Podcast
In a Dubai Initiative Seminar on February 11, Gholam Reza Afkhami linked misperceptions around current U.S.-Iranian relations to misperceptions of the Iranian revolution thirty years before. Arguing that to understand Iran and how it engages with other countries, Dr. Afkhami stressed that an understanding of the Iranian constitution is crucial. Once misperceptions are shattered, the outside observer will stop asking why events in history such as the revolution happened, and start asking how. Yet in analyzing how the West observes Iran, he said the kinds of arguments made today “are the kinds of arguments made before the shah.”
The message was consistent as he touched upon other topics, ranging from Iranian relations with the broader Arab world to the ongoing turmoil in Gaza. In all cases, a deeper understanding and efforts to shatter misperceptions are crucial.