Iran: Cultural Values, Self images and Negotiation Behavior

IntroductionIran holds a unique place in the study of the modern Middle East: it is a non-Arabcountry, but deeply involved in the heart of the Arab world; after the removal ofSaddam Hussein and the “repentance” of Mu’amar Qaddafi, it remains the onlyovertly radical state in the region with a proclaimed ideological anti-Americanagenda; it is the sole Shiite regime and the active “exporter” of Islamic radicalism andterrorism, not only to Shiite, but also to Sunnite Islamic movements; and it is activelyinvolved in attempts to disrupt the Israeli-Arab peace process. Above all of these, Iranis worthy of special interest as a regional power capable of creating high levels oftension in the sensitive area of the Persian Gulf, and as a country with an advancedclandestine nuclear weapons program.Despite all the above, the interaction between Iran and the West (and indeed, mostof its neighbors, most of the time) is not through armed conflict, but throughprotracted negotiations and exhaustive bargaining. It is, therefore, worthwhile tounderstand the aspects of Iranian cultural behavior and mindset relevant to Iranianstyles of communication, bargaining, and negotiation.This study will attempt to depict elements of Iranian worldviews, its “nationalcharacter and psyche,” its cultural, linguistic, and social heritage, and the conditioningwhich Iranians and others deem to influence Iran’s interaction with the outside world.The building blocks for such a picture are the beliefs, mores, communicationconventions, social behavior, and interaction that the well acculturated and socializedIranian would perceive as “Iranian,” whereas other, contrasting behavior patternswould be seen by most compatriots as “foreign” and “non-Iranian.” This is not to saythat all of the elements perceived as Iranian are necessarily seen by all Iranians asproper, acceptable, or commendable methods of dealing with others. As in everycultural community with a degree of self-critique, cultural traits may be seen indifferent circles of the society as typical, but either positive or unbecoming. Thesetraits are referred to here both in the context of the behavior of Iranian society as awhole and of the individual Iranian when taking part in result-orientedcommunication: bargaining and negotiation. The detailed description of self-images,social and religious norms and mores, and cultural and mythological icons are meantto provide as comprehensive as possible a picture of culture-dependent characteristicsof Iranian negotiation and bargaining norms.Dealing with “national character” is academically controversial and calls for acaveat. Obviously, a study of this sort runs the risk of degenerating into a crasscultural generalization of a large ethnic group. The debate over the legitimacy ofattempts to identify national character or modal personality re-erupted recently in thewake of the American policies in Iraq and claims that studies of the “Arab Mind” hadinspired those policies. 1 In Iran, as in any cultural group, there are differencesbetween traditionalists and modernists, ideologically oriented people and pragmatic1 Specifically, criticism was leveled against Raphael Patai’s The Arab Mind, which, it is claimed, waswidely read by the senior echelons of the American military.1