If Iran's stale regime comes apart, and it will at some point, the entire country may follow. Few Americans are aware that Iran is in fact a multiethnic empire.  Native "proper" Farsi–speakers, located mostly in the middle of the country, account for only half the population, identical to the ratio of Russians within the USSR at the time of its dissolution.  Other Iranian peoples (Kurds, Lurs, Gilaks, Baluchis, and others); Turkic speakers (Azeris, Turkmen); and Arabs live on the nation's periphery and account for Iran's other half.  All of these groups have their own home provinces, or home regions across several provinces.  Azeris alone are as much as one fifth of Iran's total population, such that there may be far more Azeris in Iran than in neighboring Azerbaijan. While there has been some persification — Ayatollah Khamenei's father is said to have been of Azeri descent — most of the...(Read Full Post)