APRIL 2 – CLEAVAGES AND FACTIONS

Agenda: Country Briefs Debrief: Rick Steve’s Iran Reading: “At Home…” Cleavages and Political Factions

Homework: Read and be prepared to discuss

articles: “How far will Iran's hardliners go to

stop Rouhani?” “Iran’s First Great Satan Was England”

Take Out: Notebook Country Matrix Pen/Pencil

Goals: Investigate the divisions that

exist within Iran

DEBRIEF: RICK STEVE’S IRAN

Discuss the following questions with your neighbor, and write answers in your notebook: What stood out to you? What social aspects of Iran were addressed? What paradoxical came to light?

Where do opposites exist within Iran? What did you see regarding political culture and participation? What cleavages seem to exist?

READING: “AT HOME, TEHRAN DEALS WITH A RESTIVE ARAB MINORITY”

Read the article “At Home, Tehran Deals With a Restive Arab Minority” and answer the following questions in your notebook: How is Iran’s behavior toward other Arab countries a

“contradiction”? Who are labeled as “terrorists”? What are they fighting for? How does the country deal with these individuals/groups? What major cleavage(s) does the article illustrate? Given the information (and what you already know), what other

cleavages can we assume exist in Iran?

CLEAVAGES

1 – Ethnicity: Closely tied to religion and

language Geographical concerns

(Azeri’s in North)

2 – Religion Constitution “recognizes”

religious minorties Many – especially Baha’i –

have been persecuted

3 – Social Class Lower class tend to support the

regime – social benefits/religion Upper-middle and upper class

largely secularized - critical of clerics Middle class have faltered

economically – disillusioned by the regime

4 – Political Factions Conservatives v. Reformers Theocracy v. Democracy and

secularization

FACTIONS

Iran has dozens of political parties, but they don’t really matter (for our purposes)

Ideologically the government is generally divided into well-established FACTIONS

The struggle among these groups is to decide the question of how an Islamic republic should run

Unfortunately, it’s much more complicated than it sounds

FACTIONS IN IRAN

DIVIDE OVER FACTIONSPublic Policy Making Reformists Conservatives

ECONOMY Free-market Statist

ROLE OF ISLAM in Society Reformists Conservatives

ROLE OF ISLAM within Clerics Quietists Principalists

ECONOMY and POLITICS MERGE for Clerics

Pragmatists Radicals/Hardliners

CONSERVATIVES OR HARDLINERS: KHOMEINI, KHAMENEI, AHMADINEJAD

Recognize Ayatollah Khomeini’s legacy as the true path for the Islamic Republic. Advocate social conservatism in accordance with Islamic Fundamentalism and

Sharia law Believe in heavy state control of the economy Generally eschew flashy materialism and trappings of wealth, seeing these as

related to decadent Western values Embrace anti-Western sentiment and extreme anti-Americanism. Believe that only a divinely chosen few are worthy of leading the Islamic Republic. Enjoy appeal among lower classes, who tend to be more religious and suspicious

of the West. Supported by clerics, the security services, and a merchant class with ties to

powerful clerics known as the bazaari.

PRAGMATISTS: RAFSANJANI This group is slightly more to the Left of the Hardliners, in the

middle of the political spectrum. Tend to celebrate the country’s Persian, pre-Islamic past as a

reference point for Iranian power and stature. Technocratic, embracing modernity and advocating for Iran’s

economic development through private industry, free markets, and economic liberalization.

More internationalist, seeing contact with the West as key to Iran’s development.

Pro-globalization and more realist in foreign policy. Open to some social, political, and cultural liberalization, not as

fearful of Western influences and modernization.

REFORMISTS: KHATAMI, ROUHANI

Also known as the Islamic Left, embracing socialist egalitarian economic policies and more representative government.

Seek to soften government positions on culture and roll back strict Islamic laws regarding dress, speech, and association.

Tend to appeal to educated youth, intellectuals, and women. Believe the secular arms of government should prevail over the

clerical and that the legitimacy of leaders is related to their mandate given by the electorate, not God.

Open to rapprochement with the international community as a path to Iran’s economic development.

FACTIONAL STRUGGLES

Iran’s post-Revolutionary period is divided into eras characterized by leadership of one faction or another: 1979-1981: uncertainty as different factions jockeyed for power 1981-1989: era dominated by Khomeini: conservatism 1989-1997: Rafsanjani: pragmatism 1997-2005: Khatami: reformism 2005-2009: Ahmadinejad: conservatism 2013-present: Rouhani: reformist tendencies… but we shall see Despite these different political eras having existed, at no time since

1979 has the overall hegemony of political, religious, and social conservatives been significantly reduced in Iran.

PRESIDENTS OF IRAN

Rafsanjani

Khatami

Ahmadinejad

Rouhani

1989

1997

2005Khamenei

1981 2009

BUT IT’S STILL NOT THAT SIMPLE…FACTIONS DIVIDE OVER ISSUES AS WELL

DIVIDE OVER FACTIONSPublic Policy Making Reformists Conservatives

ECONOMY Free-market Statist

ROLE OF ISLAM in Society Reformists Conservatives

ROLE OF ISLAM within Clerics Quietists Principalists

ECONOMY and POLITICS MERGE for Clerics

Pragmatists Radicals/Hardliners

PUBLIC POLICY: ECONOMYStatists Government active

role Policy goals include:

Redistribute land Redistribute wealth Eliminate

unemployment Finance Social

Welfare Programs Price restrictions on

Consumer goods

Free-marketers Similar Market

principles to the US Liberal Economic

Policies Remove price

controls Lower business

taxes Encourage private

enterprise Balance the budget

NOTE: Both factions are aligned in limiting the power of the democracy

PUBLIC POLICY: CLERICAL ROLE IN ECONOMY AND POLITICS

Pragmatists Traditionalists Non-fanatic Islamic

Republic – “politics corrupt faith”

Free market, foreign trade, private property

Improve relations with the west

Bazaari ties Rural landowners

Radicals Hardliners Extreme supporters

of Islamic Revolution Redistribute wealth Greater role in

economy Opposed

reconciliation Younger more

militant clerics Enhance social

justice

HOW THEY PLAYED INTO THE POPULACE 1997 – Khatami calls for greater democracy – Reformists begin

Led by intellectuals and young people Tehran Spring – political liberalization, more open economy, opening of civil

society 1999 – University protests, hundreds arrested and killed 2004 – Hardliners Strike back

reformists banned – elections boycotted Election 2005

Rafsanjani and Ahmadinejad Rafsanjani suffered from being unable to organize reformist vote

behind him

PUBLIC POLICY:POLICY-MAKING FACTIONS

Conservatives principles of

regime Against

modernization Wary of west Support right of

clerics to run the political system

Reformists international

involvement with West

Political leaders do not have to be clerics

Less supervision of society

Fewer powers to Guardian Council

Open elections

ELECTION 2009?

Reformists (Moussavi) v. Hardliners (Ahm)OVERLAP

Pragmatists (Rafsanjani) v. Hardliners (Ahm)

ANDDisrupted those who control behind the

scenes.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Discuss the following with your partner, and then write a response in your notebook:What impact does this factionalism have on the

people of Iran?How do you think they react to the changes that

take place as a result of these struggles?