Analyst: West Underestimates Iran's Resilience
Patrick Henningsen, who traveled to Tehran to attend the funeral of martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei said recent developments in Iran have challenged long-standing Western narratives about the country, arguing that repeated messaging is necessary to counter years of propaganda.
Henningsen said propaganda is effective because it relies on repetition, adding that factual information must also be repeated consistently if it is to reach the public.
Referring to recent events in Iran, he said Western governments had predicted that the Iranian people would rise up and overthrow the government if the country's leadership were removed. However, he argued that this scenario did not materialize, saying the absence of such an uprising contradicted claims that Iranians were living under an oppressive dictatorship.
According to Henningsen, the events demonstrated that Western governments had underestimated the resilience of the Iranian state, its political institutions, civil society, and social cohesion. He said this had become evident through continued public demonstrations expressing opposition to the war and support for the country's leadership.
Henningsen concluded that the developments had prompted broader international recognition that many prevailing assumptions about Iran had failed to reflect the realities on the ground.
Source: Press TV
