____________________________________________ 11 IICC Perspectives It is hard to say that all Iranians are grandmasters of chess, but it’s equally hard to ignore the manipulative skill of current Iranian leaders to think three steps ahead and act patiently, inch by inch, until achieving their goals. Poverty and survival Concepts of poverty in Iran are not the same as those in Western society, making it hard for Westerners to understand how Iran functions with 45% inflation, 35% unemployment, prostitution, poverty, millions addicted to hard drugs, corruption and a crumbling economy that experts in Iran and abroad define as beyond repair. A working-class Iranian will always say, “What do I really need? A flatbread with cheese and a cup of tea.” It was no surprise, then, that Iran’s minister of welfare seriously proposed to the Majlis to stop referencing Western poverty percentages and instead move to Iranian standards and definitions. Duality is the name of the game There is no fundamental contradiction in acting as though you agree with the person you’re speaking to while doing the exact opposite. Even an opponent of the regime, as much as he acts against it, will almost always maintain direct or indirect channels of communication with it. He sees no contradiction, believing it might serve him one day. A nation which builds two air forces, two navies and duplicates nearly every branch of government tells you more about its character than any other testimony. National committees investigating other national committees are common in Iran. Every other sentence begins with gourban shouma ”I will sacrifice myself for you”. Don’t take it seriously, he has no intention of sacrificing himself for you. The Iranian regime is a reflection of the national character. It is not a democracy, a dictatorship, a totalitarian or communist regime, or a monarchy, but a mixture of them all. Power is divided among military elites who compete with each other in a delicate balance dictated by religious decrees, but also by political and governmental laws, personal connections and bureaucratic dictates. There are so many centers of power that it is extremely difficult to determine in whose hands authority is concentrated and to what extent it can be exercised. It is unclear which of the many overlapping authorities represents the regime’s policy. The system is structured in such a way that no one can ever gain absolute control. A Tehran lawyer, when asked who ruled Iran, replied, “Everyone and no one".
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