The Role of the Strategy of "Political Passivity" in Engineering Public Opinion of the Islamic Republic of Iran

The present study seeks to explain the strategy of "political passivity" in engineering the public opinion of societies by the opponents of a political system. Political passivity in the face of political action and participation means inactivity or effective response to challenges and crises, which can lead to a decrease in social participation and public trust. Therefore, the question of the present study is how can the strategy of political passivity be effective in changing and engineering public opinion in a society? The purpose of this paper is to provide an analytical framework to better understand political passivity and its effects on society so that these risks can be prevented by adopting effective measures. The present study uses a descriptive-analytical method that finally collects information through documentary and library methods and examines the issue from an analytical perspective.In fact, the findings of the present study seek to explain and draw how to use this strategy and then present a coping strategy of "political action" at three levels of governance, elites, and people. The consequences of political passivity in the governmental arena lead to a decrease in legitimacy and an increase in social dissatisfaction, in the elite arena it leads to a decrease in their acceptance and credibility, and at the popular level, it leads to an increase in public disappointment, distrust, and despair, which results in "divergence" in society. In the final part of the article, the strategies for dealing with political passivity for the government, the elites, and the people are presented. These include strengthening communication between the government and the people, informing the elites about the dangers of passivity, and encouraging the people to actively participate in the political processes and ultimately achieve the result of "convergence."