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- Title
- CLERICS AND COMMANDERS: AN EXAMINATION OF THE EVOLUTION OF THE IRANIAN REVOLUTIONARY GUARD CORPS' ROLE IN THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF IRAN.
- Creator
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McDowall, Gregory, Sadri, Houman, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Pasdaran, is a unique military institution created to secure the ideals of Iran's revolution as well its territory. Since the end of the Iran-Iraq War, however, the IRGC's role in Iran's political economy has increased significantly beyond that mandate. Unfortunately, the leadership in the United States has demonstrated neither the aptitude nor the desire to understand Iran. Given the IRGC's command of Iran's nuclear development...
Show moreThe Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Pasdaran, is a unique military institution created to secure the ideals of Iran's revolution as well its territory. Since the end of the Iran-Iraq War, however, the IRGC's role in Iran's political economy has increased significantly beyond that mandate. Unfortunately, the leadership in the United States has demonstrated neither the aptitude nor the desire to understand Iran. Given the IRGC's command of Iran's nuclear development program and encroachment into its foreign policy, it is more important than ever to understand Iran's leadership structure. This study attempts to explain an important part of that structure by considering the influence of the leadership dynamics of Iran along with its economic and religious/social conditions on the IRGC's position within the state, using an historical analysis consisting of secondary sources. Accordingly, the IRGC's rise to power can be traced back to the dual sovereignty written into the constitution of the Islamic Republic. Though the divine sovereignty, embodied by the velayat-e faqih (Supreme Leader), is supposed to take precedence over popular sovereignty, embodied by the directly elected President, when the two conflict, Khomeini's successor, Khamenei, a junior cleric, was unable to manage then President Hashemi Rafsanjani. So he empowered the IRGC to compensate, but that choice set into motion a sequence of events that has enabled it to become powerful enough to be a threat to the velayat-e faqih himself.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2011
- Identifier
- CFH0003804, ucf:44773
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0003804
- Title
- Ideology and Influence: Balancing Conservative and Neoconservative Power in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
- Creator
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Corsi, Rachel, Sadri, Houman, Morales, Waltraud, Kinsey, Barbara, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The evolution of the Pasdaran over the past thirty years has brought the group furtheraway from its original role as a protector of the revolution and closer to a parallel, if notcompeting, economic, political and social institution. In the last decade, conflict dominating the political landscape of the Islamic Republic of Iran has shifted from being defined primarily by the Reformists (Islamic Left) and the Conservatives (Islamic Right), to a multi-dimensional struggle between the Reformists...
Show moreThe evolution of the Pasdaran over the past thirty years has brought the group furtheraway from its original role as a protector of the revolution and closer to a parallel, if notcompeting, economic, political and social institution. In the last decade, conflict dominating the political landscape of the Islamic Republic of Iran has shifted from being defined primarily by the Reformists (Islamic Left) and the Conservatives (Islamic Right), to a multi-dimensional struggle between the Reformists, Conservatives, and Neo-Conservatives, represented by theIRGC and President Ahmadinejad. The IRGC's defiance against the authority of the clerics,evidenced by President Ahmadinejad's deteriorating relationship with the Supreme Leader, is an indication of a shift in the sources of influence in domestic and foreign policy making and the necessary attempts of the ruling regime to compensate for its loss of control. It appears that the IRGC may be in a position to seriously challenge the authority of the clerics; however, this research hypothesizes that as the organization has evolved parallel to the velayet-e faqih, it does not have the necessary autonomy or cohesion to effectively usurp the rule of the clerics. This study proposes that the competitive disunity that has propelled the growth of the IRGC over thepast three decades is prohibitive of the collective consolidation of influence necessary to wrest authority from the clerical regime.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2011
- Identifier
- CFE0004095, ucf:49136
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004095
- Title
- RAPPROCHEMENT: THE NECESSARY ENGAGEMENT WITH THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN.
- Creator
-
Tello, Roberto, Sadri, Houman, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
This study examines the decision making process in Washington which led to the current non-existence of political and economic relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States. The study examines the U.S.-Iran relationship at three levels-of-analysis: the individual, state, and system levels. From a geopolitical perspective, Iran and the United States have often been natural allies that pursued similar policy goals. After 9/11, the U.S. entered Afghanistan and Iraq which...
Show moreThis study examines the decision making process in Washington which led to the current non-existence of political and economic relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States. The study examines the U.S.-Iran relationship at three levels-of-analysis: the individual, state, and system levels. From a geopolitical perspective, Iran and the United States have often been natural allies that pursued similar policy goals. After 9/11, the U.S. entered Afghanistan and Iraq which further necessitated the reengagement of Tehran. Iranian regional clout would play a vital role in stabilization of Iraq and Afghanistan and without Iran's assistance; peace will not likely be realized in those states. Amongst the most compelling reasons for Washington to engage in meaningful dialogue with Tehran are: terrorism, the war on drugs, the Iranian sponsorship of militant groups, and Tehran's pursuit of a nuclear program. The study concludes that rapprochement should occur in two phases. The first being cooperation in areas of mutual concern such as the war on drugs. The second phase promoting confidence building methods, which would lead to a strategic partnership based on mutual interests.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2008
- Identifier
- CFE0002379, ucf:47787
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002379
