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The old Persian flag
Stylized script for Allah
Tulip
Double powered sword
Allah akbar is the stylized script on the flag which appears 11
Times inside the green stripe and 11 times inside the red stripe.
11/22 was the date of the 1979 Revolution
67% of population lives in the
Caspian provinces
2nd larges oil producer in the gulf;
4th largest in the world
Indo-Europeans in the distant past
Gave the country its name (Land of
Aryans)
Persian (Farsi) is the language
Iranians are
Arabs
67% of population lives in the
Caspian provinces
2nd larges oil producer in the gulf;
4th largest in the world
Indo-Europeans in the distant past
Gave the country its name (Land of
Aryans)
Persian (Farsi) is the language
Iranians are
Arabs
GDP = $987 Billion
GDP growth = -1.7%
GDP/capita = $12,800
Debt = 19% of GDP
Poverty = 18.7%
Infant mortality = 39/1000
Life expectancy = 71
Iran: Ethnic Groups
Iran: Religions
Languages
Iranian Currency (IRR)
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (1902-1989)
Supreme Leader 1979-1989
Exchange rate: $1 = 10,308
1 billion + adherents (2nd largest)
Means “submission to God”
Five Pillars:
1. “There is only one God, and Muhammad is
is his prophet”
2. Give to charity
3. Pray every day facing Mecca
4. Pilgrimage to Mecca
5. Fast during Ramadan (when God revealed the
Qur’an to Mohammed)
“Followers of tradition”
“Partisans of Ali”
Majority of Muslims worldwide
Less than 10% of Muslims worldwide
Sunnis recognized the early
Dynasties that ruled the Islamic
Empire after Muhammed (d. 632)
Iran is the Shi’a epicenter
Politics, more than religion, has
Caused the schism
Shi’ia believe that after the Prophet died, his
Authority should have been passed on to
Imam Ali
In the absence of the messiah (Mahdi) the
Authority to interpret shari’a should be in the
Hands of the senior clerical scholars
Modern Iran traces back to the Safavid dynasty
(1501-1722). They installed Shi’ism
Leaders called Shah (King)
Qajar Dynasty (1794-1925) gained control after
A series of civil wars.
Qajar mis-rule during and indebtedness to the
West led to a 1906 constitution that included
Elections, separation of powers, a Majles (parliament),
A limited shah, and Shi’ism
Checkmate – from the Persian shah mat – “the king is left helpless”
Political System:
- Mixture of democracy and theocracy
- headed by cleric with title of Leader
Executive
Can be overruled and
Dismissed by chief cleric
Elections held every 4 years
Chooses cabinet members w/ approval of
Majles
Council of Guardians
Legislature:
- unicameral
- 290 seats; elected every 4 years
- bills passed by Majles only become law w/
approval of Council of Guardians
Judiciary:
- Chief Judge and a Supreme Court
independent of executive and legislature
- Appointed by Leader
Me
again!
(1925-1979)
Post-WWII, Muhammad Reza Pahlavi became
The Shah in a constitutional (limited) monarchy
Brits were still heavily involved through the AngloPersian Oil Company
Democratically elected parliament nationalized the
Oil industry
CIA & Britain financed a coup that returned the
Shah to lead an authoritarian state.
- 1953 coup is the origin of Iran’s distrust of the West
- The West retained their oil interests in Iran
- US said they were stopping spread of communism
Armed forces:
- 5th largest military in world and largest navy in Persian Gulf
- SAVAK – Secret Police
Government Control
- Electoral supervisors rigged Majles elections to give the shah
a rubber stamp body
- Shari’a supplanted by a European-style of civil code
- Secularized Islam further by decreeing a Family Protection Law
that conflicted with shar’a law
- Controlled the media, National Iranian Oil Co., Banks
White Revolution (to forestall a Red Rev)
- Land distribution, Literacy drives, etc.
Patron-Client Loyalty Pyramids
- The Pahlavi’s disbursed benefits (pay-offs) to groups in return for
loyalty
• Secularization, centralization, industrialization, and
Social development won favor from urban wealthy
Patrons, but few others
• Disregard for the Constitution and stiffling of any
Opposition created strong resentment among the
Clergy, intelligentsia, and urban masses
• Pahlavi state hovered over, rather than embedded
Into society
Khomeini tapped deeply
Into Iranian Society
Let’s get rid of your outdated
Islamic calendar. On my new royal
calendar, we’re living in the year
2535.
In 1975, the Shah announced the
Formation of the Resurgence Party.
Iran was now a one-party state. Joining
Was compulsory…..or else.
• Cleric in Iraq as exile
• Formulated Shi’a populism/political Islam
- Populism = championing the rights of the
People over the privileged elite.
• Used Islam to articulate resentment
Against the Shah and the “Great Satan”
(Velayat-e faqih)
Divinely appointed guardians of
Both law and the people
• Khomeini injected new meaning into the Shi’a term jurist’s guardianship
Which argued that the senior clergy should have all encompassing authority
Over society
• Only senior clerics had the sole competence to
interpret shari’a
• The clergy can best determine what’s best for the people
Pssst. You don’t have to follow your ideology to
the letter of the law. Alter what you need to in
order to be successful. It’s the pragmatic thing to
do.
New constitution drawn up by Assembly of Experts
- 86 elected members
- Hezbollahis = “Partisans of God”
- virtually all 86 were pro-Kohmeini
Drafted a theocratic constitution granting wide authority to
Kohmeini and clergy in general
Prime Minister Bazargan proposed a French-style Presidential Republic
- Khomeini’s response
Effect of oil prices and Iran-Iraq War
• Oil enabled the shah’s ostentatious-ness but it also
Funded socio-economic development
-
1960-1977 GDP grew 9.6%/year
Land Reform & the White Revolution; attempt to win support of peasantry
Infrastructure improvements
Health & Education improvements
a. Heath reforms tend to lower infant mortality rates
and promote population explosions
b. What happens when there’s a thousand (young)
people in the streets, signin songs, and carryin signs?
TRICKLE DOWN REFORM
•
Benefits stuck at the top of society and no trickle
• Land reform yes, but thousands who received no land or enough
to be productive
• Mid-70s Iran became one of the most unequal countries in the
world in terms of distribution
Created a Dual Society:
a. Modern Sector: headed by elites
connected to the oil industry
b. Traditional Sector: clergy, middle class,
and rural masses
RENTIER STATE
A state that obtains
a lucrative income
by exporting raw
materials or leasing
out natural resources
to foreign companies
Rentier States
Can ignore their tax
base – with little
taxation comes little
representation
RENTIER STATE
• Soon after the
Revolution….
-
Iran’s GDP dropped ½
Population rate doubled
War with Iraq
Per capita income declined 45%
Inflation 20-30%
Real income dropped 80%
Unemployment 20%
Shantytowns developed
• Recent boom in oil prices has helped
Iranian government embark on social
& economic infrastructure
development
RENTIER STATE
• 2nd largest producer in OPEC
• 4th largest oil producer in the world
• 85% of Iran’s exports, 40-50% of
government
income
• Parastatal – National Iranian Oil
Company
Iran is short on oil!
• Employment in the loss-making state- supported
firms of this welfare state is essential to the
regime’s political survival
• Another threat to exports is the growth in
domestic demand. Iranian oil demand is not just
growing, it is exploding, driven by subsidized gasoline
price of 9 cents a liter. This has created a 6% growth
in demand, the highest in the world
First Law of Petropolitics
Khomeini was named Supreme Leader
For life in the Constitution
Khamenei was in Khomeini’s
Loyalty pyramid. For his
Loyalty He was appointed
Head of the Revolutionary
Guard and Served as
President of Iran
After Khomeini’s death, he
Was elevated to Supreme
Leader even though he
Wasn’t a top-level cleric.
Many top-level clerics
Didn’t approve of Khomeini
& Khamanei’s interpretations
Of the Koran
Titles
- “most just, pious, informed,
Brave, and enterprising” of
The grand ayatollahs
- Leader of the Revolution
- Founder of the Islamic
Republic
- Imam of the whole community
Serves for life unless the Assembly
Of Religious Experts finds him
“mentally incapable”
Fills many government posts giving
Him vast patronage power
• Mediator b/w branches
Of government
• “determine the interests
Of Islam”
• “supervise the
Implementation of policy”
• “set political guidelines”
• Eliminate candidates
And dismiss the president
• Commander in Chief
• Nominate and remove
Judges
• Nominates 6 clerics to
Guardian Council
• Huge (like in most authoritarian
States)
- Ministry of Culture and Islamic
Guidance
- Intelligence
- clergy dominate
- Many are technocrats but
religious credentials are more
important
• Charitable bonyad, or foundation
• 2nd largest commercial enterprise in Iran behind state-owned
National Iranian Oil
• 200,000 employees, it owns and operates 350 subsidiary and affiliate
companies and numerous industries including agriculture, industry,
transportation, and tourism
• Operates tax-free
• Supposedly autonomous, but directors are clerics appointed by
Supreme Leader
• Run businesses and use $ for welfare services
Regular army protects
the borders from
external enemies
Chaplains
To oversee
officers
Revolutionary Guard
Protects Iran from
internal enemies
• To break deadlock b/w Majles and Guardian Council Khomeini created
The Expediency Council to resolve conflicts b/w Majles and Guardian Council
- Dominated by clerics
- Leader names its members and determines their tenure
- Meetings now secret
- Can create new laws
• Khomeini introduced into Shi’ism the Sunni concept of maslahat
- Truly Islamic state could safeguard public interest by suspending important
religious rulings
Membership: President, Chief Judge, Speaker of the Majles, top cabinet members,
top generals, jurists from Guardian Council, Directors of State-controlled
TV, radio, and newspapers, heads of the bonyads
Khomeini borrowed the pragmatic concept of Maslahat from
Sunni Islam. An Islamic state could safeguard public interest
By suspending important religious rulings and obligations.
Have a baby and the
government pay you
$950 and put $95 per
year into your child’s
bank account until
he/she turns 18.
2005 Presidential Election
Candidates
1st Round
2nd round
%
Akbar Hashemi Rafsaniani 6,159,453
Mahmoud Ahmadineiad
5,710,354
Mehdi Karroubi
5,086,316
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf 4,075,189
Mostafa Moeen
4,054,304
Ali Larijani
1,740,163
Mohsen Mehralizadeh
1,289,323
21.01 10,046,701
19.48 17,284,782
17.28
13.90
13.83
5.94
4.40
-
Blank or invalid votes
4.17
1,221,940
Total (turnout 62.6% and 59.6%)
663,770
%
35.9
61.6
2.37
2009 Presidential Election
Are these parties or factions?
Interior Ministry issues
Licenses to political parties
• There are many factions and they tend to form
Coalitions for the purpose of elections.
- A faction of Ahmadinejad supporters called the “Sweet
Scent of Service” were part of a larger coalition called
the United Principalists Front
• The names of the coalitions change from election to election
• Party ID is much less important than if you are considered a
reformer or conservative
Only 1 round
Was needed
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Mousavi’s campaign office was torched
Assassination attempt against Khatami
Mobile phones were interrupted in Tehran on election day
BBC (Baha’I Broadcasting Co.) jammed
Facebook blocked\
Election observers barred from polling places
Missing ballots
• 2,000 candidates were banned in the 2008 Majles elections (including
Ayatollah Khomeini’s grandson!)
• 1,600 were disqualified in 2012
• In addition to vetting candidates, they can veto
Legislation passed by the Majles
Majles
District 123
Vote for up to 3 candidates
Akbani
Muhammed
Hosseini
Alladin
Salehi
Tehrani
Jasmine
Guardian Council
Veto Power
• In Iran, districts can be represented by
1-6 people
• Citizens get to vote for any many
candidates as
There are seats
• In Iran, candidates are required to win
25% of the vote.
If no candidate wins a qualified plurality in
the first round,
There is a runoff election a few weeks
later.
Orientation of Candidates
Conservatives
Seats
156
Reformists
39
Independents
31
Elected in second round
59
Religious minorities (Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians
Total (turnout around 50%)
5
290
Both are conservatives, but
Lead different factions
(loyalty pyramids)
Both are conservatives, but
Lead different factions
(loyalty pyramids)
2012 Majles Elections
Conservatives (182)
Reformists (75)
Independents (19)
Religious Minorities (14)
Upper Class:
Pahlavi Family; Court-connected entrepreneurs;
Senior Civil Servants; Military Officers
Middle Class
Traditional
Modern
Clerics
Bazaaris
Small Factory Owners
Commercial Farmers
Professionals
Civil Servants
Officer employees
College Students
Lower Class
Rural
Urban
Landed Peasants
Near landless peasants
Landless peasants
unemployed
Industrial workers
Wage-earners in factories
Peddlers
Unemployed
Highly centralized; unitary state
Provinces = Governor-generals
Districts = Governors
Towns = Mayors
Subdistricts = Lt. Governors
Villages = Headmen
Constitution:
- extends rights to religious minorities (Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians); have 5
seats in the Majles
- rights to non-Persian speakers
- most of these are in theory only
- Constitution is silent on Sunnis and Baha’is (considered heretics)