Irish Examiner view: Russia and Iran leaders have failed

Growing protests

Members of the Iranian community and their supporters rally in solidarity with protesters in Iran.

Repressive regimes, ultimately, tend to collapse when they can no longer persuade the people under their control that what is being done in their names is acceptable or popular.

Those regimes in existence Russia and Iran are currently in a situation where their policies — on widely varied fronts — are neither acceptable nor popular, and the ongoing protests in both countries reflect the widespread dissatisfaction of their respective peoples.