He does not have the independent political base for a determined challenge to conservatives and, despite his evident intellectual gifts, he appears to lack the political will to confront his opponents. Iran appears to be on the eve of another period in which change is slowed down. Must-do This urgency is evident in at least three respects. The first is the economy. The Iranian economy is stagnating, inflation remains high, unemployment is widespread.
Foreign investors are reluctant to invest in the country.
Until and unless decisive action is taken to reform the economy, and to create favourable legal and political conditions for investment, by Iranian and foreign investors, this stagnation will continue. The second is the relation of state to society. The revolutionary regime, like that of the Shah, believes it knows what is best for the population. It continues to control society with an oppressive rhetoric about cultural aggression and foreign plots. The free press has been destroyed, women are subjected to discrimination, the universities are threatened by security forces.