Politics in Iran

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Politics in Iran

• Chapter 12

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(No Transcript)
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Quick historical overview

• Achemenian Empire, called Persian Empire by
  Greeks
• Destroyed by Alexander the Great
• Zoroastrianism early religion
• Islam enters and takes root in the 7th century
  (Muslims overthrow the Sassanid Dynasty)
• Mongols take over area
• Islam remains and becomes a source of identity

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Quick historical overview

• Shiite Islam (Shiism) becomes established as
  the state religion in the 16th century by Ismail,
  the founder of the Safavid Empire. It is
  surrounded by Sunni states.
• Shiites believe that the true heirs of Islam are
  the descendants of Ali, called IMAMS. The 12th
  imam, a child, disappeared in the 9th century and
  became known as THE HIDDEN IMAM.
• Ismael perpetuated the belief that the Hidden
  Imam would eventually return but until he did
  the rulers of Iran were in his place as the true
  heirs of Islam.
• Can you make any connections between this belief
  and the way Iran operates today?

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Can you make any connections between this belief
and the way Iran operates today?

• The Ayatollah

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Can you make any connections between this belief
and the way Iran operates today?

• The Ayatollah
• Leader of the Revolution, Founder of the Islamic
  Republic, Guide of the Oppressed Masses,
  Commander of the Armed Forces, and Imam of the
  Muslim World

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Historical Overview The Revolution

• Pahlavi Shahs 1925 to 1979
• Attempted to secularize Iran
• Revolution of 1979
• Led by Ayatollah Khomeini- religion and politics
  brought together in his person
• Irans legitimacy connected to the principles of
  Shia Islam

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Historical Overview The Pahlavi Monarchy

• Authoritarian rule
• Demands for free elections
• Shahs regime increasingly contested at home but
  it continued to receive support from the West in
  general and in the U.S. in particular
• Opposition to the Shah also became opposition to
  the U.S.
• Evidence suggests that Shah was successful at
  manipulating U.S. policymakers to achieve his
  ends rather than it being the other way around.

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Historical Legacy The Islamic Revolution

• Who and Why?
• Who? Middle Class Urban Revolution!
• Coalition of intellectuals, university and high
  school students and teachers, bazaar merchants,
  politically active clerics and seminarians,
  industrial workers, and finally, state employees
  and white-collared workers
• Why? Anti-Shah, Anti-USA
• Despotism, corruption, and the alliances with the
  United States and Israel united such diverse
  ideological factions as liberal adherents to 1906
  constitution, Marxist-Leninist leftists and
  Islamists
• Charismatic Leader Ayatollah Khomeini's

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Iran in a nutshell

• Is democracy incompatible with Islam, or is true
  Islam actually based on popular support?
• A developing economy that is part of the global
  market with a single product - ______

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Iran in a nutshell

• Is democracy incompatible with Islam, or is true
  Islam actually based on popular support?
• A developing economy that is part of the global
  market with a single product oil.

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Iran in a nutshell

• Is democracy incompatible with Islam, or is true
  Islam actually based on popular support?
• A developing economy that is part of the global
  market with a single product oil.
• Second largest oil producer in the Middle East
• Fourth largest oil producer in the world

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Comparisons

• SIMILARITIES
• Russia, China, Mexico, Nigeria and Iran are all
  oil producers
• Iran and Mexico are both DEVELOPING economies,
  not less developed economies (like Nigeria)
• DIFFERENCE
• Iran is the only THEOCRACY

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Overview The Big Picture

• System of Government Mixed Theocratic-Presidenti
  al System
• Distribution of Power Unitary System
• Electoral System SMDP, but double ballot
• Constitution Constitution of 1979 and 1989
  Amendment
• Legislature UnicameralMajles
• Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei
• Current Head of State Ali Khamenei
• Head of Government Hassan Rouhani, President
• Current Ruling Party conservatives
• Major Political Parties conservatives,
  pragmatists, and radicals

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SOVEREIGNTY AUTHORITY - POWER

• Ideas of sovereignty go back to the history of
  the region
• Authority connected to religion. Early history
  the religion was Zoroastrianism, more recent
  history the religion is Islam
• Legitimacy
• From religion
• the Constitution of 1979 and the Constitutional
  Amendments of 1989

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LEGITIMACY

• RELIGION-
• anchored in Shiism and its belief in the
  Iranian rulers as the rulers of Islam until the
  return of the Hidden Imam
• CONSTITUTION
• Reflects the importance of religion for the
  legitimacy of the state, affirms faith in God,
  Divine Justice, the Quran, the Prophet Muhammad,
  the Twelve Imams, and the eventual return of the
  Hidden Imam
• Jurists Guardianship and other divine
  principles
• CRISIS OF LEGITIMACY
• Two conflicting ideas challenge legitimacy
  sovereignty of the people and divinely inspired
  clerical rule. This became the political rift
  between Conservatives and Reformers

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EVOLUTION OFPOLITICAL TRADITIONS

• Though the millennia of the history of the region
  from the ancients to the introduction of Islam
  and the revolution

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POLITICAL CULTURE

• AUTHORITARIANISM BUT NOT TOTALITARIANISM since
  the Safavid Dynasty there were strong central
  political leaders but people had control over
  their individual lives and there was a civil
  society
• UNION OF POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS AUTHORITY was
  always the case since the Ancient Persians (brief
  deviation during the Qajar Dynasty where there
  was separation between the two 1794-1925) to
  return after the 1979 Revolution
• SHIISM AND SHARIA religion links citizens to
  their government as 90 of Iranians are Shiites.
  Sharia, the Islamic Law legitimizes the power of
  the government

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POLITICAL CULTURE

• ESCAPE FROM EUROPEAN COLONIZATION Iran was
  never under the direct control of a European
  power during the age of imperialism. This is a
  fundamental source of difference with the other
  two countries in this unit, Mexico and Nigeria,
  that were directly controlled by other countries
• INFLUENCE OF ANCIENT PERSIA provides a
  different culture for Iranians that separates
  them from their Arab neighbors (beside their
  being Shiites and the rest being Sunnis) .
  Iranians speak Persian, not Arabic and this
  history has affected other cultural traits such
  as literature, arts, architecture that create a
  unique Iranian identity

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POLITICAL CULTURE

• STRONG SENSE OF IRANIAN NATIONALISM distinct
  from other Muslims. They are Iranians first and
  Muslims second. Persian roots encourage the
  perception of Iran as a distinct culture.

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POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CHANGE

• Political changes have taken place through both
  evolution and revolution
• Evolution of religious and political union from
  early history to present
• Two important revolutions in the 20th century
• 1905-1909 - set democratic impulses in place and
  attempted separation of religion and politics
• 1979 reunified religion with politics in the
  modern theocracy

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POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CHANGE

• The Constitutional Revolution of 1905-1909
• During the reign of the Qajars (1794-1925)
• Qajars ruled during the era of European
  imperialism
• They lost land in the north and northwest to
  Russia
• They sold oil-drilling rights in the southwest to
  the British
• Borrowed from European banks to maintain court
  luxuries which led the country inot serious debt
  and caused the disatisfacti0n of the people
• All of the above encouraged the Revolution

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POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CHANGE

• The Constitutional Revolution of 1905-1909
• Revolution began with demonstrations by business
  owners and bankers in response to the Qajars
  handing over customs collections to Europeans
• In 1906 merchants and industrialists, influenced
  by British liberalism, demanded a written
  constitution
• The shah was encouraged by the British to
  conceded to the demands
• 1906 Constitution modeled after western
  constitutions and included
• Direct elections
• Separation of powers
• Laws by elected legislature
• Bill of rights

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POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CHANGE

• The Constitutional Revolution of 1905-1909
• Debate about separation of religion from the
  government
• Monarchy retained but a strong legislature
  created to balance executive power the Majles
• Constitution guaranteed seats in the Majles to
  the People of the Book Jews, Christians and
  Zoroastrians
• The Majles had the authority to make and pass
  laws and it controlled cabinet ministers who
  reported to the legislature not the shah
• Religion was upheld still with Shiism declared
  the state religion and only Shiites could be
  ministers
• Created a Guardian Council made up of clerics
  who had the power to veto any legislation

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POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CHANGE

• Economic change was dependent on the geography
  and the natural resources of Iran
• Agricultural basis weak due to lack of arable
  land
• Location led to emphasis on overland trade which
  caused Iran to be marginalized when trade sifted
  to overseas routes
• Major change with the discovery of oil

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POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CHANGE

• A major economic change took place during the
  rule of the Pahlavis (1925-1979)
• The first Pahlavi shah did away with all
  democratic reforms of the Qajars and
  reestablished authoritarian rule
• They were challenged in the 1950s and the second
  shah had to flee the country but he was brought
  back by the British and the Americans. The
  British wanted to maintain their oil privileges,
  the Americans wanted to keep Iran under their
  influence during the Cold War (as a result, many
  Iranians came to see Britain and the US as
  supporters of autocracy and the shah as a pawn of
  foreign powers).

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POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CHANGE

• A major economic change took place during the
  rule of the Pahlavis (1925-1979)
• Economically Iran was changed to a RENTIER STATE-
  a state that can sustain itself independently of
  social pressures and powerful interest groups
• Rentier economy is heavily supported by state
  expenditure while the state receives rent from
  other countries
• Iran received an increasing amount of income by
  exporting its oil and leasing oil fields to
  foreign countries
• Iran was transformed inot a one-product economy
  and was heavily dependent on oil to keep the
  government afloat
• In the 1970s the shah adopted IMPORT SUBSTITUTION
  INDUSTRIALIZATION

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POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CHANGE

• A major economic change took place during the
  rule of the Pahlavis (1925-1979)
• Economically Iran was changed to a RENTIER STATE
• Rentier economy is heavily supported by state
  expenditure while the state receives rent from
  other countries
• Iran received an increasing amount of income by
  exporting its oil and leasing oil fields to
  foreign countries
• Iran was transformed inot a one-product economy
  and was heavily dependent on oil to keep the
  government afloat
• In the 1970s the shah adopted IMPORT SUBSTITUTION
  INDUSTRIALIZATION encouraged domestic
  industries to provide products that the
  population needed

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POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CHANGE

• The Islamic Revolution 1979
• Almost completely religious in nature
• Dominant ideology Shiism
• Led by a cleric who ruled the country for 10
  years a theocracy
• Ayatollah Khomeini a charismatic leader.
• Defended Islamic fundamentalism (literal
  interpretation of Islamic texts, social
  conservatism, political traditionalism) and
  articulated resentments against the elite (shah
  and his cnonies) and the United States the
  Great Satan
• Gave new meaning to the Shia term JURIST
  GUARDIANSHIP originally concept was that the
  senior clergy had broad authority over the
  unfortunate (widows, orphans, mentally ill).
  Khomeini claimed true meaning is that the clergy
  have authority over the entire Shia community

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POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CHANGE

• The Islamic Republic 1979 to present
• Established after the Shah fled the country in
  February 1979
• New constitution drawn by the ASSEMBLY OF
  RELIGIOUS EXPERTS a 73-man assembly of clerics
  elected directly by the people
• Constitution gave broad authority to Khomeini and
  the clergy
• Ratified by the electorate
• CULTURAL REVOLUTION launched after constitution
  to purify the country of secular values and
  behaviors, especially those of western origins

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CITIZENS, SOCIETY, AND THE STATE

• Iranian citizens have had little direct
  experience with democracy but they understand the
  importance of civil society

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CITIZENS, SOCIETY, AND THE STATE

• CLEAVAGES
• Religion almost 90 Shia almost 10 are Sunni
  and 1 combination Jews ,Christians, Zoroastrians
  and Bahai. Many minority religions have fled
  Iran since the 1979 Revolution
• Ethnicity 51 Persian (speak Persian/Farsi)
• 24 Azeri (fear of joining Azerbaijan
• dont
  speak Persian but are Shia
• 8 Gilaki and Mazandarani
• 7 Kurds - Sunni
• 3 Arabs - Sunni

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CITIZENS, SOCIETY, AND THE STATE

• CLEAVAGES
• Social Class peasants and lower middle class
  support regime. Economically they have gained
  services since the Revolution. Middle and
  upper-middle class tend to be secular so they are
  critical of the clerics . Economically they have
  not fared well since the Revolution
• Reformers v. Conservatives fundamental cleavage
  in political culture. Based on the debate as to
  which is better a democracy or a theocracy.
• Conservatives keep the regime as it is under
  the control of clerics and Sharia law
• Reformers more secularization and democracy.
  They do not want to do away with the basic
  principles of an Islamic state

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CITIZENS, SOCIETY, AND THE STATE

• CLEAVAGES
• Pragmatic Conservatives v. radical clerics
  division among the clerics that has led to many
  important disagreements at the top levels of
  policymaking
• Pragmatic conservatives favor liberal economic
  policies that encourage foreign trade, free
  markets and foreign direct investment. They have
  strong ties to the middle class merchants
  (bazaaris) and rural landowners.
• Radical Clerics mostly younger more militant
  clerics they want the government to enhance
  social justice such as providing welfare benefits
  to the poor. They support state-sponsored
  wealth distribution and price controls.

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CITIZENS, SOCIETY, AND THE STATE

• CIVIL SOCIETY
• No civil society under Pahlavi rule but the
  revolution did not restore it.
• Revolutionaries launched campaign to impose the
  values of the Islamic state
• Professors with western preferences were fired
  and replaced with people who supported the regime
• Educated people fled the country
• Tehran Spring period of political
  liberalization (mild)
• loosening of freedom of speech and press
• More open economy
• Friendlier towards outside world
• During the presidency of Muhammad Khatami
  (1997-2005)

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CITIZENS, SOCIETY, AND THE STATE

• CIVIL SOCIETY
• End of Tehran Spring with presidency of Mahmoud
  Ahmadinejad (2005-2013)
• Newspapers closed
• Books and websites banned and censored
• Peaceful protests and demonstrations not
  tolerated
• Prominent scholars , journalists, opposition
  politicians arrested

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CITIZENS, SOCIETY, AND THE STATE

• POLITICAL PARTICIPATION
• Even though civil liberties and rights are in
  constitution the Islamic Republic severely
  curtails them as they are curtailing civil
  society
• Protests and demonstrations are banned
• Public meetings are banned
• there were student meetings and demonstrations in
  1999, 2002, 2003 calling for an end to religious
  rule thousands arrested
• Factory workers also have demonstrated against
  the government
• With Ahmadinejads rule there has been renewed
  crackdown and security forces have been used to
  put down demonstrations with violence
• Nonetheless, protests for days after 2009
  elections by the Green Movement opposition to
  Ahmadinejad

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CITIZENS, SOCIETY, AND THE STATE

• POLITICAL PARTICIPATION
• 2011 the liberal politicians called for Green
  Movement to march in support of the
  freedom-seeking protests in Egypt and Tunisia
  (the Arab Spring). Government reacted with
  violence
• WOMEN AND THE POLITICAL SYSTEM
• Women are veiled but they dont resent it or see
  it as oppressive as it is seen in the west (its
  use in the region predates Islam)
• They have access to education
• Educated women resent the regime because their
  job opportunities and political right are not
  what they were led to expect
• Sharia law sees women as the wards of their male
  relative

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CITIZENS, SOCIETY, AND THE STATE

• POLITICAL PARTICIPATION
• WOMEN AND THE POLITICAL SYSTEM
• EQUALITY WITH DIFFERENCE the policy of the
  Islamic republic towards women
• Divorce and custody laws follow the Sharia which
  favors males
• Women must wear scarves and long coats in public
• Cannot leave the country without the consent of
  male relatives
• Stoning for adultery has taken place but
  government recently banned the practice
• Women are 33 of the total labor force
• Women are 2.8 of the Majles

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POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS

• Unique political system in the entire world. It
  blends theocracy and democracy
• Characterized by DUALISM - the attempted syntesi
  s between divine and popular sovereignty
  institutions
• Leads to tension between Islam and practical
  governance
• Coexistence of two types of institutions -
  appointed and elected

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Political Institutions of the Islamic Republic

1. Supreme Leader
2. Guardian Council
3. Expediency Council
4. Assembly of Religious Experts
5. President
6. ParliamentMajles
7. Judiciary
8. The ConstitutionHonestly Undemocratic

Theocracy
Democracy
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POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS

• LINKAGE INSTITUTIONS
• What is the most prevalent linkage institution?

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POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS

• LINKAGE INSTITUTIONS
• Political Parties
• Allowed in the constitution but did not develop
  until 1997
• Parties organized around personalities, not
  issues which makes them unstable
• Fall into 2 groups conservative, pragmatists and
  radicals
• Conservatives
• Clerics and politicians who argue for stricter
  social rules
• Call for greater authority to Supreme Leader at
  the expense of elected bodies
• Support market oriented policies (paradoxical!)

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POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS

• LINKAGE INSTITUTIONS
• Political Parties
• Pragmatists
• Accomodating on social issues
• Support economic liberalization and privatization
• Radicals
• Younger revolutionaries and clerics influenced by
  leftist and anti-imperialist policies
• Increased state control of economy to ensure
  social justice
• Active in supporting Islamists struggles in
  Middle East

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POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS

• The Iranian party system reflects FACTIONALISM
• The splintering of the political elites based not
  just on points of view but also on personalities
• Parties are fluid and weak, they cannot influence
  policymaking

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POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS

• ELECTIONS
• Voting age 18 years old
• Vote for Assembly of Religious Experts,
  representatives to the Majles and for the
  president
• Local level elections
• Plurality system, 2 rounds
• All candidates are vetted by the Guardian Council

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POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS

• Majles Elections
• Divided into multimember constituencies
• Largest is Tehran with 30 representatives
• Each voter can write down the names of as many
  candidates as there are seats in a constituency.
• Top vote-getters in each constituency are elected
  provided they receive over 50 of the total vote.
• Second round determines the remaining
  representatives from among the runner-ups.

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POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS

• Presidential elections
• 1980 first ever presidential election
• Victory of a lay Islamist Banisadr
• Impeached by Parliament and deposed by Khomeini
  in 1981
• His successor and prime minister killed by a bomb
  two months later
• The next four elections Khomeini associates
• Result participation went down
• Khatami outsider appealed to those who had
  been humiliated by the regime 1997-2001
• Promised greater cultural openness and personal
  freedom
• 2005 and 2009 elections arch conservative mayor
  of Tehran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
• Some question as to voter fraud allegations
• 2013 elections - Hassan Rouhani

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POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS

• Local elections
• Constitution of 1906 provided for elected local
  government councils but these were never
  constituted.
• Similar provision of the 1979 Constitution first
  put into action in 1999.
• Iranians for the first time went to the polls to
  elect city, town, and village councils.
• Reformists won control over most councils
  stymied by conservatives
• Voters stopped participating.
• December 2006 new elections
• Participation increased Ahmadinejad
  conservatives won only a few seats rebuke for
  the Presidents handling of the economy.

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POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS

• INTEREST GROUPS
• Strong correlation between interest groups and
  political parties
• Ex. Factory workers interest group the Workers
  House part of the Islamic Labor Party
• Few business interest groups because not much
  private business after Revolution of 1979.
• Agriculture, internal trade are privately owned
  but the government controls between 65-80 of the
  economy so that it dominates over private actors

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POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS

• MASS MEDIA
• Took a hard hit after the Revolution
• Over 20 newspapers shut down in 1979, an
  additional 7 in the following 2 years
• 1981 The Majles makes it a criminal offense to
  use pen and speech against the government
• By 2002 a total of 60 reform newspapers were shut
  down
• Radio and television are government-run most
  newspapers and magazines are privately owned
• Despite the restrictions, when Iranian press is
  compared to the press in other countries of the
  region, we find that it has more freedom to
  criticize the government

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GOVERNMENT STRUCTURE

• Iran is a centralized unitary state divided into
  provinces, districts, sub-districts and local
  areas
• Each level of administration is run by elected
  councils but there are also appointed governors
  and regional officials that serve as consultants
  to the elected councils
• Government structure is complex in that it
  attempts to blend theocratic ideals with
  democratic ones.

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GOVERNMENT STRUCTURE

• JURISTS GUARDIANSHIP
• Ayatollah Khomeinis overarching principle that
  gives authority to
• The Supreme Leader
• The Guardian Council
• The Assembly of Religious Experts
• The Expediency Council
• to have all-encompassing authority over the
  whole community based on their ability to
  understand Sharia law and their commitment to
  champion the rights of the people
• All four have broad executive, legislative and
  judicial powers that allow them to supersede all
  other positions and political bodies

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The Supreme Leader

• Highest authority in the Islamic Republic
• Seen as iman of entire community
• Represents pinnacle of theocratic principles of
  the state.
• Ayatollah Khomeini and Ali Khamenei.
• He is the Faqih the leading Islamic jurist to
  interpret the meaning of religious documents and
  shari'a law.
• Links three branches of government together, may
  mediate among them, and is charged with
  determining the interests of Islam

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The Supreme Leader

• Constitution gives Supreme Leader many powers
• Elimination of presidential candidates
• Dismissal of president
• Command of armed forces
• Declaration of war and peace
• Appointment and removal of major administrators
  and judges
• Nomination of six members of Guardian Council
• Appointment of many non-governmental directors,
  such as the national radio-television network and
  semi-public foundations
• Formally, is head of state (president is head of
  government), but the Supreme Leader holds
  ultimate power

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The Guardian Council

• Represents theocratic principles
• Consists of twelve MALE clerics
• Six appointed by Supreme Leader
• Six nominated by the chief judge (judiciary) and
  approved by Majles
• Purpose To ensure that all bills passed by
  Majles conform to shari'a law.
• Has power to decide who can compete in elections.
• They disqualify 100s or even 1000s of candidates
  before each elections for both the Majles and the
  presidential elections.
• Along with Supreme Leader, Guardian Council
  exercises principle of jurist guardianship,
  making sure that democratic bodies adhere to
  Islamic beliefs and laws.

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Assembly of Religious Experts

• 86 member all male assembly directly elected
  every 4 years by people, but whose candidates are
  approved of by Guardian Council
• Given the responsibility of broad constitutional
  interpretationalong with Supreme Leader and
  Guardian Council
• Main Function To select Supreme Leader and has
  power to remove Supreme Leader (after 1989
  reforms).
• In theory, Assembly of Religious Experts had
  power over the Supreme Leader, but since the
  Assembly is chosen by the Guardian Council and
  the Guardian Council is chosen by the Supreme
  Leader, the real power always rests with the
  Supreme Leader.

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The Expediency Council

• A 32 member council for determination of what is
  in the interest of the regime
• Purpose Originally designed to solve disputes
  between Majles and Guardian Council. Now it has
  expanded powers.
• Example Now it can originate its own
  legislation
• Began as council of 13 clerics, now not all are
  clerics but they are appointed by Supreme Leader
• Collectively, they represent the most powerful
  men in Iran.

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The President-The Executive

• Iran does not have a presidential system, so the
  head of the executive does not have the same
  authority as presidents in countries that have a
  presidential system, such as the U.S., Mexico,
  and Nigeria.
• President represents the democratic principles in
  Iran, and functions as the head of government,
  while the supreme leader serves as head of state.
• Directly elected by Iranian citizens every four
  years.
• Limited to two consecutive terms in office,
  though may re-run.
• Must be pious Shia who upholds Islamic principles

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The President-The Executive

• President holds the following powers
• Devising the budget
• Supervising economic matters
• Proposing legislation to the Majles
• Executing policies
• Signing of treaties, laws, and agreements
• Chairing the National Security Council
• Selecting vice presidents and cabinet members
• Appointing provincial governors, town mayors, and
  ambassadors
• The cabinet conducts the real day-to-day work
  over governance.

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Bureaucracy-The Executive

• Under the control of the president, but not
  really
• Has expanded over the years as a source of
  employment (doubled since 1979)
• Made up of government ministries, ex. The
  Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance whose
  job it is to censure the media the Intelligence
  Ministry which is the chief security
  organization, etc.
• The ministries are headed by clerics so the
  bureaucracy is controlled by the religious leaders

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The Majles-The Legislature

• Unicameral, the Majles is comprised of 290
  members directly elected through SMDP.
• In some ways the Assembly of Religious Experts
  has functioned as an upper house since 1989 when
  its membership was increased to 86 elected
  representatives
• Must be Muslims but the Constitution provides for
  five members of Parliament to represent
  Christians (3), Jews (one) and Zoroastrians (one)
• All its bills are subject to the veto of the
  Council of Guardiansgreatly limits power.

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The Majles-The Legislature

• Predates Iranian Revolutionfirst created by
  Constitution of 1906
• Some of the powers of the Majles
• Enacting or changing laws (with approval of
  Guardian Council
• Interpreting legislation, as long as they dont
  contradict the judicial authorities
• Appointing six of the twelve members of Guardian
  Council, chosen from a list drawn up by the chief
  judge (judiciary)
• Investigating the cabinet ministries and public
  complaints against the executive and judiciary
• Removing cabinet members, but not the president
• Approving the budget, cabinet appointments,
  treaties, and loans

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The Judiciary

• Judicial Review does not exist in Iran
• Ultimate legal authority resides in sharia NOT
  constitution.
• Run by Chief Justice who is appointed by Supreme
  Leader for a 5-year term and must be a cleric.
• Under Chief Justice is Supreme Court, highest
  court in the land.
• All judges on Supreme Court must be clerics
  because judicial system is based on shari'a law.
• Two important things to remember about judiciary
• Distinction between two types of law shari'a
  and qanun
• The of principle of jurist guardianship means
  that the Supreme Leader, the Guardian Council,
  and the Assembly of Religious Experts have the
  final say regarding interpretation of law.

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The Judiciary

• Sharia Law
• Islamic law that comes directly from the time of
  Muhammad.
• Foundation of all Islamic civilizationauthority
  goes beyond Irans borders.
• Muslims believe it to be the essence of Muhammad
  himself.
• Purpose Unifying Islamic morals and values
• Foundation of Irans political system Sharia
  law supersedes all other law, thus is foundation
  of Iranian law.
• Jurist Guardianship is a reflection of shari'a
  lawSupreme Leader being the key interpreter of
  this sacred law

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The Judiciary

• Qanun law
• No sacred basisunlike sharia law
• It is a body of statutes made by legislative
  bodies inside Iran
• qanun are passed by the Majles.
• Qanun is law made by the peoples elected
  representatives (as opposed to Sharia that is
  divine law derived from God)
• Qanun must in no way contradict sharia law.
• an important job of the Guardian Council (and
  ultimately the Supreme Leader) is to review
  legislative work of Majles and apply the
  interpretation of sharia to all laws passed.

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The Military

• Regular army, navy airforce in existence since
  the Shah
• According to constitution it protects the borders
• Revolutionary Guards elite military force
  established by Khomeini after the revolution.
  Commanders appointed by the Supreme Leader
• Created to be a parallel force to the regular
  military to avoid the possibility of the military
  acting against the revolution
• It protects the Republic
• Supreme Leader is commander in chief
• Both fought in the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988)
• Basij loosely organized military, formally part
  of the Revolutionary Guards. Accused of brutality
  against demonstrators

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Iran-Iraq War

• The perfect thing for Ayatollah Khomeini
• War National Unity
• Provoked by Saddam Hussein of Iraq
• Allowed the regime to consolidate power by
  calling for national unity in the face of a
  foreign invader
• The war became a means to suppress domestic
  discontent
• US supported Saddam and Iraq with billions of
  dollars of military aide!

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Elite Recruitment

• Under the Shah - small class of educated and
  secular Iranians who demonstrated personal
  loyalty to monarch filled offices
• Shah monitored carefully to avoid the rise of
  potential rivals
• Passive and dependent nature of pol elite
• In Republic, political elites based on
  revolutionary pedigree, independent of class or
  background, thus resulting in younger, less
  cosmopolitan, more provincial and more
  middle/lower-class members
• Elite clergy trained in seminaries in Najaf and
  Qom where Khomeini trained

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Elite Recruitment

• Most elites attended Islamicized universities,
  took part in think tanks, enrolled in IRGC and
  Basij (like Ahmadinejad)
• Regular army, navy and air force havent had much
  influence in politics
• Kinship ties and clientelism marriage is often
  used to cement political alliances and create
  bonds between prominent families
•  

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PUBLIC POLICY

• Laws can originate in many places, not just the
  legislature and can be blocked by many other
  state institutions
• Two most important policymaking institutions are
  the Majles and the Guardian Council with the
  Expediency Council refereeing disputes between
  the two

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PUBLIC POLICY

• ECONOMIC POLICY
• Economics is for donkeys Ayatollah Khomeini
• Disagreements between conservatives and
  reformists
• 2002 bill drafted in Majles by reformers
  permitting foreigners to own as much as 100 of
  any firm (up from 48). Not approved by Guardian
  Council.
• Dualism influence leaders want improved
  standards of living but are afraid about the
  influence of secular prosperity on devout
  practice of Shiism
• OIL made infrastructure development possible
  with the influx of money the RENTIER STATE
• Main problem is the instability of prices world
  market affects the countrys economy

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PUBLIC POLICY

• POPULATION POLICY
• Attempts to bring down the birth rate
• Increase in population after the Revolution as
  large families were encouraged
• Stress on schools and employment
• Clerics approved policies promoting lower birth
  rates
• FOREIGN POLICY
• Ahmadenejad called the holocaust a myth
• He threatened to attack American interests
  everywhere if the US were to attack Iran
• Hostile relationship with US and west
• Member of international organizations (UN, OPEC
  among others

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PUBLIC POLICY

• NUCLEAR ENERGY
• Nuclear program goes back many decades but came
  under scrutiny after 9-11
• President Bush included Iran in is axis of
  evil, countries that threaten the peace of the
  world by developing weapons of mass destruction
• Iran claims that its nuclear program is for the
  generation of power not weapons
• Evidence that they are developing weapons
• Signed Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
• European Union put pressure and offered
  incentives to deal with nuclear issue - failed
  so UN placed economic sanctions in 2006

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Political Socialization

• Educational system
• The military
• Religion and religious institutions
• Mass media
• Family and social groups

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