From: punditster@gmail.com   
      
   On 1/7/2026 12:01 PM, Julian wrote:   
   > Iran is dominated by a mercantile political economy hostile to   
   > institutional development and long-term investment.   
   >   
   >   
   > The worsening economic crisis in Iran reflects a deeper malaise in the   
   > structure of the political economy of the country. Defined by a   
   > ‘mercantile mentality’, Iran’s economy is shaped by short-termism,   
   > opaqueness and a lack of accountability that determines, and is itself   
   > defined by, the absence of the rule of law. Such a mentality does not   
   > preclude industry, but it does define the way it is managed, with   
   > widespread inefficiency and corruption acting as a deterrent to any form   
   > of private investment. This failure to think strategically is most   
   > explicitly and catastrophically witnessed in the state’s environmental   
   > and water management. The Islamic Republic of Iran has a political   
   > economy defined by the ceaseless extraction of wealth, with a system of   
   > governance that is defined by it and reinforces it: it is the extractive   
   > state par excellence...   
   >   
   > https://engelsbergideas.com/essays/the-deep-roots-of-irans-economic-crisis/   
    >   
   "Tonight is the most important night in Iran since the 1979 catastrophe.   
      
   It will decide whether the uprising fails due to the sheer oppression,   
   or whether the people can push forward towards victory.   
      
   But we won't know yet, because the regime has cut Iran off from the   
   world." - ð��   
   ð��¢ð��¨ð��¡ ð���ð��žð��«ð�� , X   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)