Sovereignty,+Authority,+and+Power

By: Jackie Ciotti
=Political Culture, Communication, and Socialization=

Political Culture is characterized by

 * Authoritarianism, NOT totalitarianism- The leaders of Iran were "all-powerful" but in reality, people really followed local officials and led their own lives within civil society.
 * Union of political and religious authority- In ancient Persia, politics=religion. Under the Qajar monarchy, the two types of authority were separated. The Revolution of 1979 molded the two back together again.
 * Shiism and Sharia as central components- 90% of Iranians are Shitte, which links them to their theocratic government. The sharia (Islamic law) is a source of legitimacy that the modern government emphasizes.[[image:http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L4pkfLFKMuk/TVagdanQ8tI/AAAAAAAAAI4/7IoFfG1hpsI/s1600/AsiaColonization_map_01.jpg width="320" height="268" align="left" caption="This map shows European claiming various lands as their own "colonies". Note how Iran (Persia) mostly escaped this fate; this shapes their political culture today."]]
 * Escape from European colonization- Iran was never colonized by Europe; as such, it was never impacted by the culture compared to countries in Asia, Africa, and South America.[[image:http://www.mprugs.com/images/persian_rugs/persian_rugs_1211.JPG width="192" height="144" align="right" caption="Many Persian influences, such as this Persian rug, reflect Iran's current political culture"]]
 * Geographic limitations- Most people in Iran live in cities and in the northwest, where the most arable/livable land is located
 * Influence of ancient Persia- Iran still retains many of their ancient Persian customs and other cultural habits (architecture, literature, art) that shape their nationalism and distinguish them from their neighboring countries.

Communication is characterized by

 * Press- privately owned and reflects a diversity of political and social views, controlled by a special court that has authority to monitor to monitor the print and suspend licenses of papers if they publish anti-religious material, slander, etc. There are however, certain freedoms that papers are allowed to enjoy, provided they do not cross these boundaries.
 * Telephone-not as advanced as Western countries, currently being modernized and brought to villages, rural areas, etc.
 * Internet- Iran became the second country in the Middle East (in 1993) to be connected to the internet and is currently modernizing connections to it, though blocks websites of its choosing (facebook, etc.) . Iran also has been developing a "national internet" since 2005 to "improve control over its content as well as speed".
 * Radio/TV- the state decides and controls almost all info that goes out on radios/tv's
 * An important feature in communication is Iran's telecommunications industry. This is an almost entirely state-owned company dominated by the Telecommunications Company of Iran, and it basically has a monopoly over Iran's communications infrastructure.

Socialization is characterized by
=Nations and States= =Supranational Governance= =Sources of Power= ===The President=== ==The Supreme Leader==
 * Patriarchy- Iran's population believes heavily in the idea that men are the head of the house, the government, the religious hierarchy, etc.
 * Religion- Over 90% of Iranians are Shiite and practicing religion is of the upmost importance in their daily lives, as well as their foreign policies and worldviews.
 * Class- There are various classes in Iran: the peasantry, the lower middle class, the upper middle class, the rich. The former two are usually homogenous in their views and tend to heavily favor religion as a major contributor to the government. The latter two are more secularized in their mindset and tend to be more critical of the clerics/their control on society.
 * Iran considers itself to be part of the Nation of Islam
 * There are no states in Iran, merely districts and provinces
 * The United Nations (UNESCO, UN Mission, UNCTAD, UNIDO, FAO)
 * The World Bank
 * The World Trade Organization
 * World Health Organization[[image:http://sitfu.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/nukes.jpg width="423" height="237" align="right" caption="An important global issue concerning Iran is its evolving nuclear department. Click on the giant mushroom cloud for more information." link="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/iran/nuclear_program/index.html"]]
 * OPEC (Organization for Petroleum Exporting Countries)
 * Coalition for the International Criminal Court
 * International Finance Corporation
 * International Monetary Fund
 * Elected by universal suffrage, term is four years, can serve no more than eight years
 * Can choose members of cabinet, presents legislation to parliament, and is entrusted with the task of upholding the constitution and coordinating government decisions
 * Power is diluted when compared to other countries because of the supreme leader
 * The current President is Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
 * Regarded as Iran's most powerful political figure
 * Acts as a trustee of the community by supervising politics and ensuring that laws conform to Islam
 * Can overrule or dismiss the presidnet, appoint the head of the judiciary and half the members of the Guardian Council, and appoint the top echelons of the military all in the name of upholding the Islamic state
 * Supreme leader used to be the highest-ranking Shi'ite cleric; now anyone can be Supreme leader so long as they are an established member of the clergy and enough people acknowledge you to be the Supreme leader
 * The current Supreme leader is Ali Khamenei

Council of Guardians

 * 12 members (6 clerical members appointed by supreme leader and 6 lay members/lawyers who are recommended by head of the judiciary, subject to approval of parliament)[[image:http://images.wikia.com/wikiality/images/b/b6/Iran_Guardian_Council.jpg align="right" caption="Members of Iran's Council of Guardians"]]
 * Has veto power over any legislation passed by the parliament that they deem to be at odds with Islam (shares this power with the supreme leader)
 * Decides who can run in local, presidential, parliamentary, and Assembly of Religious Experts elections
 * Each member serves six-year terms

Assembly of Religious Experts/Majles-e Khebregan

 * 86 members (no females allowed)[[image:http://aceproject.org/electoral-advice/archive/questions/images/iran-parliament.jpg width="359" height="252" align="right" caption="Iran Parliament"]]
 * Drafted the 1979 Constitution
 * Evaluates the performance of the supreme leader
 * Popular elections, though mostly made of of clerics (this is because candidates must pass a religious knowledge examination to be eligible)

Iranian Parliament/Islamic Consultative Assembly/Majles

 * 290 deputies elected by direct and secret ballot for four year terms
 * Interesting note: fewer and fewer clerics elected to the Majles (37% drop between 1980-200) this is hypothesized to reflect Iranian political sentiment

Council for the Expediency of the State/Expediency Council

 * 2 dozen political personalities who make up the heads of the three branches of government, the six clerical members of the Guardian council, and those appointed by the supreme leader
 * Resolves any policy disputes in a way that best serves the interest of the entire system
 * Advises national leaders on matters of grave national importance
 * 3-year terms

Judiciary
=*for more information, please see political institutions= =Constitutions= Iran's first Constitution was the [|Constitution of 1906]. This resulted from Iran's Constitutional Revolution, which took place between 1905 and 1907. Said revolution limited the power of the royal Qajar family and began to usher in the "modern era". The Constitution of 1906 was written by Ismail Mumtaz; he divided it into five chapters with various articles that established features seen below. On August 5th, 1906, Mozafar o-Din Shah of Qajar dynasty was forced to acknowledge the Constitution.
 * Most controversial of the three branches of government
 * Governed by two types of law: 1) Sharia- the foundation of all Islamic civilazation, and, 2) Qanun- a body of statutes made by legislative bodies

Features of the 1906 Constitution

 * Direct Elections
 * Separation of powers
 * Laws made by an elected legislature
 * Popular Sovereignty
 * Bill of Rights
 * Retention of the Monarchy, creation of a strong legislature to balance power (this new assembly called the Majles)
 * Shiism declared the official state religion, and only Shiites could hold cabinet positions
 * Guardian Council of clerics created

The Constitution of 1906 was followed and amended, but currently the population of Iran follows the words of [|the Constitution of 1979]. This document arose from the [|Islamic Revolution of 1979]. This revolution has been called the last of the great modern social revolutions, such as France and Russia. Such turmoil was created by Mohammad Reza Shah, the pro-Western authoritarian (or as some thought, totalitarian) leader of Iran. The shah created a strong oppression with his "White Revolution", where he created many administrative, economic, and social reforms in the 1960's. The shah also created the SAVAK to enforce his rulings. Many become upset with the changes, but one that the population regarded as most controversial by the population was the Shah's attempt to undercut the public importance of Islam. Eventually, the shah's actions pushed the population into two groups; on one side there was the shah and the upper-middle class who valued the current liberal regime. On the other side there was the lower classes and clergy, who valued religion. The Constitution of 1979 was adopted on October 24th, 1979 and went into force on December 3rd, 1979. (It was revised partially ten years later, in 1989.) This Constitution is described by some as a "hyrbid of authoritarian, theocratic, and democratic elements". There are various articles that highlight the importance of these qualities throughout said document. One of the biggest differences between the 1906 and 1979 Constitutions is the emphasis placed on religion in the latter, further emphasizing the now-current theocratic state.

What sparked the Revolution?

 * 1) A 10% decline in oil prices in the late 1970's, as well as a 20% rise in consumer prices[[image:http://www.marxist.com/images/stories/iran/mass_demonstration79.jpg width="535" height="363" align="right" caption="A massive demonstration during the Revolution of 1979"]]
 * 2) American pressure on the shah to lift restraints on the opposition

Who composed the opposition?

 * 1) The urban poor
 * 2) The moderate middle classes concerned with political freedoms
 * 3) The leftist opposition, including Marxists
 * 4) The bazaar merchants
 * 5) The clergy as a moral focal point

What happened?

 * 1) Demonstrations and strikes beginning in 1978-1979
 * 2) Eventually a period of "dual sovereignty" emerged- some areas loyal to the shah, others loyal to the opposition
 * 3) Later the shah's armed forces declared they were neutral and wouldn't defend the regime; this was the end for the shah

What was unique about the Revolution?
=Types of Economic Systems= The economy of Iran was very advanced in the Middle East until the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (that made growth slow down). The Iran-Iraq war, high unemployment, and inflation also contribute to a slow-moving economy. Currently, Iran has a centrally-planned economy that focuses on =State Building, Legitimacy, and Stability= After years of Revolution, Iran is currently operating under a theocratic government that for the time being is stable and legitamate. However, there are ever-constant forces that pressure such stability. They are =Belief Systems as sources of Legitimacy=
 * 1) The first revolution in which dominant idealogy, forms of organization, and leadership cadres were religious in form and aspiration
 * 2) The first modern revolution that has led to the establishment of a theocracy
 * 3) The only modern social revolution in which the peasants and rural guerillas played a small role
 * [[image:http://scm-l3.technorati.com/11/12/06/58015/Iranian-Oil.jpg?t=20111206071313 align="left" caption="Oil is a massive part of Iran's economy; the country contains about 10% of the world's reserves"]]Oil and Gas
 * Mining
 * Telecommunications
 * Environment
 * Religion- Most Iranians consider themselves to be Shi'ites and there is often conflict with other religious minorities. One of note are those of the Baha'i faith, whose members have been heavily persecuted. Other religious minorities of note are Christians and Jewish populations.
 * Ethnicity- Ethnicity is closely tied to religion, however there is still often conflict. 51% of Iran consider themselves Persian and they speak Farsi as their first language. 24% are Azeri, 8% are Gilaki and Mazandarani, 7% are Kurds, and 3% are Arabi.
 * Social Class- There are differing views based on class. Please look above to Political Culture, Communication, and Socialization
 * Reformers vs. Conservatives- Reformers want to infuse some amount of secularization into their government; Conservatives want to keep the theocratic regime of present as it is.

Religion is a large part of the Iranian Belief system
=Governance and Accountability= The Government of Iran is held accountable to the state as well as to Islam. The surrounding countries of the World hold Iran accountable for some of Iran's foreign policies/actions that affect areas around the world.
 * Velayat-e faqih ("jurist's guardianship")- This was developed by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who argued a modern Islamic state should be overseen by those familiar with Islamic theology and law, which really meant the upper ranks of the Shi'ite clergy.[[image:http://iranpoliticsclub.net/cartoons/iran1/images/Students%20&%20Theocracy_gif.jpg width="440" height="329" align="right" caption="This political cartoon shown above describes recent ideological tensions in Iran. Young, usually well-educated professionals are questioning if theocracy is the best form of government. "]]
 * Theocracy- Iran today is dominated by the idea that a theocratic government (a "molding" of religion and government) is best

Sources: "Persian Constitution of 1906." //Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia//. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. . "Persian Constitutional Revolution." //Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia//. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. . "Mozaffar Ad-Din Shah Qajar." //Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia//. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. . /, Charles Kurzman. "THE IRANIAN: History, Iranian Constitutionalism and the U.S., Charles Kurzman." //Iranian.com | Nothing Is Sacred//. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. . "Historic Personalities of Iran: Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi." //Iran Chamber Society//. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. . "Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran." //Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia//. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. . "Iranian Constitution." //History Department, Hanover College//. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. . "Communications in Iran." //Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia//. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. . "Iran: Membership in International Organizations." //:: Pars Times | Greater Iran & Beyond//. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. . "FAO Country Profiles - Iran (Islamic Republic Of)." //FAO: FAO Home//. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. . "Economy of Iran." //Independence Day Celebration//. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. . All images courtesy of Google Images