Why did the Iranian regime struggle to deal with recent political violence in Tehran? Why did the Chinese government quickly contain ethnic unrest in Urumqi?
There seem to be at least three crucial differences: planning, policing, and the use of force.
Planning
The Iranian regime was caught napping. It was thrown off-balance by the passionate and violent popular reaction to the election results. Shaken, the regime struggled to reassert its authority and took several weeks to restore order.
In Urumqi, the Chinese authorities responded quickly and decisively to the riots. The way that the Chinese reacted suggests thorough contingency planning for unrest, not just in Xianjiang but for other restive regions in China.
Policing
Chinese policing in Urumqi was smart, restrained and disciplined. Reporting from Urumqi, Peter Foster commented that last Tuesday the Han mobs "were allowed to go round and round in circles, exhausting themselves in the hot sun while never actually being allowed to reach the objects of their anger". The police aimed to contain unrest quickly, using minimum force, while separating Uighur and Han rioters and safeguarding the innocent and their property.
By contrast, Iranian police and paramilitaries looked inept, ill-disciplined and unorganized. Many operated like gangland thugs - the militiamen on motor-bikes, for instance. Meting out punishment and seeking revenge, not restoring order, appeared to be the priority.
Use of force
In Tehran, the regime's initial response was hesitant. It didn't have enough troops on the streets to stamp out unrest. This may have emboldened protestors and exacerbated the scale of the unrest.
The Chinese delivered a swift and overwhelming show of force. Photographs showed massed phalanxes of well-equipped Chinese riot police and paramilitary troops, backed by armoured trucks and helicopters, facing down Uighur and Han rioters. Even as the violence abated, the authorities flew in large numbers of reinforcements, to saturate the city with police and troops and prevent flare-ups of violence.
Photo: rioting in Tehran, .faramaz
