Iran

  1. INTRODUCTION
  2. “This is the voice of the Iran, the voice of the true Iran, the voice of the Islamic Revolution.” This announcement came on after the coup d’état that deposed Muhammad Reza Shah.
  3. Coup d’état: sudden illegal seizure of power from the government
  4. Theocracy: a government ruled by religion
  5. Secularization: the belief that religion and government should be separated.
  6. Iran is the 2nd largest oil producer in the Middle East and 4th largest in the world.
  7. SOVEREIGHNTY, AUTHORITY AND POWER
  8. Legitimacy in the Modern state
  9. Authoritarian leaders played an important role in the 20th century as the Pahlavi Shah’s (King of Kings) ruled from 1925-1979. Their leader was Ayatollah Khomeini, who personified the union of political and religious interests form ancient days.
  10. Ayatollah Khomeini led the Revolutionof 1979.
  11. The constitution of 1979 is the most important document that legitimizes the state today, along with the amendments of 1989.
  12. Jurists Guardianship: A post Age-of-Occultation theory in Shi’a Islam which holds that Islam gives a faqih (fah-kee) custodianship or guardianship over those in need of it.
  13. During the presidency of Muhammad Khatami (1997-2005), reformers who supported a democratic government came to the forefront, but with the election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2005, the conservatives who endorsed a theocracy took control.
  14. After the election in 2005, the rift between these two forces, conservatives and reformers, have illustrated the issue of just how a theocracy might also function as a democracy.
  15. Differences among clerics in the seminaries of Qom through their interpretations of the true meaning of Jurists guardianship.
  16. Political Culture
  17. Authoritarianism but not totalitarianism
  18. Authoritarianism: form of government characterized by strong central power and limited political freedoms.
  19. Totalitarianism: a political system where the state recognizes no limits to its authority and strives to regulate every aspect of public and private life wherever feasible.
  20. The Safavids ruled from 1501-1722 and converted Iranians to Shiism.
  21. Almost 90% of Iranians today are Shiite
  22. Revolution of Iran focused on religions whereas the revolution in Russia and China are focused around communism.
  23. In Iran, dominant ideology was Shiism, and the most important revolutionary leader was a cleric who, in turn, ruled Iran for 10 years following the revolution.
  24. POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CHANGE
  25. The Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini defended Islamic fundamentalism (he emphasized literal interpretation of Islamic texts, social conservatism, and political traditionalism) and also articulates resentments toward the elite and the US.
  26. Revolution Begins
  27. Oil prices decreased by about 10% in the late 1970’s at the same time that consumer prices increased about 20% in Iran.
  28. The US put pressure on the Shah to loosen his restraints on the opposition.
  29. In late April 1979, a national referendum was held and the Iranian people voted out the monarchy and established the Islamic Republic in its place. A constitution was written by the Assembly of Religious Experts (a 73 men assembly of clerics elected by the people) until the Ayatollah Khomeini’s death in 1989; the clerics consolidated and built their power.
  30. Khomeini’s death in 1989 marked the beginning of a new era.
  31. Mohammad Khatami was president from 1997-2005; he was a cleric but he was a reformist who aimed to end the freeze in relations between Iran and the west (the US). In contrast, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (2005-2013) was a conservative who antagonized western countries, although he didn’t isolate himself from them. He asserted theocratic values, and appealed to Iranian nationalism to solidify his white (bloodless) coup of the reformists.
  32. CITIZENS, SOCIETY AND THE STATE
  33. Cleavages – major divisions in Iranian society are based on:
  34. Religion
  35. About 90% are Shia Muslim, 10% are Sunni and 1% is a combination of Jews, Christians, Zoroastrian and Baha’i.
  36. Ethnicity
  37. 51% are considered Persian, 24% Azeri, 8% are Gilaki and Mazandarani, 7% are Kurds, 3% are Arabs, and the remaining are a mix of other groups.
  38. Many Azeri’s live in the Northwest, close to the former soviet republic of Azerbaijan. The government is worried the Azeri’s will want to form a larger state by breaking away from Iran.
  39. Azeri’s – they don’t speak Persian, strong Shiite. Ali Khamenei (the current supreme leader) is Azeri.
  40. The Kurds and Arabs tend to be Sunni Muslim.
  41. Social Class
  42. Peasantry and lower middle class support the regime.
  43. Middle and upper middle class are largely secularized (highly critical of clerics and power).
  44. Reformers Vs. Conservatives
  45. Conservatives want to keep the regime as it is (under sharia law, under cleric rule).
  46. Reformers would like to see more secularization and democracy. They don’t want to do away with basic principles but have a wide array of opinions of where secularization and democracy should be infused in the system.
  47. Pragmatic Conservatives vs. Radical Clerics
  48. Pragmatic conservatives are clergy who favor liberal economic policies that encourage trade, free markets, and direct foreign investment.
  49. Radical clerics call for measures to enhance social justice, especially in terms of providing welfare benefits to Iran’s poor.
  50. Civil Society
  51. When Mahmoud Ahmadinejad became president in 2005, the government closed down newspapers, banned and censored books and websites and did not tolerate the peaceful demonstrations and protest of the Khatami era. Prominent scholars were arrested.
  52. In January 2011, Nasrin Sutodeh, a human rights lawyer, was jailed for 11 years.
  53. Political Participation
  54. In 2009, Ahmadinejad won with 63% against 34% for Mir Hossein Mousavi. Supporters for the opposition candidates to Ahmadinejad called foul.
  55. Women are treated badly. Their policy is called ‘equality with difference’ – divorce and custody laws now follow standards that favor men.Women must wear scarves and long coats in public, and can’t leave the country without the consent of a male resident.Women constitute about 33% of the total labor force.
  56. POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS
  57. Political parties
  58. Islamic Society of Engineers
  59. This organization is a former member of the conservative Alliance of Builders of Iran. Members include Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but the society didn’t support him for president in either 2005 or 2009. In 2013, the part ran Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf for president.
  60. Front of Islamic Revolution Stability
  61. This conservative coalition was formed in 2011 and ran Saeed Jalili for president in 2013.
  62. Moderation and Development Party
  63. This political party brands its approach as ‘moderate’. The party’s 2013 candidate was Mohsen Rezaee, who ran in 2005 and 2009 as well.
  64. Combatant Clergy Association
  65. This party was supported in 2013 by the Iranian Reform Movement and represented reformist coalition, although it’s been described as a conservative party in the past. Its candidate was Hassan Rouhani, who won the presidential election in 2013.
  66. Islamic Coalition Party
  67. This party was founded in 1962 and is generally seen as part of the conservative coalition. The party’s candidate in 2013 was Ali Akbar Velayati; who had refused to run as a conservative alliance candidate in 2005. He was supported by some conservative groups but came 5th out of 6 candidates in 2013.
  68. PUBLIC POLICY
  69. Economic Issues
  70. In 2010, the government made an announcement that major reforms would end many economic subsidies, especially those that encouraged people to waste precious resources. By dropping subsidies, the government allowed the prices of oil, gas, electricity, and other basic commodities to reach market levels and within a month of the announcements, the price of gasoline had gone up b 75% and that of diesel by more than 2000%. Electricity and water bills also increased, and so did the price of some types of bread.