April 2 – Cleavages and Factions

1. 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

2. 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?

3. 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?

4. 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

5. 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

6. Factions in Iran

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. Presidents of Iran 2009 1981 1997 1989 2005 Khamenei

12. But It’s still not that simple…factions Divide over ISSUES AS Well

13. Public Policy: economy Statists • 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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 Public Policy:Policy-Making Factions

17. Election 2009? • Reformists (Moussavi) v. Hardliners (Ahm) OVERLAP • Pragmatists (Rafsanjani) v. Hardliners (Ahm) AND • Disrupted those who control behind the scenes.

18. 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?