The Iran You Don't See: The Regime, the People, and What America Gets Wrong
The Steady State Sentinel by The Steady State
Episode notes
A 22-year veteran of the CIA and Iran specialist on why the regime survives, the MOU disaster, the lessons of Iraq, and the history and humanity of Iranians.
Host Jim Lawler sits down with his former CIA colleague Mark Fowler, a decorated case officer and one of the most experienced Iran operations officers of his generation. Fowler explains what makes Iran such a uniquely demanding target — not because Iranians are hard to recruit, but because the U.S. has no presence inside the country.
He shares why the regime has survived for 45 years: improving education and infrastructure, using the internet as a safety valve, and brutally crushing protest leadership. He reflects on the lessons of the Iraq Weapons of mass destruction (WMD) failure, warning against mirror imaging. He offers a devastating critique of the ...