Iran Chapter 8 PDF

## Chapter 7 - The Russian Federation - After recovering from a period of economic decline in the 1990s, Russia's renewed growth depends largely on exports of energy and natural resources. - This makes the country vulnerable to external shocks. - The country faces the challenge of effectively using...

## Chapter 7 - The Russian Federation - After recovering from a period of economic decline in the 1990s, Russia's renewed growth depends largely on exports of energy and natural resources. - This makes the country vulnerable to external shocks. - The country faces the challenge of effectively using its natural resource wealth to rebuild other sectors of the economy. - Nationalism threatens to reinforce intolerance and undermine social unity. - Continuing high levels of corruption also undermine popular confidence in state institutions. - Russia has sought to reassert its role as a regional and global force, but a revival of tension with the West in the face of Russia's annexation of Crimea and conflict over Ukraine threatens stability in Russia's neighborhood. ## Key Terms - Civil society - Clientelistic networks - Collectivization - Democratic centralism - Dominant party - Federal system - Glasnost - Insider privatization - Market reform - Mixed electoral system - Nomenklatura - Oligarchs - Patrimonial state - Power vertical - Siloviki - Soft authoritarianism - Sovereign democracy - Vanguard party ## Chapter 8 - Iran - The Islamic Republic of Iran is located in the Middle East (West Asia) - Capital is Tehran. - Population is approximately 80.8 Million - Size is slightly larger than Alaska, about 1,648,000 sq km. - Iran has regular elections for the presidency and the Majles (Parliament), but the clerically dominated Guardian Council determines who can run. - The president can be overruled, even dismissed by the chief cleric who is known as the Supreme Leader. - Although Iran is three times the size of France, slightly larger than Alaska, and much larger than its immediate neighbors, most of it's territory is inhospitable to agriculture. - Iran is second largest oil producer in the Middle East and fourth largest in the world. - It's an urbanized and partly industrialized country. - The population is composed of 53% Persian speaking, with the remainder speaking other languages, but over 90% of the population can now communicate in Persian. - Islam is the second-largest religion in the world after Christianity. - Islam means "submission to God", and a Muslim is someone who is submitted to God. - Islam has one central tenet: "There is only one God, and Muhammad is His Prophet." - Muslims perform four duties: Give to charity, pray facing Mecca, make a pilgrimage at least once to Mecca, and fast during Ramadan. - Islam has two main branches: Sunni and Shi'i. ### Geography - Iran is three times the size of France and is slightly larger than Alaska. - Most of the territory is inhospitable to agriculture. ### Political Organization | Category | Detail | |-------------------|-----------------------------------| | Political System | A mixture of democracy and theocracy | | Regime History | Islamic republic since the 1979 Islamic Revolution | | Administrative Structure | Centralized administration with 30 provinces. The interior minister appoints the provincial governors. | | Executive | President and his cabinet. | | Legislature | The Majles (parliament) is made up of 290 seats and is elected every four years. | | Judiciary | A Chief Judge and a Supreme Court that is independent of the executive and legislature but is appointed by the Leader. | | Party System | The ruling clergy restricts most party and organizational activities. | ### Chronology of Modern Iran's Political Development - 1925 - Reza Khan establishes the Pahlavi dynasty. - 1941-1945 - Allied occupation of Iran during World War II - 1951 - Muhammad Reza Pahlavi becomes Shah of Iran. - 1953 - CIA supported coup overthrows Mossadeq. - 1963 - Shah launches "White Revolution." - 1979 - Islamic Revolution; Shah forced into exile; Iran becomes an Islamic Republic; Ayatollah Khomeini becomes Leader. - 1979 - Hostage crisis - 52 US embassy employees held by radical students from December 1979 to March 1980 - 1980 - referendum on the Islamic constitution - 1980 - Elections for the first Islamic Majles (parliament) - 1980 - June 1981 - President Bami-Sadr ousted by Khomeini, replaced by Muhammad Ali Rajai - 1980 - 1988 - War with Iraq - 1989 - Khomeini dies; Khamenei appointed Leader; Rafsanjani elected president - 1997 - Muhammad Khatami elected president on a reform platform - 2005 - Ultraconservative Mahmoud Ahmadinejad elected president - 2009 - Ahmadinejad reelected; large-scale protests take place in Tehran. - 2013 - Dr. Hassan Rouhani elected president on a reform platform ### Politics in Action - In 2013, Iran with a resounding vote elected Dr. Hassan Rouhani president of the Islamic Republic. - This election was a replay of previous elections with a reform candidate winning a landslide victory in 1997, and being reelected in 2001, but in 2005 being replaced by an ultraconservative populist. - The Guardian Council-formed of twelve senior judges with six appointed by the Leader and six jointly by the Majles and the chief judge-has considerable judicial as well as legislative authority. ### The Safavids (1501 - 1722) - In the 16th Century, the Safavid dynasty conquered what is now Iran and forcibly converted their subjects to Shi'ism. - The Safavid dynasty allowed other religions to practice as long as they paid special taxes. ### The Qajars (1794 - 1925) - In 1722 Afghan tribesman invaded the capital and after half a century of civil war, the Qajars-a Turkic-speaking Shi'i tribe - reconquered much of Iran. - The Qajars moved the capital to Tehran and re-created the Safavid system of court manipulation. - The Qajars rule coincided with the peak of European Imperialism in the 19th Century with Russia seizing parts of central Asia and the Caucasus region, extracting economic concessions, the British Imperial Bank issuing paper money, the Indo-European Telegraph Company extending communication lines and exclusive rights to drill for oil sold to a British citizen. - The 1905-1909 constitutional revolution introduced elections, separation of powers, a legislative assembly, and concepts of popular sovereignty. - This constitution retained the monarchy but centered political power in the national assembly called the Majles. ### The Pahlavis (1925 - 1979) - In February 1921, Colonel Reza Khan carried out a coup d'état. - In 1925, Reza Khan deposed the Qajars and crowned himself Shah-in-Shah, establishing the Pahlavi dynasty. - During Reza Shah's reign, the armed forces went from 40,000 in1925 to 124,000 in 1941, and to 410,000 in 1979. - The powerful Interior Ministry grew tenfold and the Justice Ministry supplanted the shari'a with a European-style civil code and the clerical courts with a modern judicial system. - During the Pahlavis rule, a system of communications was set up, a minor industrial revolution initiated, and the reach of the state grew to even the most outlying villages. ### The Islamic Revolution (1979) - On the eve of the 1979 revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini - exiled in Iraq - formulated a drastically new vision of Shi'ism which combined socioeconomic grievances into his sermons. - Khomeini denounced monarchies as part of a corrupt elite that exploited the oppressed masses. - The regime was also pressured internationally on the issue of human rights, and in 1977, the Shah gave the International Red Cross access to Iranian prisons and permitted political prisoners to have defense attorneys. - This slight loosening of restrictions on the opposition and the Shah's attempt to deal with a 20% rise in consumer prices and a 10% decline in oil revenues, only sealed his fate. - The Islamic Revolution saw the replacement of the monarchy with an Islamic Republic. ### The Islamic Republic (1979 to the Present) - Returning home triumphant in the midst of the Iranian Revolution, Khomeini was declared the Imam and Leader of the new Islamic Republic. - Khomeini ruled as Imam and Leader until his death in 1989. - After Khomeini's death, Ali Khamenei was elected as the new Leader. - The Guardian Council-formed of twelve senior judges with six appointed by the Leader and six jointly by the Majles and the chief judge-has considerable judicial as well as legislative authority. ### The Four Themes and Iran - Iran in a Globalized World of States - The Islamic Revolution resulted in both a military dictatorship and a fascist one-party state. - Khomeini was labeled as an Islamic fundamentalist, political Islam, and Shi'I populism. - Khomeini was born in 1902 and taught from the 1930s through 1950s, until he became politically active in 1963. - The Islamic Republic is a mixture of democracy and theocracy. - The Guardian Council-formed of twelve senior judges with six appointed by the Leader and six jointly by the Majles and the chief judge-has considerable judicial as well as legislative authority. ### Environmental Issues - Iran faces an environmental problem which includes a lack of rain and drought. - This has been compounded by climate change and global warming, and pollution from the increasing use of private cars. - In 2013, some 45,000 deaths were directly or indirectly caused by air pollution. ### The Political Impact of Technology - The regime places a high importance on science, especially technological education. - They channel the top high school graduates into scientific fields, with Sharif University serving as the MIT of Iran. - They feel the key to recapturing Iran's past is to use technology. ### Iranian Policies in Comparative Perspective - The Islamic Republic is unique in that it has a semi-theocratic state. - They have a strong state and a fairly modernized society, though it doesn't fit the stereotype of the Third World. ### Political Culture, Citizenship, and Identity - The Islamic Republic guarantees basic rights to religious minorities as well as individual citizens. - All citizens, regardless of race, language, or religion, are promised the rights of free expression, worship, and organization. - It also guarantee's freedom from arbitrary arrest, torture, and police surveillance. - Shia Muslims are treated as full citizens but their actual status is not spelled out. - The Baha'is are considered heretics by the regime. - Sunni Muslims make up 10% of the population, but aren't really catered to. - The 1991 declaration of the Republic of Azerbaijan has raised concerns that there could be a larger unified Azerbaijan. ### Interest Groups, Social Movements, and Protest - In the first two decades of the Islamic Republic, there was violation of individual liberty, mass imprisonment, and systematic torture of prisoners. - The regime is facing backlash from the modern middle class, educated women, and organized labor. - Women's groups have formed the Women's One Million Signature Campaign to promote gender equality, and they hold a position on local councils and in the Majles. - Factory workers have protested high unemployment, low wages, lack of decent housing, and a less than satisfactory labor law. ### The Tudeh (Party of the Masses) - Established in 1941, the Tudeh is a formerly pro-Soviet communist party. - It was banned during the 1980s and most of its organizers were executed. ### The Majles - The Majles represents the nation and possesses many powers, including making or changing ordinary laws, investigating and supervising all affairs of state, and approving or ousting the cabinet ministers. - In 1992, 217 deputies circulated an open letter that gave emphasis to the powers of the Majles and downplayed the role of the Leader. ### Political Parties and the Party System - The Islamic Republic permits parties to form, but they weren't really encouraged until 1997. ### The Liberation Movement - Established in 1961, the Liberation Movement is a moderate Islamic party. - It favors the strict separation of mosque and state. ### The National Front - Originating in the campaign to nationalize the country's oil resources in the early 1950s. ### The Mojahedin - Formed in 1971, the Mojahedin tried to synthesize Marxism and Islam. - They opposed the clerical regime and eventually lost much of its appeal. ### The Fedayin - Also formed in 1971, the Fedayin modeled itself after the Marxist guerrilla movements of the 1960s in Latin America. ### Elections - The constitution of the Islamic Republic promises free elections, and elections are held every four years. - There is government restrictions on freedom of information, with the main source of info being the government-controlled radio-television network. - The Guardian Council is a large obstacle to fair elections, with the right to approve all candidates. ### Political Culture, Citizenship, and Identity - The Islamic Republic of Iran promises the right to free expression, worship, and organization. - It guarantees freedom from arbitrary arrest, torture, and police surveillance. - The constitution also gives guarantees to non-Persian speakers, with the right to vote for provincial, town, and village councils. ### The Political Impact of Technology - The regime in Iran places a high importance on science, and especially technological education. - Sharif University serves as the MIT of Iran. ### Iranian Politics in Transition - The Islamic Republic continues to struggle with the question of how to combine theocracy with democracy and clerical authority with mass participation. - Many observers feel that the conservatives have lost touch with the grassroots of Iranian society. - The challenge for conservatives is how to maintain some semblance of legitimacy. - There are two major differences between Iran and nearby countries: - Iran has armed forces that have critical support, unlike other nations. - They hold regular elections. - The Islamic Republic has also been challenged by the question of how to govern an economy beset by rising demands, wildly fluctuating petroleum revenues, and the prospect that, within two generations, oil wells will run dry. ### Suggested Readings - Abrahamian, Ervand. A History of Modern Iran. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008. - Beeman, William O. The "Great Satan" vs. the "Mad Mullahs": How the United States and Iran Demonize Each Other. New York: Praeger, 2005. - Ebadi, Shirin, and Azadeh Moaveni. Iran Awakening: A Memoir of Revolution and Hope. New York: Random House, 2006. - Gheissari, Ali, and Vali Nasr. Democracy in Iran: History and the Quest for Liberty. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006. - Keddie, Nikki. Modern Iran: Roots and Results of Revolution, updated ed. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2006. - Moin, Baqer. Khomeini: Life of the Ayatollah. New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2000. - Nafisi, Azar. Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books. New York: Random House, 2003. - Pollack, Kenneth. The Persian Puzzle: The Conflict between Iran and America. New York: Random House, 2005. - Satrapi, Marjaneh. Persepolis. New York: Pantheon, 2003. ### Suggested Websites: - University of Texas-Iran Maps - Columbia University-The Gulf/2000 Project's Map Collection - The Story of the Revolution, British Broadcasting Corporation - Iranian Mission to the United Nations - Iran Report, Radio Free Europe - News Related to Iran