AP Comparative Government- Iran
Iran-Iraq War
1980-1988, more than 500,000 were killed when Saddam Hussein invaded Iran
Khordad Front
80% of the Majles House in 2000 election, for reform but essentially banned in the election of 2004 so the conservatives could win
Assembly of Religious Experts
86-man house, elected every 4 years, requires some type of leadership in the Islamic church, directly elected as of 1989, the most powerful group of men in Iran (an unofficial upper house)
Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran
Abadgaran, a political party that is the majority... conservative
Muhammad Reza Shah
Became shah in 1941, fled in 1953 after Mosadeq was elected the PM, MI5 and CIA led overthrow to reinstate the Shah
qanun
Body of statues made by legislative policies, passed by the Majles and have no sacred meaning, temporal laws that cannot contradict sharia law
axis of evil
Bush's quote regarding Iran, Iraq, and North Korea
Powers of the Majles
Enacts or changes laws, interprets legislation, appoints six members of the Guardian Council, investigate public complaints
Pahlavi
Group of shahs in the 20th century who tried to secularize Iran
Safavid Empire
Iranian kingdom (1502-1722) established by Ismail Safavi, who declared Iran a Shi'ite state
Ayatollah Khomeini
Man who led the Revolution of 1979 back to the Shi'ite government, unifying political and religious interests into an anti-American theocracy
jurists guardianship
Term for the principle that leaders have authority over all the people; Khomeini claimed that clerics have authority over the entire community
Majles
Unicameral house in the Iranian legislature, directly elected with 209 seats, created in 1906 and validated in Constitution of 1979
theocracy
a government ruled strictly by religion
Stuxnet
a virus that targeted the uranium enrichment facility in Nantaz, Iran; source of the virus is unknown, but likely started by the US or Israel, caused computers to burn and lose all their information
Ali Khamenei
curent Supreme Leader of Iran
Expediency Council
defers disputes between the Majles and Guardian Council
Powers of the President
develops the budget, proposes legislation, comes up with policies, signs treaties and laws, chairs the Security Council, selects the VP and cabinet
equality-with-difference
divorce and custody laws now follow Islamic standards that favor males, women are offered limited education and employment opportunities
Powers of the Supreme Leader
eliminates presidential candidates, dismiss the president, command armed forces, declaration of war and peace, appoints and removes judges, nominates six members to the Guardian Council, appoints non-government directors
import substitution
encouraging domestic industries to provide products that the population needed
Revolutionary Guards
established by the Ayatollah in 1979 as his personal guard, focused more on internal defense while the traditional army focuses on external defense, gaining power in policy making
President
head of the executive branch of government in Iran, serves as the head of government with nominal powers
rentier state
heavily supported by state expenditure and rent from other countries, in Iran through oil leases
U.S. trade embargo
imposed on Iran from the beginning of the Hostage Crisis, prohibiting and sales or purchases with the country
Hostage Crisis
in 1979, student demonstrators stormed the US embassy in response to the US admitting the shah to the US for cancer treatment, took 53 employees captive for around a year and only let them free when Reagan was inaugurated
caliphate
leader of the Islamic Empier of the Arabs, defeated by invading Mongols in the 1200s
faqih
leading Islamic jurist to interpret the meaning of religious documents and sharia, function of the Supreme Leader
Mir Hossein Mousavi
led the opposition in 2009 with 34% of the vote under the Iranian Reform Movement party
Constitution of 1979
legitimizes the state, along with the 1989 amendments, and mixes theocracy with democracy
Basij
loosely organized part of the Revolutionary Guards who were accused of brutality and human rights violations during recent elections
Guardian Council
made up of 12 male clerics, 6 appointed by the Supreme Leader and 6 by the Majles, reviews laws and candidates to make sure they comply with sharia law
Worker's House
major interest group in Iran for factory workers, limited amount of autonomy
Sunni
majority Muslims, favor choosing the next caliph from the accepted leadership group, not necessarily hereditarily
People of the Book
monotheistic people who subject their lives to Holy Books, such as Christians, Jews, and Islams
Constitutional Revolution of 1905-1909
originated in Western movements, promoted democracy and free speech, created new government
Etemad-e Melli Party
party that seeks compromise between conservative and liberal factions
Pahlavi Foundation
patronage system, controlled large companies that financed the shah... eventually developed into the Resurgence Party and a one party state
revolution of rising expectations
political discontent is generally fueled if the crisis is preceded by a period of relative improvement in the standard of living and attempts to better human rights due to Jimmy Carter's policies
economics is for donkeys
quotation by the Ayatollah, intended to discourage active economic study and policy
U.S.S. Vincennes
shot down an Iranian airline flight in 1988, killed 290 passengers on board
Shiism
state religion of Iran, favored hereditary relationship through Ali (Muhammad's son in law) and his heirs
Zoroastrianism
state sponsored religion of the Persian Empire (600-400 BC)
reformists
support some Westernization and democratization
conservatives
support upholding sharia law and increasing authoritarianism, insularism, and totalitarian antagonism to the United States and its allies
secularization
the belief that religion and government should be separated
sharia
the code of law derived from the Koran and from the teachings and example of Mohammed, governs Iran and judicial review
imam
the highest ranking Muslim prayer leader, Shi'ites believe that the Hidden ______ will return some day
Iran-Contra Scandal
under Reagan, when he tried to make a deal to exchange arms for hostages while also funding the Nicaraguan rebel groups that supported democracy with dangerous tactics
Supreme Leader
Imam of the community, written into the Constitution of 1979 for Khomeni and later chosen by the Assembly of Religious Experts, serves as the head of state
1979 Revolution
a clash of civilization, during which Iran returned to a theocratic democracy based on conservative Islam
White Revolution
mean to counter the spread of communism, focused on land reform and modernization, further secularized and added some human rights to the authoritarian state
Iranian Reform Movement
party for reform and liberalization in Iran
Qajar Empier
(1794-1924) Turkish group, capital of Tehran under Shiism, claimed to be clerical experts since they weren't direct descendants of Ali, suffered under European imperialism
Pahlavis
(1925-1979) Colonel Reza Khan led the coup d'etat in 1921, declared himself shah-in-shah, and re-established authoritarian rule with pro-Western sentiments
Muhammad Khatami
(1997-2005) President under the Tehran spring and a period of political liberalization
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
(2005-2013) return to conservative, closed society with violations of human rights, growth in civil society among youth and more anti-American sentiment