Sovereignty, Authority, and Powa Team China

Political Culture, Communication, and Socialization Multi-faceted political culture characterized by: Authoritarianism, not totalitarianism- Central political leaders did not control all lives, people were accustomed to paying attention to local officials or leading own lives Union of political and religious authority- Except for during rule of Qajars (1794-1925) Shiism as central components- 90% of Iranians identify themselves of Shiite which links citizens to gov Escape from European colonization- Iran never officially colonized by Europeans during imperialist era Geographic limitations- Much of land space unusable for agriculture, so population is unevenly distributed, with most people living in cities The influence of ancient Persia- Persian cultural habits remained after Arabs invaded Iran Strong sense of Iranian nationalism

Sources of Power -Stephen Authoritarianism Union of political and religious authority Shiism and sharia 90% of Iranians identify as Shiite Sharia, Islamic law, important source of legitimacy and power Strong Iranian nationalism Stronger sense of identity than most arab countries Most likely identify as Iranian first, and Muslim second

Types of Economic Systems- Claire Political and economic changes have taken many courses over Iran’s long history Natural resources have been both detrimental and beneficial for the economy A lack of arable land has meant that agriculture base of the empire was never secure geographical location has caused Iran to emphasize trade by land, so when world commerce turned to sea- based power at the beginning of the 26th century, Iran was marginalized Greatest natural resource is oil-- caused Iran to prosper Safavids-- implemented serious economic restraints b/c geographical location caused inability to participate in trade Qajars -- sold oil drilling rights to Britain and borrowed heavily from European banks to cover expenses and economic unrest due to these loans led to the constitution of 1906 Pahlavis-- transformed into a rentier state, which is heavily supported by state expenditure, b/c of increasing amount of income from oil.

Belief Systems as Sources of Legitimacy Religion became the unity that survived despite invasion and domination Shiism established as the state religion in the 16th century Belief that leadership should be hereditary and that the true heirs were descendants of Muhammed, Islam’s founder The heirs- “imams”- continued to rule until the 9th century until the “Hidden Imam” Iran stood alone as a Shiite state among Sunni nations Ismail, founder of the Safavid Empire, gave political legitimacy to the belief that the Hidden Imam would return Ayatollah Khomeini was seen as protector of faith that unites religion with power of the state Constitution of 1979 reflects importance of religion toward legitimacy and reiterated the concept of the return of the Hidden Imam Islamic law, Sharia, binds the citizens

Governance and Accountability - alexis emily D The highest power lies with the Supreme Leader (Rahbar) of the Islamic Revolution, currently Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei. ... According to the Constitution, the Islamic Republic of Iran is a republic with separation of powers among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. Iranians elect the president and parliament every four years Assembly of leadership every eight under fierce scrutiny by guardian council Assembly of leadership authorized to dismiss leader Majles approve national budget, draft legislation, and ratifies international treaties Five seats for minorities