Iran: Cultural Values, Self images and Negotiation Behavior

Abstractrealism – a predilection towards “playing by ear” and keeping options open with andability to juggle options and keep them all in the air. Many of these traits arepopularly associated with the stereotype of the bazaar merchant (bazaari). On theother hand, the popular bazaari stereotype is replete with negative characteristics. Heis seen as a wheeler-dealer, one capable of selling ice to the Eskimos. He prefersshort-term profit to long-term advantages and confidence building; he is calculating,greedy, opportunistic, double-faced, dishonest, and manipulative and easily takesbribes (aptly called pour-cent or raant in modern Iranian Persian). Self-criticalIranians tend to ascribe these traits as well to “national characteristics”.At the same time, Iranian society is, at its roots, religious with widespreadacceptance of popular superstition. Iranians today tend to characterize themselves ashighly spiritual (rohani), in contrast to the materialistic West and Arab world. Iranian“Reformists” are not secular, and do not call for a total separation of religion andState. Even the Shah – despite the present regime’s propaganda – was a believingShiite Muslim. This popular religiosity, however, stands in stark contrast to the lowesteem in which Iranians hold their clergy and the extremely negative Persianstereotypes of the Mullah as corrupt, hypocritical, avaricious, lascivious,argumentative, and unscrupulous – a person who exploits religion for the sake of hisown interests. These stereotypes are ingrained in Iranian lore for centuries and are notthe consequence of disenchantment from the present regime.Both the “bazaar ethos” and the Shiite religious narrative of an oppressedminority are called upon to justify pragmatism. Shiite Islam provides defensemechanisms for survival: passive acceptance of political situations, dissimulation(ketman, taqiya) regarding their religious identity in order to stave off oppression,religious and cultural syncretism, and allowing for the absorption of non-indigenouspractice, and – most important – ijtihad, the right of senior scholars to makeinnovative strategic religious decisions based on their own interpretation of the Koran,and not on legal precedent alone (as in Sunnite Islam). Consequently, heroic suicidaldogmatism is not a characteristic of Iranian political culture. Iran, as a nation, hasresponded to most threats in a pragmatic way, railing against the lack of justice in theway that stronger powers take advantage of their superior strength, but reactingaccording to a sober reading of the situation.Iranian negotiation techniques reflect many of the cultural traits noted above.Iranian negotiators are methodical and have demonstrated a high level of preparationsand a detailed and legalistic attitude. On the other hand, their communication tends tobe extremely high-context; ambiguous, allusive and indirect not only in the choiceof words utilized, but in the dependence of the interpretation of the message on thecontext in which it is transmitted: non-verbal clues, staging and setting of the act ofcommunication, and the choice of the bearer of the message. Procrastination isanother key characteristic of Iranian negotiation techniques. This stands in sharpcontrast to American style communication (Get to the point/Where's the beef?/ time ismoney!) which places a high value on using lowest common denominator language inorder to ensure maximum and effective mutual understanding of the respective intentsof both sides. This tendency has been explained by an aversion to an assumption thatthe longer the negotiations last, the greater a chance that things can change in hisfavor and an intrinsic Shiite belief in the virtue of patience.iii