Ali Rabiei: The protests were predictable, we didn’t pay attention.
Ali Rabiei, the former government spokesperson, questioned whether the protest events and mindsets formed overnight. Did all those in the streets and universities, showing an unconventional aspect of political behavior—from protest to changing behavior to violent overthrow—represent foreign-influenced or sudden psychological operations? Was the entire crowd showing solidarity from their windows all influenced by external factors?
A review of some scientific and journalistic articles, such as those from ISPA, some universities, the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, and even the national broadcaster, indicates that in all these surveys, changes in reference groups, people’s outlook towards the future, the level of hope, the declining slope of social capital, and the loss of trust in the government and institutions were not showing good statistics.
