A woman holds a picture of Iran's newly-elected president Ebrahim Raisi as supporters celebrate his victory in Imam Hussein square in the capital Tehran on 19 June 2021.
At the root of Iran’s current economic malaise, political disarray, and foreign policy confrontations lie various approaches that are powerfully historical and therefore problematic to deconstruct. Three pervasive tendencies in its political culture are scapegoating, political tribalism, and an obsolete interpretation of national sovereignty. By Mahmood Sariolghalam
