On July 4, 1776, 236 years ago, Americans declared that they no longer would be ruled by others, and the Revolutionary War began.

Just a few days ago, Egyptians celebrated their newfound freedom and inaugurated their new president. In Syria, there are growing signs that the end of the reign of Bashar Assad is almost in sight.

In all of these cases, people stood up for freedom, defying all odds, and generated the momentum that inevitably leads to victory.

A similar situation is building up among the Iranian people – inside and outside their homeland. The same attitude will bring the same result. The only question is: When?

Six months after the Declaration of Independence was signed, Thomas Paine wrote: “These are the times that try men’s souls; the summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.”

Just two days later, George Washington’s troops crossed the Delaware River for a surprise attack on the enemy in Trenton, N.J., and it was a resounding success.

No surprise military victories are in sight in Iran. But they aren’t needed, as the Arab Spring has shown. People power can overcome all odds, and the Iranian Resistance is abundant in people power.

Even on the streets of Tehran and other Iranian cities, citizens are defying the mullahs’ oppressive regime to voice their opposition to rigged elections, oppression and a deteriorating economy. Outside Paris last month, more than 100,000 Iranians who live in freedom, plus hundreds of supporters from around the world, gathered to demand freedom for their brethren inside their country.

Their expectations from the rest of the world – and especially the United States – are quite simple.

Continue reading in The Washington Times