Word: islamicism
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The very way Iran is ruled is now in convulsion. Since the revolution of 1979 brought on the Islamic Republic, Iran has been governed by a power structure that combines unelected clerics with an elected legislature and presidency. Under the revolution's principle of velayat e-faqi or "guardianship of...
Despite clerical restrictions, the country's democratic institutions have been capable of surprising and rebuking the conservative mullahs - as occurred in 1997, when reformist Mohammed Khatami won the presidency by a landslide. But if Khatami's failed reformist tenure highlighted the limits of the power of Iran's presidency, the...
The democratic element of Iran's system has functioned as an important safety valve for clerical rule by creating a managed channel for the release of popular frustrations. But now the Supreme Leader appears to have thrown his weight solidly behind what many are charging is a carefully staged putsch...
Not only was a questionable election result likely to prompt street protests and provide ammunition to hawks in the West, it also affirmed a challenge to much of the Islamic Revolution's established political class. Ahmadinejad branded the entire revolutionary establishment as feckless and corrupt, prompting appeals to Khamenei from...
Not that Iran won't seek agreements with U.S. on areas of conflict that could lead to confrontation. Khamenei may believe that his regime's best hope of survival is keeping his country on a war-footing against an external enemy, but an actual war would be disastrous for the...