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Lack of Arable LandRich in oilEarliest EmpirePersian HistoryIslamic CaliphateTheocracy
“Developing”
Sources of LegitimacyAyatollah Khomeini
Revolution of 1979
Constitution and Amendments• Faith in God
• Divine Justice
• The Qu’ran
• Prophet Muhammad
• 12 Imams
• Hidden Imam
• Jurist’s Guardianship
Influence of Religion• Zoroastrianism = monotheistic belief; Judaism, Christianity, Islam
– Preference for People of the Book
• Highly centralized and authoritarian leadership
• Arab invaders brought Islam to Persia
• Imams = heirs of Muhammad, leaders of Islam, clerics– Sunni – those who followed selected leaders– Shia – those who descended from Ali
• Hidden Imam = 12th Imam who disappeared as a child
• Theocracy = rulers in Iran work lead while they await return of Hidden Imam
Changes in Politics4 Eras
• 1501-1722– Safavids
• 1794-1925– Qajars
• 1925-1979– Pahlavis
• 1979-present– Islamic Republic
Islamic Revolution• Disillusionment with the Shah
• Revolution of Rising Expectations
• Charisma of the Ayatollah
• 1979 Constitution
• 1989 Amendments
• Cultural Revolution
• Tehran Spring
• Jurist’s Guardianship
Society in IranCleavages • Religion
• Ethnicity
• Social Class
• Reformer vs. Conservative
• Pragmatic Conservative vs. Radical Clerics
Civil and Political• No real civil society
• No real participation
• Growing youth population
• Crackdowns on speech
• Disenfranchised vote
• Equality-with-difference
• Dealing with the West
Iran/Greece
Mosadeq/Reza Shah
Ahmadinejad/Rouhani
WESTvs.
EAST
Political InstitutionsElections• Vote for 3 secular positions
• Reformists candidates have been banned
• Back-and-forth leadership
• Opinion polls unreliable
• Fraud and illegitimacy
• Modest reform president– Hassan Rhouhani
Interest Groups/Media
• No real influence from parties– Mojahedin
• No real difference between parties and interest groups
• No real power of interests
• Non-political media
Government InstitutionsSupreme Leader Faqih, Imam of Community,
Head of StateNominate, dismiss, judge, declare war, commander
Guardian Council 6 from Supreme Leader6 from Majles
Jurist’s guardianship, review laws, disqualify candidates
Assembly of Religious Experts
Upper house? 86 men, direct election, 4 year terms, seminary degree
Broad constitutional interpretation
Expediency Council 32 members, selected by Supreme Leader
Settles disputes between Guardian Council and Majles
Executive President – Head of Gov, directly elected, Cabinet – day-today work, Bureaucracy – head para-statals
Devise budget, supervise economy, propose legislation, appoint local officials, chair NCSBonyads = services to poor
Majles Unicameral legislature, direct election, 290 seats
Select 6 to Guard. Coun., enact law, interpret, investigate executive, approve budget
Judiciary Appointed by Sup. Lead., 5 year term, familiar with Sharia
Chief runs courts, harsh retribution
Military Parallel forces, Rev. Guard, Basij Police, nuclear, Ghord = engineers
Public Policy Issues• Highly Complex – many can originate or block legislation
• Cross-cutting factions– Conservative vs. Reformists– Statists vs. Free-marketers
• Qom = city of scholars, separation of church and state
• Economics – improve standard of living without destroying Islam– Elites are tied to oil while clergy to traditions– People dependent on subsidies, state dependent on oil
• International sanctions• Dropping oil prices• Drop in rial• Inflation
• From large to small families– Young population
Foreign RelationsSupports Shiism throughout Middle East
• Ahmadinejad–“Holocaust is a
myth”–“Israel wiped away”
• Rouhani– Join WTO–Stop Brain Drain
• Bush– “Axis of evil”– “must be held
accountable”
• Obama– Willingness to turn a new
page– Negotiate nuclear deal
Videos
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQdhmsw-hvc
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnmdU_6sLUY
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAzQwwS-mCY
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8bC1DEYbI4
• http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/u-s-relations-with-iran-35-years-after-hostage-crisis/