Iran An Islamic Republic

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IranAn Islamic Republic
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Ancient History

• Persia part of different empires
• 4th century conquered by Alexander the Great
• Left structure in place
• Monarchy through 6th century
• Hereditary military leaders
• Islam spreads rapidly from 632 to 650 CE
• Through 11th century ruled by caliph
• Poli and religious figure)
• Caliphate defeated by Mongols in 13th century
• Dynastic rule from 16th to 20th century

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Modern History

• Constitutional Revolution 1906
• Constitutional monarchy with legis body
• 1925 Reza Khan becomes Shah (king)
• Modernizes education, rail, conscription
• Represses press, Majlis, political activists
  jailed
• 1941 Reza Khan ousted by SU/UK son Reza Pahlavi
  becomes Shah

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Modern History

• White Revolution 1963
• Counter to red communists
• Land reform govt bought from absentee owners,
  sold cheaply to farmers
• Encouragement of agricultural entrepreneurship
• Womens rights expanded
• Suffrage
• Restricting polygamy
• Labor rights

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Criticisms of White Revolution

• Clergy opposed to reforms
• Suffrage for women govt taking away power of
  religious leaders
• Charasmatic Khomeini exiled began to promote
  idea of theocracy
• Landlords
• Unhappy abt redistribution of land govt
  defending laborers
• Shah becomes more authoritarian
• Freedoms restricted
• Wealth from oil kept by Shah

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• Reforms led to growth of intelligentsia, urban
  working class, independent farmers
• No feelings of loyalty to Shah loyal to clerics
• Frustration with corruption
• Oil prices decrease 10 in late 1970s
• Consumer prices rise about 20
• Inflation, erosion of middle class
• Revolution of rising expectations
• standard of living improves, setback occurs,
  people revolt
• US pressures Shah to loosen restrictions on civil
  society
• Easing of restrictions allows people to feel free
  enough to join revolt

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Iranian Revolution

• Reaction against modernization and repression by
  shah
• Fundamentalists encouraged by US, UK
• Khomeini still in exile
• Teachings promote overthrow of secular govt
• Shah attempts to discredit Khomeini, but this
  only strengthens his supporters

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Iranian Revolution

• 1978
• Unarmed demonstrators killed in Tehran
• Oil workers strike
• Shah declares martial law
• 2 million ppl participate in anti-regime protests
• rallies are organized and led by clerics
• Shah flees to Egypt in Feb 1979
• Khomeini returns from exile

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• Shah replaced by provisional govt
• Khomeini returns to Iran in1979
• Used charismatic power to gain control (Supreme
  leader) and implement a theocratic regime
• Suppresses all opposition
• 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War
• Iran Attempt to spread Shiism
• Iraq Seize territory
• Widespread destruction
• War ends w/o victor
• Khomeini dies

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Basically...

• Shia clerics took dominant position in politics
  and nearly all aspects of Iranian life
• After fall of Pahlavi dynasty, urban upper class
  of prominent merchants, industrialists, and
  professionals, favored by the former monarch,
  lost standing and influence to the senior clergy
  and their supporters
• Urban working class, who allied with clergy,
  enjoyed enhanced status and economic mobility

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Country Facts

• Slightly larger than Alaska
• 10 arable land
• Mostly desert and mountains
• Ethnic groups 51 Persian
• Religion 89 Shia Muslim
• Languages Farsi/Persian dialects 58
• Literacy 79

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Economy

• Per capita income 11, 200
• Unemployment rate 14.6
• Natural resources petroleum, natural gas, coal
• Primary industry petroleum, petrochemicals
• Exports 78.7 bil (China, Japan, India)
• Imports 58.9 (UAE, China, Germany)
• GDP 863.5 billion

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Electorate

• Total population 76 million
• Universal suffrage when over 18 yrs
• 50 of voters are under 30 yrs old
• Voter turn out has decreased since 1997 due to
  disillusionment with elections

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Majlis

• Unicameral
• 290 members, single member districts
• Elected by popular vote every 4 yrs
• Introduce/pass laws
• All bill must by approved by Gaurdian Council
• Summon/impeach ministers or president
• 2000 Reformist majority
• 2004 Reformists banned

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Majlis

• Members have to be Muslims but Constitution
  allows 5 members to represent Christians (3),
  Jews (1), and Zoroastrians (1)

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President

• Second-highest ranking official
• Head of government
• In reality, powers are circumscribed by clerics
  and Conservatives in Irans power structure and
  the authority of the Supreme Leader
• Candidates are vetted by Guardian Council

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President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

• Elected in 2005
• Reelected (disputed) in 2009
• Conservative
• Former mayor of Tehran
• First president since 1981 who is not a cleric

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Assembly of Experts

• 86 members, directly elected every 8 years
• Appoint/remove Supreme Leader
• Exercises broad constitutional interpretation,
  along with Supreme Leader and Guardian Council
• Dominated by Conservatives 

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Guardian Council

• 12 male clerics
• 6 appointed by Supreme Leader, 6 nominated by
  judiciary and approved by Majles
• Reviews bills passed by the Majlis to ensure
  compliance with Sharia law (can veto)
• Decide who competes in elections (can bar
  candidates)
• Controlled by Conservatives
• Reformists have tried to reduce vetting power
  unsuccessfully
• Council banned all but 6 candidates out of 1000
  in the 2005 elections, Supreme Leader added 2
  more
• All female candidates were blocked

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Cabinet/Council of Ministers

• Chosen by president
• Approved/impeached by parliament
• Supreme Leader has influence over process
• Cabinet is chaired by president or first
  vice-president

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Supreme Leader

• Imam of the entire community most powerful
  political figure
• Constitutional powers
• Faqih leading Islamic jurist to interpret
  religious texts and sharia law
• Links 3 branches of government together,
  maymediate among them
• Determines the interests of Islam
• Can eliminate pres candidates, dismiss pres,
  command armed forces, declare war/peace,
  appoint/remove major administrators and judges,
  nominate 6 members of Guardian Council, confirms
  the election results
• Chosen by Assembly of Experts
• Tension between Supreme Leader and President

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Ayatollah Khamenei

• President from 1981-1989
• Supreme Leader since 1989
• Confidant of Khomeini

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Expediency Council

• Referee over disputes between the Guardian
  Council and the Majlis
• Supreme Leader appoints its members
• prominent political, religious, social figures
• 2005 granted supervisory powers over all
  branched over govt, Supreme Leader delegated his
  power
• Chaired by former President Rafsanjani, who was
  defeated by Amadinejad

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Jurists Guardianship

• Velayat-e faqih
• Principle instituted by Khomeini
• Overarching authority of
• Supreme Leader
• Guardian Council
• Assembly of Experts
• Expediency Council
• Authority based on ability to follow religious
  teachings and commitment to protect rights of
  people

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Judiciary

• Until early 1900s controlled by clergy
• Then secularized
• After Revolution, Supreme Court revoked all laws
  that were deemed un-Islamic
• Defines legal policy
• Nominated 6 lay members of Guardian Council
• Head of judiciary is appointed by Supreme Leader

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Judiciary cont

• Sharia law Islamic law
• Qanun no sacred basis can not contradict
  Sharia law
• Judicial review does not exist other than review
  by Expediency Council, Assembly of Experts, and
  Guardian Council

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Armed Forces

• Revolutionary Guard and regular forces
• Under joint general command
• All commanders are appointed by Supreme Leader
  report only to Supreme Leader
• Revolutionary Guard has powerful presence in
  other institutions and controls volunteer militas
  in every town
• 8th largest military in the world

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Bureaucracy

• Huge, dominated by clergy
• Plagued by clientelism, corruption,
  mismanagement, patronage
• Size doubled since 1979

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Protests

• Despite guarantees of liberties in 1979
  Constitution, govt has regularly
• Suppressed newspapers, labor unions, private
  orgs, poli parties
• Executed political reformers or caused them to
  fleeBanned demonstrations and public meetings
• Recent protests following 2009 election of
  Ahmadinejad
• Calls for the election to be annulled
• Dispersed with thousands of Revolutionary Guards
  and Basij
• Disputed death toll
• Use of social media to commuicate w/in Iran and
  w/ outside world

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Ideological differences

• Conservatives
• clerics those arguing for stricter societal
  rules support market-oriented policies greater
  authority for Supreme Leader
• Pragmatists
• more accommodating on social issues suprt
  economic liberalization/privatization
• Radicals
• support increased state control of economy to
  ensure greater social justice

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Shia Islam

• Shia supported Mohammed's son-in-law (Ali)
• Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan
• Sunni supported Mohammeds father-in-law
• Sunni majority
• Twelver (hidden) Imam
• prophet successors to Muhammad
• 12th disappeared, believed to be alive, will
  return w/ Jesus
• Sharia law
• Based on Koran, Sunnah (deeds, sayings of
  Muhammad)
• Northern Nigeria

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Oil/Petropolitics

• Under Pahlavi, Iran transformed to rentier state
• state derives substantial portion of revenue from
  rent payments made by foreign
  countries/institutions
• rentier economy heavily supported by state
  expenditure
• govt relies less on tax revenue
• Abt 50 of the economy is subject to central
  planning
• Cleavage between elites w/ close ties to oil
  and elites w/ close ties to clergy
• Instability of oil prices
• Due to massive wealth generated by oil, Iran
  shifts away from agriculture

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Mass Media

• Many privately owned newspapers and magazines
• Government has forced pro-Reform media outlets to
  shut down
• Highly educated elite
• Radio and TV, govt run Islamic Republic of Iran
  Broadcasting