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Fragmented Power in Tehran

Fragmented Power in Tehran
The skyline of Tehran, Iran, in a file photo. A O/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images
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Commentary

The Islamic Republic of Iran has long cultivated the image of an ideologically unified and stable regime. Yet beneath this curated facade lies a brittle and fragmented power structure, increasingly marked by infighting, declining legitimacy, and a deepening disconnect with the Iranian people. According to Dr. Mehdi Motaharnia, a leading political scientist and futurist at Tehran University, the Islamic Republic has entered a critical phase of systemic erosion—one that mirrors, in key ways, the Soviet Union’s final years.

Fariba Parsa
Fariba Parsa
Author
Dr. Fariba Parsa is the founder and president of Women's E-Learning in Leadership (WELL), a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering women in Iran and Afghanistan through online leadership education and training. Dr. Parsa holds a doctorate in social science, specializing in Iranian politics with a focus on political Islam, democracy, and human rights. She is the author of “Fighting for Change in Iran: The Women, Life, Freedom Philosophy against Political Islam.”
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