IRAN By Maddy Rosencrance Vocabulary: Chador-­‐ full body wrap that most Iranian women have to wear Fundamentalism-­‐ religious beliefs that often lead to righter political views Image of the Enemy-­‐ psychological concept that focuses on one’s adversary Islamicists-­‐ Muslims that believe faith should dominate politically Guardianship of the Jurists-­‐ leaders that are able to rule in Muslim society Shah-­‐ names of the rulers before the revolution in 1979 Sharia Law-­‐ civil law in certain countries such as Iran Assembly of Experts-­‐ body that has veto power over all decisions. Elected. Appoint Supreme leader Constitutional Revolution-­‐ 1906, first attempt to bring democracy to Iran Expediency Council-­‐ designed to smooth decisions between communities in the highest levels Guardian Council-­‐ theological body for political purposes. Can actually impeach supreme leader. Approves who can run for Majlis and president Majlis-­‐ only part of the legislature in Iran (unicameral). Based on population and there are 28 different constituencies SAVAK-­‐ intelligence service under the shah. Their job was security… to kill those who oppose the shah Second of Khordad Movement-­‐ political party to support reform efforts of president, Khatami Shiite-­‐ Muslim section, usually seen as more militant. Dominating in Iran Sunni-­‐ Muslim section, usually seen as more moderate. Majority of Muslims in Islamic nations Supreme Leader-­‐ title given to the ayatollah who sits at the top of all political institution. The first SL was Khomeini White Revolution-­‐ war between the end of WWII and the downfall of the Pahlevis Axis of Evil-­‐ statement by George W. Bush that claimed Iran, Iraq and N Korea were evil Role of President-­‐ to run government and works alongside the supreme leader Important People: •
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Pahlevi Dynasty-­‐ father and son who ruled Iran for most of the 20th century until the revolution in 1979 o Reza Khan is was the first Pahlevi shah in Iran. He wanted to modernize, but that wasn’t really looked at as a positive thing because of cultural reasons. He looked to secularize… meaning that he wanted to separate religion and state. He also supported the Nazis. o Mohammed Reza was the second and last Pahlevi shah deposed in 1979. Khomeini (1981)-­‐ led the Islamic Revolution and unionized political and religious interests of Iran o Got rid of other political parties and provided cheap oil. Khomeini was also president AND supreme leader… he was right and conservative. He was the first supreme leader in Iran Rafsanjani (1989)-­‐ second president of Iran after the revolution in 1979 o Middle. Rafsanjani was the “economic guy”. He strongly wanted to improve the economy. This was difficult because of sanctions. During his election, he surprisingly won 95% of the votes. Khatami (1997)-­‐ president from 1997-­‐2005 and strongly believed in reform and democracy o Middle. Tried to be a reformer. Khatami was very interested in women’s rights and to free the press. Ahmadinejad (2005)-­‐ president from 2005-­‐2013 o Ahmadinejad was Theocratic, Authoritarian, and conservative. He had said that the “holocaust never happened” and that there are “no gays in Iran”. He was to the right side and was extremely inflammatory. Rouhani (2013)-­‐ current president of Iran o Middle. Khamenei-­‐ second supreme leader since the death of Khomeini Mossadeq-­‐ previous prime minister of Iran o Democratically elected in 1953. Overthrown in 1954 by the United States because he had the idea of nationalizing the country’s oil… Which is 7% of the world’s untapped oil. This happened because if they had nationalized their oil, their economy would have improved, but it would hurt ours. He was replaced when we put the shah back in power. Branches: •
Executive Branch: o Chief of state is the supreme leader and they can be impeached by the Guardian council. The supreme leader is appointed by the Assembly of Experts and can be power for life. He also has veto powers and control over the media along with control of the military. The current supreme leader in Iran is Ali Khamenei. •
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Legislative Branch: o Iran has a unicameral legislature which is called the Majlis. The Majlis is made up of 290 people who are, as stated before, elected and from 28 different constituencies (voting districts) based on population. They serve 4-­‐year terms. Judicial Branch: o The Supreme Court is also known as Iran’s highest court. They are appointed but the head of Supreme Judicial Council and then are consulted with the judges of the Supreme Court. The chief of the court is appointed with a 5-­‐year term. People under the judiciary branch enforce the law along with the sharia law too, of course. They are also in charge of prosecutions and punishment of criminals. Economics: •
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The major export in Iran is oil. As before, Iran is known for having 7% of the world’s untapped oil… with that, Iran would be considered a rentier state GDP per capita is about $12,000 per year. Inflation in Iran is about 15% Majority of young people are unemployed The state controls about 80% of all businesses in Iran… partly because it states it must be that way in the constitution itself Sanctions are a huge part of the stunt in economic growth Women make up only 10% of the workforce today Social: •
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Although Sunnis account for the majority of Muslims in Islamic nations, Shiites dominate in Iran The standard of living in Iran is considered lower for most Iranians Islam is the dominating religion (98%) Major ethnic groups include Persians, Kurds, Baluchis, Turks, Arabs, the Lurs and Azeris Women are usually looked down on and many laws of the Sharia law are targeted towards them including their body exposure. More women than men attend college In divorce, men get the children because, generally, women cannot support them Literacy rate in Iran is around 77% Other Important Information: •
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The US and Iran worked together in 1986 during the Iran-­‐contra affair Hostages were taken by Iran for 444 days, so in the Iran-­‐Iraq war, we helped Iraq The Constitutional Revolution was an attempt for democracy in 1905 that only lasted until about 1911. A new set of freedoms and rights were created. Shah ended it Clerics have a lot to do with economic policy Sassani started the “Shah” name Iranians have more pride in their region rather than country Presidential candidates can win without a runoff election by 25% of votes, Majlis by 50%