Thomas P.M. Barnett :: Weblog

FEATURE: "Iranian Business Fears the Worst: One big worry; The commercial elite will flee the country if Ahmadinejad stays in power," by Stanley Reed, BusinessWeek, 29 June 2009.

Key call-out quote:

If they can start witch hunts against people like Rafsanjani, then who is safe there," muses one Tehran businessman.

There is no faith in Ahmadinejad. As one former gov official (now investment banker) said: "I don't think this guy knows what he's going to do when he gets up in the morning."

Spread cheeks, insert head.

Now Iranian business can look forward to four more years of Ahmadinejad's stewardship and plenty more sanctions. Then there's lower oil prices and a current real estate bust. One Tehran observer notes: "Business is almost dead for everybody."

I say, let the Guards continue their magic. It can only get better from our perspective.