iran modified from mr. caroddo’s education website at
TRANSCRIPT
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Iran
Modified from Mr. Caroddo’s Education Website at http://caroddoapclasses.com/id4.html
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ISLAM
FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM
Declaration of Faith (“There is no God but God [Allah] and Muhammad is his messenger”)
Prayer (5 times a day)
Alms to the poor
Pilgrimage to Mecca (once in one’s lifetime)
Fasting during the holy month of Ramadan.
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1953 Coup
In 1953, the Shah, with the support of the CIA, overthrew the democratically elected prime minister, Mossadegh
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Pahlavi – “White Revolution”
“White” to counter influence of “red” communists
Land reform – government bought land from large absentee owners and sold it to farmers at affordable prices
Encourage agricultural entrepreneurship with irrigation canals, dams, & tractors
Women’s rights (secularization) Suffrage Restricting Polygamy Women allowed to work outside the home
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Pahlavi - OIL & the Rent-seeking state
Iran transformed into rent-seeking state under Pahlavi’s because of increasing income from oil Rentier Economy: heavily supported by state expenditure,
while the state receives “rents” from other countriesIran received increasing revenue from exporting oil
and leasing oil fields to foreign countriesAlthough shah promoted import substitution
policies by 1979 oil & associated industries provided 97% of foreign exchange and majority of Iran’s GNP
Oil revenue became so great government did not have to rely on internal taxes to generate income, paid expenses from oil profits The people become unnecessary to the government in a
rentier state
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OIL
Abandoned gas pumps in a U.S. city 1973 Line at gas station in the U.S. 1979
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OIL
Highway in Tehran Oil Refinery in Tehran
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SOURCE OF U.S. OIL IMPORTS
Oil Production 2004Million Barrels per Day
Former Soviet Union 9.1 Saudi Arabia 8.8 United States 5.4 Iran 3.9 Mexico 3.8 China 3.3 Norway 2.9 Venezuela 2.7 Iraq 1.5
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Khomeini, Fundamentalism, & Revolution
Islamic Fundamentalism Literal interpretation of Islamic texts Social conservatism Political traditionalism
Resentment towards elites, US, and the Western world US was the “Great Satan”
Velayat-e faqih (jurist’s guardianship) Senior clergy given authority over entire Shi’ia
community
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Khomeini & the Islamic Republic
Clerics consolidate powerPopular support for regime high
World oil prices rise again, allowing for social programs, improvements in medicine & housing
Iraq invades Iran, people rally around the government Charisma of Khomeini inspired faith in the government
Khomeini dies in 1989, constitution amended Ali Khamenei succeeds Khomeini, does not have the same
political charisma as the Ayatollah Iran/Iraq war ends in 1988, country war-torn Oil prices drop in 1990’s Population begins to question authoritarian rule of the
clerics
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IRAN-IRAQ WAR(1980-1988)
Iraqi PresidentSaddam Hussein
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OIL
Khuzestan Province – Iran-Iraq War1980-1988
Iraq’s Invasion of Kuwait – Gulf War1991
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Constitution of 1979
Document & 40 Amendments (Some added in 1989)
Mixture of theocracy and democracyPreamble reflects importance of religionVelayat-e faqih (Jurist’s guardianship)Gave broad authority to Khomeini and the
clerics
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Constitutional Amendments of 1989
On April 24, 1989, while on his death bed, Khomeini appointed a 25-member Reform Council (first Assembly of Religious Experts) to appoint his successor and amend the constitution
Khomeini died in June 1989 The council named Ali Khamenei as Khomeini’s successor and
made several amendments to the constitution
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Amendments of 1989
They eliminated the need for the Supreme Leader to be a marja, or senior cleric, Khamenei was not a marja
Eliminated the post of Prime Minister Created the Supreme National Security Council Increased the size of the Assembly of Religious Experts
to 86 members Gave Assembly of Religious Experts authority to meet
once a year & determine if Supreme Leader was “mentally & physically” capable of carrying out their duties
Made the Expediency Council a permanent institution Constitution amendments approved by Iranian
voters in national referendum with 97% yes vote on July 28, 1989
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Religion
89% of Iranians are Shi’a Muslims
10% are Sunni Muslim The constitution does not mention Sunnis and their legal
status is therefore unknown1% are combination of Jews, Christians,
Zoroastrians, and Baha’i Constitution recognizes rights of religious minorities, many
religious minorities have left country since Islamic Revolution
Baha’i considered unholy offshoot of Islam and they have been persecuted by Shi’ite governments.
Baha’i leaders have been executed, imprisoned, tortured, their schools closed and property confiscated
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Political Culture
Authoritarianism (not totalitarianism) – leaders claim to be all powerful, but do not interfere with every aspect of the citizens lives
Union of political & religious authorityShi’ism & Sharia – key components of everyday life
Escape from European Colonialism and Western influence
Influence of Ancient Persia
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Women & the Political System
“Equality-with-difference” policy – instituted by the Islamic Republic slants law favorably towards men on issues such as divorce and custody Women must wear scarves and long coats in public Women can not leave country without consent of male relatives Women can be stoned for committing adultery
Women allowed to get education in Iran and entrance into some occupations Expectations for better jobs and increased political rights among
educated women Half of college students in Iran are women Women make up 27% of the labor force
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WOMEN IN IRAN
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ISLAMIC DRESS CODES
Hijab (Head Scarf)Worn in the West and Iran
ChadorIran
AbayaSaudi Arabia
BurqaAfghanistan
JilbabIndonesia
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Political Parties
Islamic Coalition Party- conservativeAlliance of Builders of Islamic Iran – member of
the conservative alliance, party of current president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who secured office in presidential election of 2005
Islamic Society of Engineers-conservativeExecutives of Construction
Party-centrist/reformist
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Elections
Citizens over 15 allowed to vote until 2007In 2007, eligibility age for voting changed
to 18National elections held for the following:
Assembly of Religious Experts Representatives to the Majlis President
Elections to Majlis and President are by plurality, winner-take all Elections are done over two rounds First round narrows field down to 2 candidates
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Iranian Presidential Election - 2009
Only 4 candidates out of 476 men & women who applied were approved by Guardian Council
Election held on June 12, 2009 with incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad running against three challengers:
Mir-Hossein Mousavi Mohsen Rezaee Mehdi Karroubi
Turnout was unexpectedly high, well over 50% and polls had to be kept open until midnight
Ahmadinejad announced as winner the next morning with 62% of vote to Mousavi’s 34%
Protest immediately erupted (the Green Revolution) in favor of Mousavi and claiming election fraud
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Election of 2009
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Iranian Presidential Election
June 14, Mousavi files formal appeal of results with Guardian Council
June 15, Supreme Leader Khamenei announces investigation of electoral results
June 16, Guardian Council announces it will recount votes, however, Mousavi states that 14 million ballots were missing, allowing for a chance to manipulate the results
June 29, Iran’s electoral board completes partial recount, and concludes that Ahmadinejad won the election – this leads to more protests
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Interest Groups
Islamic Association of Women Green Coalition Workers’ House
Interest group for factory workers, have a political party as well, Islamic Labor Party
Hold a May Day rally every year, turned into protest in 1999 against conservative policies to water-down labor laws
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Velayat-e faqih (Jurist’s guardianship)
The principle instituted by Khomeini of overarching authority for different government institutions: Supreme Leader Guardian Council Assembly of Religious Experts Expediency Council
This authority is all-encompassing and is over whole community based on their ability to understand shari’a and their commitment to champion the rights of the people
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Supreme Leader
Position created for Khomeini, currently held by Ali Khamenei
Powers of Supreme Leader: Elimination of presidential candidates Dismissal of the president Command armed forces Declares war & peace Appointment and removal of major administrators and judges Nominates six members of Guardian Council Appoints many non-governmental directors, such as radio/TV and semi-
public foundations
Responsibilities of Supreme Leader: faqih – he is the leading Islamic jurist to interpret shari’a and religious
documents Links three branches of government together “Determining the interests of Islam”
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IRAN’S GOVERNMENT
PRESIDENTSSUPREMELEADERS
Ayatollah Khomeini(r. 1980-1989)
Mohammed Khatami (r. 1997-2005)
Ayatollah Khamenei(r. 1989-present)
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad(r. 2005-present)
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GRAND AYATOLLAH ALI KHAMENEI
(Supreme Leader 1989-present)
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Guardian Council
12 members All Male 6 members appointed by Supreme Leader 6 members nominated by chief judge, approved by Majlis Serve 6-year terms
Responsibilities They represent theocratic principles within the government Review bills passed by Majlis to ensure they conform with
shari’a Guardian Council and Supreme Leader together exercise principle
of jurist’s guardianship (Make sure all democratic bodies adhere to Islamic laws & beliefs)
Power to decide who can compete in elections
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Assembly of Religious Experts
Expanded in 1989 to an 86 man houseDirectly elected by the people8 year termsMembers originally required to have seminary
degree equivalent to a master’s, 1998 revision now allows non-clerics to stand for Assembly – candidates still subject to approval by Council of Guardians
Responsibilities Broad constitutional interpretation Elected Khomeini’s successor (Khamenei) Reserve right to remove supreme leader
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Expediency Council
Created by Khomeini Main purpose to “referee” disputes between the Guardian
Council and the Majlis Exerts authority over executive, legislative, & judicial
branches of gov’t 1989, Expediency Council passes some bills, and is
institutionalized by constitutional amendments Currently consists of 40 permanent members It may originate its own legislation Not all members are clerics Appointed by Supreme Leader for five-year terms Collectively most powerful men in Iran
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President & the Cabinet
Iran is not a presidential system, therefore the executive branch does not have the same authority as presidents in presidential systems such as U.S., Mexico, and Nigeria
President does represent highest official representing democratic principles in Iran
Chief executive, highest state official after Supreme Leader Directly elected every 4 years for a maximum of two terms Constitution still requires the president to be a Shi’ite and
uphold Islamic principles There have been six presidents of the Islamic Republic since the
Revolution, three have been clerics.
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MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD
(President 2005-present)
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President’s Power
Devising the BudgetSupervising economic mattersProposing legislation to the MajlisExecuting policiesSigning of treaties, laws, and agreementsChairing the National Security CouncilSelecting deputies and cabinet ministersAppointing provincial governors, town
mayors, and ambassadors
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Semipublic Institutions
Usually called “foundations” (bonyads), an Islamic charity organization
Foundation of the Oppressed Martyrs Foundation Foundation for the Publication of Imam Khomeini’s Works
Foundations are tax exempt Reputed to have a great deal of wealth Most property they supervise was confiscated from
pre-1979 elite
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Legislature: MAJLIS
Unicameral legislatureCreated by Constitution of 1906, however
Constitution of 1979 and 1989 amendments weakened the Majlis power
290 seatsAll directly elected through single member
districts by citizens over 18 years old
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Majlis Authority
Powers of the Majlis Enacting or Changing Laws, qanun (with approval of
Guardian Council) The constitution uses the term qanun (statutes) rather than sha
r ’ia (divine law) to avoid the question of whether laws come from God or the people
It accepts the rationale that God formulates divine law (shar’ia), but elected representatives can draw up statutes (qanun)
Interpretation of legislation (as long as it does not contradict judicial authorities)
Appointment of 6 of 12 Guardian Council members from list made by chief judge
Investigation of the cabinet ministers and public complaints against the executive and judiciary
Removal of cabinet ministers, but not the president Approval of budget, cabinet appointments, treaties, & loans
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Majlis elections
Election of 2000 (6th Majlis) Reformists fill seats
through coalition of reformist parties (Khordad Front)
Reformists win 80% of the vote, most secular voters whose parties were banned supported the reformists.
Participation was over 70% of the electorate
Election of 2004 (7th Majlis) Guardian Council bans
thousands of reformist candidates
Overwhelming victory for conservatives
Control of the Majlis flips from the reformists to the conservative faction
Many Iranians were disappointed in failure of Khordad Front to initiate reforms
Participation of the electorate dropped to around 50%
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2008 Majlis Elections
The 2008 elections for the 8th Majlis turned into a repeat performance of 2004
The Guardian Council, assisted by the Interior Ministry, disqualified more than 3,000 potential candidates, including some of the leading reformers who held seats in the 7th Majlis
The conservatives, led by Ahmadinejad’s Principalist’s Party, took 190 seats, although many were critical of Ahmadinejad’s populist rhetoric
The reformers, mostly supported by Khatami’s Islamic Iran Participation Front and Rafsanjani’s Servants of Reconstruction, took 40 seats
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Judiciary
Distinction between two types of law: sharia & qanun
Judicial review does not exist in IranPrinciple of jurist’s guardianship means that the
Supreme Leader, the Guardian Council, and the Assembly of Religious Experts have final say regarding interpretation of law
Ultimate legal authority does not rest in the constitution, but in sharia law itself
Because interpreting shari’a is difficult it has been applied in different ways at various times
Because of Ayatollah Khomeini’s approach, interpretation of shari’a came to be the standard that would influence all succeeding Iranian leaders
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Islamic Republic Islamicized the judiciary code to interpret shari’a
strictly Retribution Law
Permitted families to demand “blood money” – compensation to the victim’s family from those responsible for someone’s death
Mandated the death penalty for actions such as adultery, homosexuality, drug dealing and alcoholism
Set up unequal treatment between men & women, and Muslims & non-Muslims
Banned interest rates on loans, viewed as usury, which means lenders take advantage of people seeking loans
Judiciary
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Law & Justice
Khomeini realized that despite the influence of sharia judges, the regime did need a centralized judicial system to tend to matters of justice in an orderly manner
The interpretation of sharia was broadened so that the harsh penalties of the Retribution Law are rarely carried out
Modern methods of punishment are more common than harsh public retribution
Regime retained the shah’s court structure Appeals system Hierarchy of state courts Central government’s right to appoint and dismiss judges
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Military
Revolutionary Guard – established by Khomeini after the revolution, a parallel military force to the shah’s traditional armed forces that were the 5th largest at the time
Commanders of the Revolutionary Guard are appointed by the Supreme Leader
According to the constitution, the regular army defends the borders, the Revolutionary Guard protects the republic
Both were greatly strained during the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980’s
Basij – volunteer militia of those to young to serve created during Iran-Iraq War. Martyred by Khomeini against the invading Iraqi troops After the war they became the Supreme Leader’s private militia Currently serve as the Islamic Republic’s “morality police” (Comparable to Hitler Nazi
Youth)
Iran’s armed forces currently have over 500,000 active troops making it the 8th largest military in the world
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Theocratic & Democratic Elements of Iran’s Government Structure
StructureStructure
•Supreme LeaderSupreme Leader
Theocratic Theocratic CharacteristicsCharacteristics•Jurist guardianship; Jurist guardianship; ultimate interpreter of ultimate interpreter of sharishari’’a; appointed for a; appointed for lifelife
Democratic Democratic CharacteristicsCharacteristics
•Guardian CouncilGuardian Council •Jurist guardianship; Jurist guardianship; interpreter of shariinterpreter of shari’’a; a; six members selected six members selected by the Supreme by the Supreme LeaderLeader
•Six members Six members selected by the Majlis; selected by the Majlis; which is popularly which is popularly elected, indirect elected, indirect democratic tiedemocratic tie
•Assembly of Assembly of Religious ExpertsReligious Experts
•Jurist guardianship; Jurist guardianship; interpreter of shariinterpreter of shari’’aa
•Directly elected by Directly elected by the peoplethe people
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Theocratic & Democratic Elements of Iran’s Government Structure
StructureStructure
•Expediency CouncilExpediency Council
Theocratic Theocratic CharacteristicsCharacteristics•Appointed by the Appointed by the Supreme Leader; Supreme Leader; most members are most members are clericsclerics
Democratic Democratic CharacteristicsCharacteristics•Some members are Some members are not clericsnot clerics
•MajlisMajlis •Responsibility to Responsibility to uphold shariuphold shari’’aa
•Directly elected by Directly elected by the people; pass non the people; pass non religious lawsreligious laws
•JudiciaryJudiciary •Courts held to shariCourts held to shari’’a a law; subject to the law; subject to the judicial judgments of judicial judgments of the Supreme Leader, the Supreme Leader, Guardian CouncilGuardian Council
•Court structure Court structure similar to those in similar to those in democracies; democracies; ““modernmodern”” penalties, penalties, such as fines and such as fines and imprisonmentimprisonment
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Public Policy:Policy-Making Factions
Conservatives Created by often
contradictory influences of theocracy & democracy
Conservatives uphold principles of regime established in 1979
Against modernization because it threatens Shi’ism
Wary of western influence Political & religious
decisions should be one in the same
Support right of clerics to run the political system
Reformists Believe political system
needs reform (but disagree on what reforms)
Advocate some degree of international involvement with western countries
Believe Shi’ism is important basis of Iranian society
Support idea that political leaders do not have to be clerics
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Public Policy:Policy-Making Factions
Statists Government should take
active role in the economy
Not necessarily communists
Policy goals include: Redistribute land Redistribute wealth Eliminate unemployment Finance Social Welfare
Programs Price restrictions on
Consumer goods
Free-marketers Similar market principles
to the US, but in a theocratic/democratic state
Liberal Economic Policies Remove price controls Lower business taxes Encourage private
enterprise Balance the budget
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NUCLEAR WEAPONS
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NUCLEAR POWER:Peaceful or Aggressive Intentions?
Energy
Demand for energy outpacing supply
Reserve of oil for export
Technical developments
Permitted according to terms of the NPT
Weapons
Iran has enough natural gas
Aggressive rhetoric of Iran’s President, Ahmadinejad
Secret construction of nuclear power plants
Relations with terrorist organizations
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FUTURE
Iran’s government may be losing legitimacy
Iranians are Muslim, support religious rule.
Tension with the West continue.