Although parts of the Iranian government, even at the highest ranks (for example Hashemi Rafsanjani, chairman of the Assembly of Exports and head of the Expediency Discernment Council) is favorable to opening a dialogue with the US. They are also hesitant and appear perplexed by one troubling question: would establishing relations with the US provide an opportunity to the pro-Western elements – as they are called by the government – to rise and possibly challenge their authority? American culture has benefited from an unprecedented level of capital and technology during the globalization process. Part of this culture, such as pop and rock music, Hollywood and clothing brands such as Gap, is seeping into Iranian society. Numerous Persian satellite television stations broadcast Hollywood movies, fashion and relations between young men and women, which are symbols of moral corruption in the eyes of the ruling power and its traditional religious supporters. But they are seen as symbols of freedom and modernity in the minds of a sizable and undeniable section of urban Iranian society.
