"One of the U.S. government's recurring mistakes about Iran has been to conflate the country's national interests with regime interests. The two are in many ways opposites."
"What benefits the Iranian people-global economic reintegration, diplomatic recognition, investment, normalcy-threatens a regime that operates an extensive mafia and thrives in isolation."
"This is the Islamic Republic's survival paradox: What makes the regime thrive makes the nation suffer, and what would allow the nation to thrive threatens the regime's survival."
"Trump is a president with no fixed foreign-policy principles, facing a regime led by men so loyal to the ideals of the 1979 revolution that they call themselves 'principlists.'"
The U.S. government often confuses Iran's national interests with those of its regime, which are fundamentally opposed. While global economic reintegration and diplomatic recognition would benefit the Iranian people, they threaten a regime that thrives on isolation and chaos. This paradox means that U.S. policies intended to pressure the regime often harm the nation. The Iranian regime's ideology of resistance and chaos ensures its survival, while Trump's inconsistent foreign policy complicates relations. The regime's commitment to revolutionary ideals prevents national advancement, creating a cycle of conflict and stagnation.
Read at The Atlantic
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