Iran: a revolutionary republic in transition in republic a revolutionary Iran: This Chaillot Paper examines recent domestic developments in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The volume presents an in-depth assessment of the far- reaching changes that the Iranian state and Iranian society have undergone since the 1979 revolution, with a particular focus on the social and political turmoil of the past five years. IRAN: It is clear that in many ways the Islamic Republic is in the throes of a transition A REVOLUTIONARY REPUBLIC where many of its fundamental tenets are being called into question. Profound and ongoing internal transformations in Iranian society already affect the country’s foreign policy posture, as some of its domestic and external issues IN TRANSITION converge and will most likely continue to do so. Pertinent examples are the nuclear issue and the socio-political upheaval in neighbouring Arab countries. Edited by Rouzbeh Parsi Edited by Rouzbeh Parsi, the volume features contributions from five authors who are all specialists in various aspects of Iranian politics and society. Each Edited by Rouzbeh Parsi by RouzbehEdited Parsi Chaillot Papers | February 2012 author explores some of the most crucial variables of the Iranian body politic. Their focus on distinct dimensions of Iranian society and culture casts light on the changes afoot in contemporary Iran and how the political elite controlling the state respond to these challenges. ISBN 978-92-9198-198-4 published by phone: + 33 (0) 1 56 89 19 30 ISSN 1017-7566 the European Union fax: + 33 (0) 1 56 89 19 31 QN-AA-12-128-EN-C Institute for Security Studies e-mail: [email protected] doi:10.2815/27423 100, avenue de Suffren www.iss.europa.eu PAPER CHAILLOT 75015 Paris - France 128 128 CHAILLOT PAPERS BOOKS In January 2002 the Institute for Security Studies (EUISS) became an 127 120 2010 QUELLE DÉFENSE EUROPÉENNE autonomous Paris-based agency of the European Union. Following an EU Council Dec 11 THE EU-US SECURITY AND JUSTICE Apr 10 NUCLEAR WEAPONS AFTER En 2020 ? 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Nov 10 L’UE ET L’AFRIQUE : LES DÉFIS Judy Batt, Vojin Dimitrijevic, Claude-France Arnould, DE LA COHÉRENCE Florence Hartmann, Dejan Jovic, Juha Auvinen, Henri Bentégeat, Damien Helly Tija Memisevic and Nicole Gnesotto, Jolyon Howorth, Jelena Obradovic-Wochnik; F. Stephen Larrabee, Tomas Ries, 122 edited by Judy Batt and Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, Oct 10 ViOLENCE POLITIQUE ET PAIX Jelena Obradovic-Wochnik Stefano Silvestri, Alexander Stubb, DANS LE MONDE ARABE Nuno Severiano Teixeira, Abdallah Saaf 115 Álvaro de Vasconcelos, Avr 09 MAGHREB : VAINCRE LA PEUR Alexander Weis and 121 DE LA DÉMOCRATIE Richard Wright; Sep 10 CHINA’S FOREIGN POLICY DEBATES Luís Martinez edited by Álvaro de Vasconcelos; Zhu Liqun preface by Javier Solana IRAN: A REVOLUTIONARY REPUBLIC IN TRANSITION Farideh Farhi, Azadeh Kian, Rouzbeh Parsi, Evaleila Pesaran, Paola Rivetti; edited by Rouzbeh Parsi CHAILLOT PAPERS February 2012 128 Acknowledgements The editor would like to thank the authors for their valuable work, and the two peer reviewers, Esra Bulut-Aymat and Sabine Fischer, for their contributions to enhancing the quality of this Chaillot Paper. In addition he owes a great debt to Gearóid Cronin and Sabine Fischer for all their insights and help, which went far beyond the call of duty. Institute for Security Studies European Union Paris Director: Álvaro de Vasconcelos © EU Institute for Security Studies 2012. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the EU Institute for Security Studies. ISBN 978-92-9198-198-4 ISSN 1017-7566 QN-AA-12-128-EN-C doi:10.2815/27423 Published by the EU Institute for Security Studies and printed in Condé-sur-Noireau (France) by Corlet Imprimeur. Graphic design by Hanno Ranck in collaboration with CL Design (Paris). Contents Executive Summary 5 Introduction: Iran at a critical juncture 9 1 Rouzbeh Parsi History of a Republic 10 Factionalism and networks 10 Rewriting the revolutionary ethos 14 The nuclear issue as foreign policy 17 The way forward? The EU, Iran and the international community at a crossroads 20 Factional politics and the Islamic State 23 2 Farideh Farhi Introduction 23 The Islamic Republic’s evolving factional politics 25 Repercussions of the 2009 presidential election 26 Reshaping of the factional politics of the Islamic Republic? 29 Conclusion 38 Challenges facing the Iranian economy 41 3 Evaleila Pesaran Introduction 41 The economic system of the Islamic Republic 42 Post-war economic programmes 45 Policies under Ahmadinejad 48 Conclusion: looking to the future 58 Gendered citizenship and the women’s movement in Iran 61 4 Azadeh Kian Introduction 61 The legal status of women under the Shah and in the Islamic Republic 62 Patriarchy and modernity 63 Women’s press: a forum for social activities 68 Gender-conscious readings of Islamic laws and traditions and feminist social struggles 69 The persistence of patriarchy 74 Conclusion 78 Contents Student movements in the Islamic Republic: shaping Iran’s politics 5 through the campus 81 Paola Rivetti Introduction 81 Historical background: student politics and the revolution 82 Universities as the site of power and factional struggle 87 Politics from abroad? The post-2009 electoral crisis, migration and regime stability 95 Conclusion 97 Annexes 101 A About the authors 101 Abbreviations 103 Executive Summary This Chaillot Paper examines recent domestic developments in the Islamic Republic of Iran. It presents an in-depth assessment of the profound changes that the Iranian state and Iranian society have undergone in the past three decades, with a particular focus on the last tumultuous five years. In its exploration of this theme it not only shows the growing rift between the official discourse and self-image of the ruling elite and the society they govern, but also highlights the fact that external observers have many misperceptions about Iran. As is often the case, now that public protests and demonstrations of dissent following the controversial presidential elections in 2009 have died down, there is a perception that the ruling elite have re-established control over society. While this may be the case in the sense of the regime having a monopoly on state violence and control of the public space, there are several important ongoing trends in Iran that warrant a closer look at societal developments in the immediate and medium-term future.