DOCSLIB.ORG

Durham E-Theses

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Durham E-Theses Durham E-Theses Organisational Change in Political Parties in Iran after the Islamic Revolution of 1979. With Special Reference to the Islamic Republic Party (IRP) and the Islamic Iran Participation Front Party (Mosharekat) MOHAMMADIGHALEHTAKI, ARIABARZAN How to cite: MOHAMMADIGHALEHTAKI, ARIABARZAN (2012) Organisational Change in Political Parties in Iran after the Islamic Revolution of 1979. With Special Reference to the Islamic Republic Party (IRP) and the Islamic Iran Participation Front Party (Mosharekat) , Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/3507/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 Organisational Change in Political Parties in Iran after the Islamic Revolution of 1979 With Special Reference to the Islamic Republic Party (IRP) and the Islamic Iran Participation Front Party (Mosharekat) “The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without the prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged.” A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy By Ariabarzan Mohammadighalehtaki Durham University School of Government and International Affairs 2011 1 Abstract: The aim of this study is to develop a historical analytical narrative of the development of political parties under the Islamic Republic of Iran, accounting for their organisational structures, ideological evolution and internal distributions of power; to provide an analysis of the change in Iranian political parties after 1979; to examine their intra-party dynamisms of power as well as the developments in the environment of the Iranian parties which stimulated their change. This study gives special reference to the Islamic Republic Party (IRP) and the Islamic Iran Participation Front Party (Mosharekat). Also to address the problem of poor party institutionalisation in Iran after the revolution by examining a combination of factors that have contributed to the disruption of the institutionalisation process in the Iranian political parties such as at the hostility and uncertainty in party environment, the organisational zones of uncertainty in the Iranian political parties and the impact of state on party institutionalisation in Iran. Finally to examine the typological similarities between at least one modern party in Iran (Mosharekat) and some parties in the Western Democracies to understand whether partial similarity in society dimensions such as advancements in technology and the emergence of a new social cleavage map instead of the old social stratification, have resulted in similarities in the party types in Iran and the West. 2 Title Page 1 Abstract 2 Declaration 7 Statement of Copyright 8 Introduction 9 Literature Review and Methodology 11 Change in Party Organisation in Iran After the Revolution 15 Defining Political Party 16 The Sociological Prejudice in Party Definition 16 The Teleological Prejudice in Party Definition 17 Two Types of Teleological Prejudices 17 Why Parties Change? 18 1. Chapter One: The Organisational Order of Political Parties 23 1.1. The Rational Model 23 1.2. The Natural Model 24 1.3. Power, Incentives and Party Organisational Order 25 2. Chapter Two: The Problems of Party Institutionalisation in Iran from Path Dependency Point of View 30 2.1. Party Institutionalisation According to Panebianco 33 2.2. Freedom of Action Versus Organisational Constraints 33 2.3. The Relevance of Historical Institutionalism in a Short-Term Society such as Iran 37 2.4. Has Party institutionalisation Reached a Dead-end in Iran? 44 3. Chapter Three: Party Typology in the Western Democracies 45 3.1. Cadre or Caucus Party 45 3.2. Mass Party 46 3.3. Catch-All and Electoral-Professional Parties 48 3.4. Electoral –Professional Party 50 3.5. Cartel Party 51 4. Chapter Four: The Party Order and the Significance of the Elites in Iran 52 3 4.1. The Significance of the Political Elites in Iran after the Revolution 57 4.2. Does the Behaviour of the Party Elites in Iran Follows a Rational Choice? 60 5. Chapter Five: Social Stratification and The State in Relation to Parties in Iran 61 5.1. The Changing Social Stratification in Iran 63 5.2. The Current Crucial Cleavages in Iran 66 5.2.1. Tehrani-Shahrestani: 67 5.2.2. Centre of the Province-Outer Cities of the Provinces: 68 5.2.3. The City Northerners-The City Southerners: 68 5.2.4. Nationalism-Ethnic Minorities: 68 5.2.5. Secular-Religious: 70 5.2.6.Gender Cleavage: 74 5.2.7. Generational Cleavage 76 5.2.8. Concluding Remarks 78 5.3. The Complexity of the Iranian Political System and its Effects on Partisanship in Iran 79 6. Chapter Six: The Emergence of IRP 85 6.1. Islamic Republic Party: The Genesis 85 6.2. Khomeini’s Support and Patronage of the Party 88 6.3. The Council of Islamic Revolution (CIR) 90 6.3.1. The process of Creating The Council of Islamic Revolution (CIR) 90 6.3.2. The Ages of CIR 93 6.3.3.The Real Decision Makers in CIR 95 7. Chapter Seven: Environmental Uncertainty in The Case of IRP 100 7.1. The Zones of Organisational Uncertainty 101 7.2. The Hostility and Uncertainty in the Party Environment and Organisational arenas in the Post-Revolution Iran 102 7.3. The Critical Junctures of IRP 104 7.3.1. From the Victory of the Revolution to the Resignation of Bazargan 104 7.3.2. The Hostage-Taking Incident and Bazargan’s Resignation 109 4 7.3.3. From Appointing Banisadr as a Member in CIR to His Removal from Presidency 111 7.4. The President and People’s Coordination Office: a Failed Experiment 114 7.5. Concluding Remarks 118 8. Chapter Eight: The Articulation of the Party Ideology in the Case of IRP 119 8.1. The Sources of IRP Ideology 121 8.1.1. The Emergence of Islamomarxism 121 8.1.2. The Enhancement of Islamomarxism in Iranian Politics 128 8.2. The Paradoxical Social Base: Bazaaris and the Mostazafin both Support the Islamic Republic Party 131 8.3. Ideology Education in IRP 135 8.3.1. Mavaze Ma [Our Positions] 136 8.4. Summery and Concluding remarks 138 9. Chapter Nine: Change and Crisis in The IRP 141 9.1. The Bad Influence of the Leftists 144 9.2. The Assassination of Party Leaders and Cadre 146 9.3.The Hostage-Taking Crisis Impact on IRP’s Behaviour Toward other Parties 148 9.4. The Iran-Iraq War 151 9.5. The Obstructive Role of Ayatollah Montazeri 153 9.5.1. Ayatollah Montazeri and Party Politics 155 9.5.2. The Mehdi Hashemi Affair 155 9.5.3.Conflict of Authorities in Isfahan 156 9.6. The Demise of all Rivals 157 9.7. Khomeini’s Interventionism and Arbitrary Rule 158 9.8. Intensification of Left and Right Divisions within IRP 159 9.8.1. Disagreement over the Precedence of Imam Khomeini’s Decrees over the Past Tradition of Islam 159 9.8.2. The Parties within the Party 164 9.8.2.1. Parties that Merged or Formed an Alliance with IRP 165 9.8.2.1.1. Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organisation (MIRO) 165 9.8.2.1.1.1. MIRO, a Historical Background 166 9.8.2.1.1.2. Khomeini Intervention in the Affairs of MIRO 167 9.8.2.1.1.3. MIRO’s Legacy 169 9.8.2.1.2. Islamic Coalition Association: Heyate Motalefeh Eslami 170 5 9.8.2.1.2.1. Party loyalty, to IRP or Motalefeh? 172 9.8.2.1.3. The Combatant Clergy Association (CCA) 175 10. Chapter Ten: Mosharekat As an Incomplete Experience of a Modern Party 178 10.1. Mosharekat the Genesis 182 10.2. President Khatami: I am Not the Leader of the Reformists 186 10.3. Over-Reliance on the Parliamentary Arena 190 10.4. The Crisis of Mosharekat 193 10.5. Adaptation or Domination? Trial-and-Error in Mosharekat Strategies 195 10.6. Mosharekat as a New Party Type 200 Conclusion 205 Appendix 1. 213 Appendix 2. 215 Appendix 3. 216 Bibliography 217 222 Figure 1: Panebianco Ideal Type 29 Figure 2: Sources of Resilience over Time 39 Figure 3. Parties of The Cadre or Caucus Type 46 Figure 4: Comparing Mass Parties with Electoral-Professional Parties 50 Figure 5: A Typology of Secularism 71 Figure 6: Different Narrations of the CIR Members’ Identity 95 Figure 7: The IRP Central Council Members 1983 160 6 Declaration I hereby declare that no portion of the work that appears in this study has been used in support of an application for another degree in qualification to this or any other university or institution of learning. 7 Statement of Copyright The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published in any format, including electronic and the Internet, without the author’s prior written consent. All information derived from this thesis must be acknowledged appropriately. 8 Introduction Mohammad Taghi Bahar(1884-1951), widely known by his title Malek ash-Shu‘ara (Poet Laureate), was a prominent Iranian writer, poet and politician.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • National Security Imperatives and the Neorealist State: Iran and Realpolitik
    Calhoun: The NPS Institutional Archive Theses and Dissertations Thesis Collection 2000-12 National security imperatives and the neorealist state: Iran and realpolitik. Grogan, Michael S. Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School http://hdl.handle.net/10945/7744 ^U^£SCHOou DUDLEY NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL Monterey, California THESIS NATIONAL SECURITY IMPERATIVES AND THE NEOREALIST STATE: IRAN AND REALPOLITIK by Michael S. Grogan December 2000 Thesis Co-Advisors: Ahmad Ghoreishi Glenn E. Robinson Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE Form Approved OMB No. 0704- 0188 Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instruction, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202- 4302, and to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0704-0188) Washington DC 20503. 1. AGENCY USE ONLY (Leave blank) 2. REPORT DATE 3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED December 2000 Master's Thesis 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE: Title (Mix case letters) 5. FUNDING NUMBERS National Security Imperatives and the Neorealist State: Iran and Realpolitik 6. AUTHOR(S) Michael S. Grogan 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) I. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION Naval Postgraduate School REPORT NUMBER Monterey, CA 93943-5000 9. SPONSORING / MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSORING / MONITORING N/A AGENCY REPORT NUMBER 11.
    [Show full text]
  • IRAN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY the Islamic Republic of Iran
    IRAN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Islamic Republic of Iran is a constitutional, theocratic republic in which Shia Muslim clergy and political leaders vetted by the clergy dominate the key power structures. Government legitimacy is based on the twin pillars of popular sovereignty--albeit restricted--and the rule of the supreme leader of the Islamic Revolution. The current supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was chosen by a directly elected body of religious leaders, the Assembly of Experts, in 1989. Khamenei’s writ dominates the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government. He directly controls the armed forces and indirectly controls internal security forces, the judiciary, and other key institutions. The legislative branch is the popularly elected 290-seat Islamic Consultative Assembly, or Majlis. The unelected 12-member Guardian Council reviews all legislation the Majlis passes to ensure adherence to Islamic and constitutional principles; it also screens presidential and Majlis candidates for eligibility. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was reelected president in June 2009 in a multiparty election that was generally considered neither free nor fair. There were numerous instances in which elements of the security forces acted independently of civilian control. Demonstrations by opposition groups, university students, and others increased during the first few months of the year, inspired in part by events of the Arab Spring. In February hundreds of protesters throughout the country staged rallies to show solidarity with protesters in Tunisia and Egypt. The government responded harshly to protesters and critics, arresting, torturing, and prosecuting them for their dissent. As part of its crackdown, the government increased its oppression of media and the arts, arresting and imprisoning dozens of journalists, bloggers, poets, actors, filmmakers, and artists throughout the year.
    [Show full text]
  • IRAN COUNTRY of ORIGIN INFORMATION (COI) REPORT COI Service
    IRAN COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION (COI) REPORT COI Service Date 28 June 2011 IRAN JUNE 2011 Contents Preface Latest News EVENTS IN IRAN FROM 14 MAY TO 21 JUNE Useful news sources for further information REPORTS ON IRAN PUBLISHED OR ACCESSED BETWEEN 14 MAY AND 21 JUNE Paragraphs Background Information 1. GEOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................ 1.01 Maps ...................................................................................................................... 1.04 Iran ..................................................................................................................... 1.04 Tehran ................................................................................................................ 1.05 Calendar ................................................................................................................ 1.06 Public holidays ................................................................................................... 1.07 2. ECONOMY ................................................................................................................ 2.01 3. HISTORY .................................................................................................................. 3.01 Pre 1979: Rule of the Shah .................................................................................. 3.01 From 1979 to 1999: Islamic Revolution to first local government elections ... 3.04 From 2000 to 2008: Parliamentary elections
    [Show full text]
  • Iran: 2021 Presidential Election
    By Nigel Walker 5 July 2021 Iran: 2021 presidential election Summary 1 Background 2 2021 presidential election commonslibrary.parliament.uk Number CBP-9269 Iran: 2021 presidential election Image Credits Iran flag by OpenClipart – Vectors from Pixabay / image cropped. Licensed under Pixabay License. Free for commercial use. No attribution required. Disclaimer The Commons Library does not intend the information in our research publications and briefings to address the specific circumstances of any particular individual. We have published it to support the work of MPs. You should not rely upon it as legal or professional advice, or as a substitute for it. We do not accept any liability whatsoever for any errors, omissions or misstatements contained herein. You should consult a suitably qualified professional if you require specific advice or information. Read our briefing ‘Legal help: where to go and how to pay’ for further information about sources of legal advice and help. This information is provided subject to the conditions of the Open Parliament Licence. Feedback Every effort is made to ensure that the information contained in these publicly available briefings is correct at the time of publication. Readers should be aware however that briefings are not necessarily updated to reflect subsequent changes. If you have any comments on our briefings please email [email protected]. Please note that authors are not always able to engage in discussions with members of the public who express opinions about the content of our research, although we will carefully consider and correct any factual errors. You can read our feedback and complaints policy and our editorial policy at commonslibrary.parliament.uk.
    [Show full text]
  • The Iranian Petroleum & Energy Club
    In the Name of God Proceedings of Iranian Petroleum & Energy Club Congress IPEC 2018 IRIB International Conference Center 16- 18 October 2018 Book Title: Collection of Speeches by the 4th Petroleum & Energy Congress Organization Name: Iranian Petroleum and Energy Club Publisher: Institute of Rooyesh Rahbord Tosee Aria Circulation: 1000 Volumes Pages Number: 412 Print Size: Vaziri Publication Date: June 2019 Editor: Mohammad Sadegh Azimifar Typography and Cover Design: Elaheh Lotfi CopyRight by: (Institute of Rooyesh Rahbord Tosee Aria) The 4th Iranian Petroleum & Energy Club Congress & Exhibition Organizer: The Iranian Petroleum & Energy Club Introduction Iranian Petroleum & Energy Club aims to promote efficiency and sustainable growth in Iranian energy sector by providing demand led policy advice based on professional experience and frontier research. As a professional and nonprofit association, we facilitate knowledge transfer to hundreds of energy executives and young entrepreneurs which help them better understand the financial and management issues that shape the current energy environment in Iran. In collaboration with our network of professional executives, leading academics and field experts, we provide impartial and evidence-based policy recommendations for decision-makers in the energy sector; recommendations which have been successful in addressing some of the most entrenched challenges of Iranian energy sector. We follow out our missions by forming specific workgroups to perform needed researches and to provide specific and general consultancy to these sections and provide strategy, solutions and also to hold strategic meetings, conferences and congresses. We fit to evaluate the issues from a strategic view, to observe, track and to analyze important and influential events in national, regional and global levels.
    [Show full text]
  • Hossein Bashiriyeh CV
    CURRICULUM VITAE Hossein Bashiriyeh University of Syracuse Department of Political Science 408 Maxwell, Syracuse, NY 13266 Office: 315-443-3917 EDUCATION • Ph.D., Political Theory, Department of Political Theory and Institutions, University of Liverpool, England, 1979-1982. • M.A., Political Behavior, Department of Government, University of Essex, England, 1977-1979. • B.A., Political Science, Tehran University, 1972-76. (Obtained government scholarship grant for study abroad as top graduate); • ( Obtained highest grade in Nationwide Examinations for Admission to the Universities in the year 1351/1972) PROFESSIONAL POSITIONS Lecturer in Political Science: University of Syracuse, August 2006- present; Courses taught: Islamism and Islamist Movements Today; Middle Eastern Political Systems; History of Islamic Political Thought; Democratization in the Muslim World; Revolutions in the Middle East: Theory and History; Social Theory and the Middle East (Graduate Course). • Reagan-Fascell Academic Fellow, National Endowment for Democracy; Nov. 2005 to August 2006. (Project: “Preconditions of Democratization”, published in Persian as Transition to Democracy. Vol. II) • Professor, Department of Political Science, Tehran University, 1982-2005. Courses taught at undergraduate and graduate levels: Comparative Political Systems; Comparative Revolutions; Political Sociology; History of 20th Century Political Thought; Theories of Democratic Transitions; Political Sociology of Iran; (Supervision of 26 Ph.D. dissertations) Dean of Curriculum, College of Law and Political Science, Tehran University; 1988-91 PUBLICATIONS English Book: The State and Revolution in Iran (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1984; reprinted in 2011). Persian Books: 1- Revolution and Political Mobilization. (Tehran: Tehran University Press, 1991); 2- Political Sociology: Role of Social Forces in Political Life. (Tehran: Nay Press, 1993); 3- History of Political Thought in the 20th Century [2 volumes]; vol.
    [Show full text]
  • KHERAD-DISSERTATION-2013.Pdf
    Copyright by Nastaran Narges Kherad 2013 The Dissertation Committee for Nastaran Narges Kherad Certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: RE-EXAMINING THE WORKS OF AHMAD MAHMUD: A FICTIONAL DEPICTION OF THE IRANIAN NATION IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 20TH CENTURY Committee: M.R. Ghanoonparvar, Supervisor Kamran Aghaie Kristen Brustad Elizabeth Richmond-Garza Faegheh Shirazi RE-EXAMINING THE WORKS OF AHMAD MAHMUD: A FICTIONAL DEPICTION OF THE IRANIAN NATION IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 20TH CENTURY by Nastaran Narges Kherad, B.A.; M.A. Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Texas at Austin May 2013 Dedication Dedicated to my son, Manai Kherad-Aminpour, the joy of my life. May you grow with a passion for literature and poetry! And may you face life with an adventurous spirit and understanding of the diversity and complexity of humankind! Acknowledgements The completion of this dissertation could not have been possible without the ongoing support of my committee members. First and for most, I am grateful to Professor Ghanoonparvar, who believed in this project from the very beginning and encouraged me at every step of the way. I thank him for giving his time so generously whenever I needed and for reading, editing, and commenting on this dissertation, and also for sharing his tremendous knowledge of Persian literature. I am thankful to have the pleasure of knowing and working with Professor Kamaran Aghaei, whose seminars on religion I cherished the most.
    [Show full text]
  • Philosophy of Power and the Mediation of Art:The Lasting Impressions of Artistic Intermediality from Seventeenth Century Persia to Present Shadieh Emami Mirmobiny
    Maine State Library Digital Maine Academic Research and Dissertations Maine State Library Special Collections 2018 Philosophy of Power and the Mediation of Art:The Lasting Impressions of Artistic Intermediality from Seventeenth Century Persia to Present Shadieh Emami Mirmobiny Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalmaine.com/academic PHILOSOPHY OF POWER AND THE MEDIATION OF ART: THE LASTING IMPRESSIONS OF ARTISTIC INTERMEDIALITY FROM SEVENTEENTH CENTURY PERSIA TO PRESENT Shadieh Emami Mirmobiny Submitted to the faculty of The Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy May, 2018 Accepted by the faculty of the Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts in partial fulfillment of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. COMMITTEE MEMBERS Committee Chair: Ali Anooshahr, Ph.D. Professor, Department of History University of California, Davis Committee Member: Christopher Yates, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Philosophy, and Art Theory Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts Committee Member: EL Putnam, Ph.D. Assistant Lecturer, Dublin School of Creative Arts Dublin Institute of Technology ii © 2018 Shadieh Emami Mirmobiny ALL RIGHTS RESERVED iii “Do we need a theory of power? Since a theory assumes a prior objectification, it cannot be asserted as a basis for analytical work. But this analytical work cannot proceed without an ongoing conceptualization. And this conceptualization implies critical thought—a constant checking.” — Foucault To my daughter Ariana, and the young generation of students in the Middle East in search of freedom. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I owe a debt of gratitude to a number of people, without whose assistance and support this dissertation project would not have taken shape and would not have been successfully completed as it was.
    [Show full text]
  • 13952 Wednesday MAY 26, 2021 Khordad 5, 1400 Shawwal 14, 1442
    WWW.TEHRANTIMES.COM I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 8 Pages Price 50,000 Rials 1.00 EURO 4.00 AED 43rd year No.13952 Wednesday MAY 26, 2021 Khordad 5, 1400 Shawwal 14, 1442 EU welcomes extension Skocic names Iran 29 mining projects Iranian, Russian universities of surveillance deal squad for World Cup ready to go operational launch Iranistica between Iran, IAEA Page 3 qualifiers Page 3 across Iran Page 4 Encyclopedia project Page 8 Zarif holds high- level talks in Azerbaijan TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Iran presidential lineup Mohammad Javad Zarif has embarked See page 3 on a tour of the South Caucasus region amid soaring border tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The chief Iranian diplomat began his tour with a visit to Baku where he met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Tuesday. Continued on page 3 Water projects worth over $185m inaugurated TEHRAN – Iranian Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian on Tuesday inaugurated seven major water industry projects valued at 7.81 trillion rials (about $185.9 million) through video conference in three prov- inces, IRIB reported. Put into operation in the eighth week of the ministry’s A-B-Iran program in the current Iranian calendar year (started on March 21), the said projects were inaugurated in Hormozgan, Fars, and Kurdestan provinces. Continued on page 4 “Ambushing a Rose” published in eight languages TEHRAN – Eight translations of “Ambushing a Rose”, a biography of Lieutenant-General Ali Sayyad Shirazi who served as commander of Ground Forces during the Iran–Iraq war, have recently been published.
    [Show full text]
  • Understanding the Role of State Identity in Foreign Policy Decision-Making
    The London School of Economics and Political Science UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF STATE IDENTITY IN FOREIGN POLICY DECISION-MAKING The Rise and Demise of Saudi–Iranian Rapprochement (1997–2009) ADEL ALTORAIFI A thesis submitted to the Department of International Relations of the London School of Economics and Political Science for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy London, October 2012 1 To Mom and Dad—for everything. 2 DECLARATION I certify that the thesis I have presented for examination for the PhD degree of the London School of Economics and Political Science is solely my own work. The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. Quotation from it is permitted, provided that full acknowledgement is made. This thesis may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of the author. I warrant that this authorization does not, to the best of my belief, infringe the rights of any third party. The final word count of this thesis, including titles, footnotes and in-text citations, is 105,889 words. 3 ABSTRACT The objective of the thesis is to study the concept of state identity and its role in foreign policy decision-making through a constructivist analysis, with particular focus on the Saudi–Iranian rapprochement of 1997. While there has been a recent growth in the study of ideational factors and their effects on foreign policy in the Gulf, state identity remains understudied within mainstream International Relations (IR), Foreign Policy Analysis (FPA), and even Middle Eastern studies literature, despite its importance and manifestation in the region’s foreign policy discourses. The aim is to challenge purely realist and power-based explanations that have dominated the discourse on Middle Eastern foreign policy—and in particular, the examination of Saudi–Iranian relations.
    [Show full text]
  • Iran Preserves the Ethos of the Takeover of the US Embassy in Tehran by Militant Students in 1979
    Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Israel Intelligence Heritage & Commemoration Center (IICC) May 14, 2007 Iran preserves the ethos of the takeover of the US embassy in Tehran by militant students in 1979 The staff of the US embassy in Tehran taken hostage (November 4, 1979, www.iranian.com) 2 1. The capture and release of the 15 British soldiers in Iran1 calls for comparison with the takeover of the US embassy in Tehran by Iranian revolutionary students in 1979, which was a major turning point in Iran’s ideological attack on the US (“the Great Satan”) and the West. 2. Many student leaders responsible for the 1979 takeover have now become senior figures in the Iranian regime, mostly in the reformist bloc.2 Even now, the incident remains widely popular in Iran and is considered one of the formative experiences of the Islamic revolution. Even though the latest incident shows that the Iranians are basically willing to employ such tactics, there is a clear difference: the current regime avoided making use of the incident to inflame the emotions of the Iranians and the rest of the world, and released the hostages within a relatively short time. 3. The ethos of the takeover of the embassy is used by Iran as a deterrent to demonstrate the country’s firm stand against the international community, particularly as stances on the nuclear issue are becoming more polarized. Thus, for example, after Security Council Resolution 1737 was passed,3 President Ahmadinejad gave a speech at the site of the former US embassy in which he condemned the West (December 24, 2006).
    [Show full text]
  • Patterns of Religion and Democracy in World of Muslims
    Volume 3 Issue 1 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES AND June 2016 CULTURAL STUDIES ISSN 2356-5926 Patterns of Religion and Democracy in World of Muslims Parvizreza Mirlotfi Children and Adolescents Health Research Center, Zahedan University of Medical Science, Zahedan, Iran Mohammad Edris Arbabshastan* Iranshahr University of Medical Sciences, Iranshahr, Iran *Corresponding Author Mahin Gholamian MA in political Sciences, graduated from Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran Homa Shiranzaei Islamic Azad University, Baft Branch, Faculty of Humanities – Department of Social Sciences, Iran Abstract The coincidence of arriving the democracy and the familiarity of Muslims with the word of democracy, there has been attempted to define the relationship between Islam and democracy among Muslin scholars. The attempt to define the religion and its nature and to make the balance with the democracy leads to form different interpretations from this relationship. Various examples of the concept of religion and different and conflicting definitions of the democracy have caused that delivering a comprehensive definition of the relationship between democracy and religion to face some problems. Referring to Quran and tradition and assignment of scientific and moral instruction to religion are against the democracy ideals. The emphasis on individual freedoms, public participation in politics, attention to common good and above all the rule of people over people led to form the theoretical and practical conflicts between science and religion and between religion and politics among Muslim thinkers. This article has reviewed the philosophical thoughts of some thinkers of Islam and their views in order to explain the relationship between Islam and democracy and it has proved this hypothesis that the Islamic thinkers have different interpretations and perceptions in dealing with democracy; some perceptions are intrinsic, immutable and inherent and some other perceptions are extrinsic and mutable.
    [Show full text]