In this paper, the Iranian revolution of 1979 is compared to the French revolution of 1789 in its destabilizing effects—and in the need it created for a new balance of power. Each event set loose powerful shock waves that undermined the stability of neighboring states, and indeed, challenged their very legitimacy. Each inaugurated an era in which mobilization of the masses, through emotional, ideological, or religious appeals, had a transforming effect on their regions. Each introduced a revolutionary challenge to the prevailing balance in regional security. Each launched other revolutionary movements that, though they appeared to be competitors, were really aftershocks—the rise of Prussia was arguably such an event in Europe and the rise of al-Qaeda was certainly such an event in the Islamic Middle East. And each prompted what might be called “wars of containment”—attempts by the neighboring status quo powers to contain the revolutions’ disruptive impact outside their home borders. These comparisons are obviously not precise—the growth of the Prussian state and the emergence of al-Qaeda terrorism are radically different events. But each phenomenon was linked to the disruption of the status quo by a revolutionary power.