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Source: https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/in-iran-survival-isnt-victory/
In Iran, Survival Isn't Victory
(Times of Israel) Martin Kramer - No one knows how the current Iran war will end, but whoever leads the regime will declare victory for Iran, regardless of how much damage the U.S. and Israel inflict. Iran has not experienced a military victory against a foreign enemy since the 18th century. As a result, its leaders are skilled at presenting defeats as draws, and draws (like the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s) as victories. This is a coping strategy that allows Iran to preserve some dignity as the inheritor of past empires, which once thrived on legendary military triumphs and territorial conquests. A self-soothing narrative hides from Iranians the simple truth that Iran isn't a global power. It's not even the leading power in the Middle East. It's too poor, corrupt, mismanaged, and divided to enjoy such a high status, no matter how much the regime tries to rally Iran's people into sacrifices. It's now being said that if the regime remains in power, it's somehow a triumph. "To survive would count as victory for Iran's regime," announces the Economist. But survival isn't victory unless it's accompanied by a strategic gain that outweighs military losses. Since 1979, the Islamic Republic has aimed for Iran's dominance of the Persian Gulf and the broader Middle East through ambitious weapons programs and support for proxies across the region. Survival is a poor substitute for losing all that, and most of it is already gone. The writer is a historian of the Middle East at Tel Aviv University and a fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy.