Iran: a revolutionary republic in transition (original) (raw)
Related papers
The Dynamics of Change in Iran
The Dynamics of Change in Iran, 2017
• The 1979 Revolution brought Islam to the forefront by embracing it as the governing ideology, as well as the premise of directing the public space. • Since 1979, Iran has been subject to various sanctions which in time became an integral part of its socio-political life and became the defining pillar of these spheres to a certain extent. • The internationally-imposed sanctions brought the Iranian socio-economic life to the brink of stagnation; a situation that has mounted enormous pressure on the policy makers. This forced the Iranian political elites to sign a deal on Iran’s nuclear Project by breaching many of the redlines formulated by the Supreme Leader. • The obstinacy of the Western states to halt Iran’s nuclear project at every cost, and Iran’s determination to obtain nuclear capacity, defined the course of Iran’s relations with the West for a long time. • Iranians are divided into two camps about the nuclear deal. While some are supportive of the agreement for the sake of normalization of Iran’s foreign relations, others are frustrated by the compromises given to the West. • The dual structure of education in Iran not only fails to offer solutions to educational problems but also deepens them. As top religious education institutions are concentrated in just a few cities, most the population receives education at modern schools scattered throughout the country. • The Islamic Republic facilitated the rise of the new middle class through its structural economic reforms. One day, this growing middle class may potentially pose an existential threat to the existing system. Thus, how to ensure a successful translation of the popular demands to the political arena remains to be a fundamental concern for Iranian politicians.
The author analyzes the history of the Islamic Republic of Iran, its changing balance of power, debates, and wider meaning. He suggests that this comprises an ongoing experiment in the attempt of Muslims to find some system which combines tradition and religion with stability and material success. The emerging situation is one in which President Muhammad Khatami is simultaneously president and leader of the opposition. There is a lively debate among Iranians and Islamists in other countries about the proper course to seek and the appropriate mix of secularism and democracy for their societies.
Transformation of the Iranian Political System: Towards a New Model?
2001
The author analyzes the history of the Islamic Republic of Iran, its changing balance of power, debates, and wider meaning. He suggests that this comprises an ongoing experiment in the attempt of Muslims to find some system which combines tradition and religion with stability and material success. The emerging situation is one in which President Muhammad Khatami is simultaneously president and leader of the opposition. There is a lively debate among Iranians and Islamists in other countries about the proper course to seek and the appropriate mix of secularism and democracy for their societies. The history of the Iranian political system since the early days of the revolution might be called a "transformation process." An analytical study of this experience can provide clues on the system's future shape. The revolutionary elite, operating under the heavy impact of the shi'a legacy concerning the legitimacy and authority of political relations, created an ideological...
Iran 2013-2015: In the midst of change
Iran has gone through great changes in the past two and a half years. After Hassan Rouhani’s election in June 2013, the country has reached a deal with the P5+1 (the permanent five members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany) that promises to bring an end to the twelve-year old dispute over its nuclear program. Consequently, Iran has managed to improve its international ties, engaging in direct talks with the United States, resuming diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom, and attracting an increasing number of political and trade delegations to Tehran from all over the world. In the aftermath of the nuclear agreement, Iran has then focused on regional issues and, by securing a seat at the Syria peace talks in Vienna, has been recognised as «part of the solution» to solving current crises in the Middle East. This successful record on foreign policy issues, however, has not been matched by developments on the domestic front. Despite rising expectations by the Iranian populations after Rouhani’s advent to power, particularly with regard to political and social freedom and to the improvement of the economic situation of the country, the current government has not managed to achieve its stated goals. Starting from these premises, the present chapter explores the major changes introduced by Rouhani and his Cabinet in the past two years in the social, economic, political, and diplomatic sphere. In so doing it addresses the complexities of Iran’s political system and power hierarchy, most notably the relation between President Rouhani and the Supreme Leader Khamenei, the impact of the nuclear deal on the domestic front, the frustrations voiced by the reformists, and the recent hardliners’ attempted comeback to the Iranian political scene.
Routledge, 2021
In this chapter, I try to provide a general map of the most critical social, cultural, religious, and political thoughts in Iran over the past 43 years. To do this, I have distinguished thoughts from movements and attempted to follow the thoughts to wherever they became influential movements. I have followed the current social, cultural, religious, and political thoughts in Iran not just abstractly, but also as they have been manifested in terms of social and cultural embodiments such as institutions and communal activities. In other words, I have not just limited myself to the ideas provided by the thinkers, but have also followed these ideas through their social lives and explained them by referring to the leading institutions and movements that promoted these ideas, as well as the foremost thinkers who elaborated upon them. Meanwhile, I have judged their successes and failures in relation to their objectives, ambitions, and goals. Therefore, this chapter analyzes Iranian thought through the social meanings that actually appeared and were maintained in Iranian society.