote more or less the same, but it didn't escape him that the day was sunny, people arrived with families and there were sausages given away. If not for the anti-izraeli stuff it might be a description of labor day parade [obligatory show of support for ruling party, that took place once a year], sausages sold at very low price were a very prominent feature of this event. Maybe I wouldn't have noticed, if not for the commentaries below that article. The sausages during the rally were the hit of the day.