Ahmadinejad between looming sanctions, clientelism and populism
The IAEA report on Tehran's nuclear programme is due today; this may be the only subject about which all Iranian society agrees. Seizing power with the backing of militias and Guardians of the Revolution, the current president is looking after his clerico-military clientele. His true power lies in Islamic and anti-western rhetoric. Women can now go to stadiums but they cannot walk their dogs.
