Crisismanship under the Most Severe Sanctions: Lessons Learned from the Iranian Government’s Responses to the COVID-19

ABSTRACT The study of how governments deal with the Coronavirus disease-2020 (COVID-19) crisis is becoming a major research stream worldwide. This article contends that the Crisismanship process or system in countries dealing with and controlling this deadly phenomenon should be studied more seriously and more systematically using the novel concept or theory of “surprise management” and “sound governance”. The COVID-19 Crisismanship is offered as a theoretical and conceptual model that refers to a “systematic and dynamic process of the interplay of the three pillars of crisis governance, crisis public administration, and crisis operational activities at the time of a crisis, both vertically and horizontally, with potential overlaps“ as applied to the fight against COVID-19 in Iran. 1 The tireless proactive as well as reactive efforts of Iranian medical scientists and pharmaceutical institutions have resulted in the production of several effective Vaccines as well as treatment drugs in the fight against the Coronavirus. These treatment drugs and vaccines will be used for not only Iran’s population but also supplied to many other countries in the region, Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Nevertheless, the article makes no claim of an Iran’s perfect or complete success in controlling or defeating COVID-19, as no one can. Iran has lost over 50,000 lives with over one million infected. Yet, the article does suggest that lessons learned from the Iranian government’s responses to the COVID-19 may help other countries in a fight against similar pandemic crises in the future.