The Political Ideology of Ayatollah ʿali Hosseini Khamenei
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Out of the Mouth of the Leader: The Political Ideology of Ayatollah ʿAli Hosseini Khamenei, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Islamic Studies by Yvette Hovsepian Bearce 2013 © Copyright by Yvette Hovsepian Bearce 2013 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Out of the Mouth of the Leader: The Political Ideology of Ayatollah ʿAli Hosseini Khamenei, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran by Yvette Hovsepian Bearce Doctor of Philosophy in Islamic Studies University of California, Los Angeles, 2013 Professor Leonard Binder, Chair The political ideologies of Ayatollah ʿAli Hosseini Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran, are identified and analyzed based on 500 speeches (1989-2013), 100 interviews (1981-1989), his biography and other works published in Iran. Islamic supremacy, resistance to foreign powers, and progress are the core elements of his ideology. Several critical themes emerge that are consistently reflected in the formation of his domestic and foreign policies: America, Palestine, Israel, Muslim unity, freedom, progress, the nuclear program, youth, and religious democracy. Khamenei’s sociopolitical development is examined in three critical phases: In Phase I, prior to the revolution, he is seen as a political activist protesting for an Islamic government; factors shaping his early political ideology are evaluated. Phase II examines Khamenei’s post- ii revolutionary appointments and election to president; he governs the country through the eight- year Iraq-Iran war. After the death of the father of the revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini, Khamenei enters into Phase III when he assumes the office of supreme leadership; internal and external issues test and reveal his political ideologies.
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