As an Iranian, I don&#x27;t see it as clear-cut.<p>1. Climate change is accelerating and changing geopolitics of the region faster. Iran’s power and influence has been continuously decreasing in past 2500 years as the Iranian Plateau has got drier. As an example, Iran’s population centers have been moving north as time goes on.
2. Do not ignore role of management and human resources in power and development. In past 40 years Iranians have been making big management and strategic mistakes. Mistakes that engaged them in an eight year war with their neighbor — Iraq, put their interests at adds with world’s largest economic and military power — the United States, and now fighting a cold war with the majority Sunni in the middle east. What do all these have in common?