Observers who focus too much on elections have failed to grasp the maturation of Iranian civil society, even as hard-liners have come to dominate the government. The birth of a civil rights movement in Iran is a ray of hope in a region beset by difficulties, and the most promising response to the new totalitarian threat that is endangering the world’s stability. Democratic governments around the world should realize that supporting this movement is not only the right thing to do, but is an urgent national-security imperative for themselves and their peoples.