Bribery or Theft?

It takes two to tango--and to bribe.  One person must offer a bribe and another must accept one.  Philosophers and the less lofty have argued that all have an obligation not to offer bribes just as none should accept bribes.  But what if the offer isn't really an offer?

I am reading Jared Cohen's Children of Jihad, a fascinating and entertaining book about his time getting to know the youth of the Muslim world.  When he is attempting to leave the airport in Tehran, a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps detains him and won't let him leave the country without a $1000 bribe.  This would strike me far more as theft than as bribery.  The guard is saying, "Pay me or else... ."  In a mugging, the thief says, "Pay me or else I'll stab you."  That being said, in an earlier post I mentioned the Indian example of bribing to expedite a passport process (a process that might not be possible at all without some grease on the wheel).  But most would consider this a bribe rather than a theft.  Would the same be true in Jared's example?  Because I feel like he was literally robbed.  And frankly, I would be comfortable saying that one trying to get a passport is robbed as well.

A bribe is when something of value is OFFERED not EXTORTED.  A gray area might be getting out of a troublesome ticket.  Or even grayer might be a situation where a company is told that they will have no chance at winning a certain contract without a transfer of cash under the table.

Thoughts?

Enough of this gray area.  Here is some more from Malaysia!