Political Science

Iran
The Islamic Republic of Iran, formerly referred to as Persia, lies to the west of the vast Asia towards North-East of the Strait of Homuz and the Persian Gulf. These region forms a critical maritime route for the transportation of crude oil. Iraq and the former Ottoman empire of Turkey fall to the west of Iran while to the North are to be found Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan as well as the Caspian Sea. Afghanistan and Pakistan border Iran towards the East (House of Commons Library 2009). Iran has an area coverage of approximately 1,531,595 Km2 which, compared to any western European country, is not large, though much of the country s land mass is a desert. The country s terrain primarily consists of rugged mountainous rims, an elevated central basin with mountains as well as deserts together with little non-continuous plain lands along the coasts of the Persian Sea and Gulf of Persia. The country s climate is primarily semi-arid or completely arid. Along the coast of the Caspian Sea, Iran experiences sub-tropical climatic conditions (House of Commons Library 2009).

The country has a population of approximately 66.43 million people, of whom a significant proportion, eighty nine percent falls within the Shi a branch of Islam that Iran considers its official religion. Nine percent of the population is Sunni while Christians, Jews and Baha i communities constitute the remaining 2. Persia is the most populous ethnic tribe constituting fifty one percent of the entire population. The Azeris form the minority with 24 and occupy northern Iran. Other tribes include Mazandarani as well as Gilaki (8), Kurds who constitute seven percent, Lurs (2), Arabs (3) as well as Turkmen and Balochs (2 each) (Abrahamian 2008).

Persia was governed as a monarchy during the Shah s reign who was an emperor in the sixteenth century under an established national constitution that spelt out a national assembly. Qajar Dynasty ruled over Iran until the nineteen twenties, a period that saw the deposition of the Shah in a military coup that was under the command of Reza Khan, a Cossack officer. Reza Khan acquired his monarchial title Reza Shah Pahlavi and in 1935 he changed Persia s name to Iran. The allied forces unease over claims that insinuated the Shah s backing of Nazi Germany resulted into allied forces occupying Iran in 1941. Consequently, the Shah abdicated power by force in favor of his son Muhammad Pahlavi Shah. The allied forces, both Britain and America, withdrew their troops in 1945 while the former Soviet Union withdrew its forces the following year. The period following the war witnessed increased public pressure that favored nationalization of the country s petroleum industry. Prior to the war, the country s petroleum industry was domineered by the Anglo Iranian Oil Company. Iran s National Consultative Assembly in 1951,  passed a vote to nationalize the oil industry. This policy faced vehement opposition from Britain and other western governments and later, the major campaigner for the nationalization Mohammed Mossadeq, in a military coup organized by British and American intelligence, was deposed.

In the fifties, the Shah asserted his authority whereupon he assumed far reaching dictatorial powers in the 1963 White Revolution. His major opposition came from mass land owners together with the conservative segment of the Islamic clergy who were infuriated by the Shah s policy to redistribute land to small-scale peasants as well as his granting of the right to vote to Iranian women. It was only a matter of time as in 1965, Hassan Ali Mansour, Iran s then prime minister, was assassinated by an alleged supporter of the leader of Shi ite Muslims Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Khomeini vehemently opposed the Shah and as a result of this friction with the shah, Khomeini lived in Iraq in exile.

The prevalent popular dissatisfaction of the Shah s rule diminished during the seventies as the country witnessed an elevated growth of its economy. Towards the end of the seventies, the diminished economic growth this came in part as a result of the discovery of oil in Saudi Arabia, consequently lowering the price of Iran s major export, enhanced increased opposition to the Shah s rule. As such, the increased opposition to the regime came with anti-government go-slows and demonstrations. Ayatollah Khomeini Islamic led group came up as the most vehement, organized and effective. Ultimately, in January 1979, the Shah was forced to go into exile which allowed Ayatollah Khomeini to come back to Iran and assume power. Khomeini set up a provisional government to lead the country. Alongside this government, was a fifteen member Council of Islamic Revolution. Iran was declared an Islamic republic on the 1st of April 1979.

The final political and religious authority rests in the power of the Supreme Leader, generally referred to as Vali-e-faqih. The supreme leader holds the position till death. The Khomeini defined the Supreme Leader as a singular executive whose mastery of Islamic religious practices as well as laws is the basis of his authority (Clawson, 1997). The supreme leader s authority is divine and as such, it is bereft of infallibility. The Supreme Leader is obligated with leading Iran in instances where the twelfth Imam is not present. Shiite Muslims believe that Al-mahdi is the genuine successor to Prophet Muhammad.
Iran s president is only the second highest authority in the country. He acts as the government s chief executive. One of his obligations is to present nominees for cabinet appointment to the Majlis. All candidates for presidency are democratically elected for a term of four years and can only serve for two terms. The country s current president is Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who came into power in 2005 and was controversially re-elected in 2009. In its governance structure the constitution derives a ministerial council, a Supreme National Security Council, a parliament, a Council of Guardians, the Expediency Council, Assembly of Experts as well as the Judiciary (Yonah and Hoenig).

The Iranian Economy was the planet s 22nd largest economy in 1980 but fell to the 39th position in the period between 1994 and 2000. In 2007, as a result of steady economic growth, Iran s economy has been raised ten positions to the 29th position. With a fiscal value of 286 billion dollars, the country s economy is lager than South Africa s and falls below Denmark s (International Monetary Fund 2008).
Iran s foreign policy has been a subject of debate for a long time. Its international outlook in modern times is based on an array of factors with some adding up to its adventurism in foreign affairs while others enhance both caution as well as pragmatism. Over time, adventurism that was enhanced on a platform of revolutionary Islam as well as traditional nationalism that characterized Persia has resulted into confrontation of the Iranian state with almost all neighboring states, Islamic governments together with America and its allies. The country s pragmatism has been as a result of its home instability, economic weaknesses and in recent times, the development of a desirable geopolitical atmosphere for Tehran. The swing between pragmatism and adventurism has been as a result of personalities as well. A whole array of factors has swayed the substance as well as direction of Iran s diplomacy. Among them are five major core factors that are revolutionary Islam, Persian nationalism as well as economic weaknesses and opportunity together with personalities (House of Commons Library 2009, Ehteshami and Zweiri 2007).