April 2 – Cleavages and Factions
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Transcript of April 2 – Cleavages and Factions
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?