The Islamic Republic of Iran

1648 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Political changes in Iran after the Islamic revolution

The Islamic Republic of Iran is a country of volatile politics in the Middle East, participating in numerous minor disputes and full out wars during its history. Its participation in a bloody and indecisive war with Iraq, its sponsorship of terrorist groups such as the Hezbollah and Hamas (Bruno 2011), and its controversial election have all made international bodies raise their eyebrows in the past. However, it is Iran’s nuclear ambitions that truly captured the attention of all nations in the recent months.

The nuclear program of Iran was launched in the 1950’s with the help of the United States (Roe 2007). Iran’s first nuclear power plant, Bushehr I, was initiated with major assistance from the Russian government in 2006. Moreover, Iran has also indicated that it will seek to establish additional nuclear power plants and uranium mines in the future (RIA Novosti 2011). Following this announcement, the United Nations Security Council imposed legally binding sanctions on Iran and froze the assets of those heavily involved with the development of the nuclear program. Over the years, these sanctions were expanded and reinforced by those of individual nations, such as the United States(BBC 2012). While Iran claims that its nuclear program is purely for peaceful purposes, such as energy production, the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) November 2011 report acknowledged the opposite. This report details Iran’s research directed towards the development of nuclear weapon capacity and nuclear payload integration into missile delivery systems (IAEA 2011, 8), supporting the United States and European Union’s fears. Tensions have run high in the world after this announcement, leading to even more crippling sanctions against Ira...

... middle of paper ...

.... The Iran people should not have to suffer for their government’s actions, especially not so when the popular support for Ahmadinejad is so low (Economist 2012). The current model is extremely negative and causes antagonism against the West. A new model involving nuclear talks and diplomacy is superior to and should replace the current model of sanctions and embargos. In addition, this new model will surely work. Facts are the best indicators of the strength of the proposed model: the oil prices fell just after the announcement of Iran’s agreement to participate in further talks about Tehran’s nuclear programme in Baghdad (Blas 2012). If the trend of open diplomacy and positive negotiation continues, Iran can probably pull itself out of the isolated financial system, reduce its inflation rate, and finally ameliorate the condition of its currency (Economist 2012).

Show More
Related

  • The Carter Administration's Response To The Iranian Hostage Crisis

    1506 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Carter Administration’s misguided relations and interactions with the Iranian government, especially the Shah, prior to the Iranian Hostage Crisis made evident the impending nature of the hostage crisis. During the period of time during which the Shah was in power in Iran, the United States maintained strong relations with the Iranian government and the Shah, however by supporting the Shah, they supported the crimes he committed against the Iranian people. The United States’ support of the Shah is evident by the photograph in Figure 1 in which President Jimmy Carter and the Shah are shaking hands to display the strong relations between the United States and Iran. At this state dinner, Carter, in his speech, praised Iran by stating that the country was an “island of stability” that was

    Read More

  • The Causes And Effects Of The Iranian Hostage Crisis

    1323 Words  | 3 Pages

    To begin with President Carter immediately ordered for all imports from Iran to be stopped, and 8 million US dollars were frozen in Iran assets (Iran Hostage Crisis). This was an attempt to weaken the economic standpoint of Iran, in hopes to pressure them to give back the hostages. However, Iran went unphased from the economic sanctions placed on them by the United States and its allies (Britannica). Contrary to the United States short term effects, Iran faced significant long term conflicts regarding their global stance. As a request to free the hostages, Iran demanded for the assets to be unfrozen, immunity in all civil cases, and for the US to assure they will not to intervene with Iran’s culture or lifestyle in future affairs. Much to their liking, they closed a deal in which all three requests were meet (Iran Hostage Crisis). In the big picture Iran lost allies and ties to other countries around the world. However from the crisis, they upset the American people and their president, they were never forced to pay for the damages they had done. Because of this incident it left a bitterness between the two countries which still lingers

    Read More

  • Khomeini's Charismatic Leadership: Overthrowing The Shah

    702 Words  | 2 Pages

    Even today, Iran has largely maintained its anti-American stance, and conflict between the two nations is tangible. The United States, still wary of Iran’s hate for all western influence, keeps sanctions on Iran, in an attempt to restrict Iran's nuclear power. To many Americans, Iran is considered part of the Axis of Evil, a nation of terrorists and radical Muslims. In Iran, there still exist many ‘death to America’ slogans. With Iran’s new president, Hassan Rouhani, however, the United States and Iran have started restoring diplomatic relations. We can only hope that Iran and the US will find enough common ground to break the shackles of

    Read More

  • Why Nuclear Weapons are Essential

    843 Words  | 2 Pages

    Out of all the dangerous powers and authority our government wields, possibly the most threatening powers are nuclear weapons. People tend to be frightened by things they do not understand, which make nuclear weapons a perfect catalyst for fear. These weapons have the most overwhelming and destructive power known to man; although, nuclear weapons are only safe in countries that try to maintain harmony and stability. Nuclear weapons are defined as “explosive devices whose destructive potential derives from the release of energy that accompanies the splitting or combining of atomic nuclei.” This power is both dangerous and unstable in the hands of small erratic countries.

    Read More

  • The Iranian Revolution and the Russian Revolution

    1667 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the 1970’s Iran, under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was a very centralized military state that maintained a close relationship with the USA. The Shah was notoriously out of touch with working class Iranians as he implemented many controversial economic policies against small business owners that he suspected involved profiteering. Also unrestricted economic expansions in Iran lead to huge government expenditure that became a serious problem when oil prices dropped in the mid 1970’s. This caused many huge government construction projects to halt and the economy to stall after many years of massive profit. Following this was high rates of inflation that affected Iranians buying power and living standards. (Afary, 2012) Under the Shah, political participation was not widely available for all Iranians and it was common for political opposition to be met with harassment, illegal detention, and even torture. These measures were implemented by the Iranian secret police knows as ‘SAVAK’. This totalitarian regime combined with the increasing modernisation of the country paved the way for revolution.

    Read More

  • The Pros and Cons of Nationalism

    594 Words  | 2 Pages

    Maghen, Z. (2009, January). Eradicating the "Little Satan": Why Iran Should Be Taken at Its

    Read More

  • The Future of Iran

    1084 Words  | 3 Pages

    Iran may be correct. Unless Iran openly inflicts violence on another country, it may be able to develop its nuclear arms and continue to make threats in spite of what other countries have tried to force Iran to do. This opinion seems surprising considering that Iraq was invaded and Saddam Hussein taken down, even though the nuclear threat from Iraq was not as clear as the nuclear threat coming from Iran. But as argued by Ivo Daalder (2006), the cont... ... middle of paper ... ...

    Read More

  • The Causes and Effects of the Iranian Revolution Religiously and Politically

    2489 Words  | 5 Pages

    A revolution is a mass movement that intends to violently transform the old government into a new political system. The Iranian Revolution, which began in 1979 after years of climax, was an uprising against the Shah’s autocratic rule resulting in much religious and political change. Shah Muhammad Reza Pahlavi made efforts to remove Islamic values and create a secular rule and “westernize” Iran through his White Revolution. In addition, his tight dictatorial rule and attempts at military expansion felt threatening to the people, who desired a fairer governmental rule immensely influenced by Islam. Afterwards, governmental affairs became extremely influenced by Islamic traditions and law which created changes religiously and politically for years to come. Although the Iranian Revolution was both a political and religious movement in that it resulted in major shifts in government structure from an autocracy to a republic and that Islamic beliefs were fought to be preserved, it was more a religious movement in that the primary goal of the people was to preserve traditional ideology and in that the government became a theocracy intertwined with religious laws and desires of the people.

    Read More

  • World History: The Islamic Republic Of Iran

    3297 Words  | 7 Pages

    The Islamic Republic of Iran (Iran) rests in the volatile Middle East and borders Iraq, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, and Pakistan. World History recognizes Iran as Persia until 1935. The Persian Empire lasted from 549 B.C. to 1935 and was one of the longest spanning and greatest empires in history (Ansari). Today, Iran is a major player on the world stage and affects the economies of its neighbors and the world. An analysis of Iranian culture with respect to the United States Army includes political, military, economic, social, infrastructure, physical environment, time aspects, and civil considerations and is important in the planning of company level operations.

    Read More

  • The Black Revolution And The White Revolution Of Iran

    838 Words  | 2 Pages

    In February of 1979, Muhammad Reza Shah was in exile and Ayatollah Khomeini arrived as the triumphant leader of a revolution. Throughout the remainder of the year, the execution of former prime ministers, SAVAK agents, and high- ranking military officers took place. Muhammad Reza Shah’s regime was no longer in power and the Iranian Revolution was in full effect, but what caused this rapid shift of power? In the years leading up to the revolution, the Shah implemented the White Revolution in attempts to modernize Iran. The White Revolution was an attempt to turn Iran into an economic power, however; it went against many of the core beliefs of Islam. The White revolution of the 1960’s and 1970’s caused the Iranian revolution because it marginalized

    Read More

  • Transnational Social Movements, International Nongovernmental Organizations

    2182 Words  | 5 Pages

    Griffith, William E. “The Revial of Islamic Fundamentalism: the Case of Iran.” International Security. Volume 4, Issue 1, 1979, 132-138.

    Read More

  • North Korea International Relations: A Realistic Interpretation

    878 Words  | 2 Pages

    Moreover, according to the same theory, relations among states are derived primarily by their level of power, which constitutes basically their military and economic capability, and in pursuit of the national security states strive to attain as many resources as possible. The theoretical model explains thus why the nuclear issue has eventually resulted in identifying with a security one, meaning that North Korea main concern is to assure its survivor, its efforts are in the first place finalized at meeting that target and its only means of pursuing it consists of the posing of the nuclear threat. North Korea finds itself stuck in an economic and, to some extent, diplomatic isolation; even though the financial sanctions leading to the just mentioned critical conditions have been caused by the government inflexible, aggressive and anti-democratic behavior, the regime has no other choice than restate and strengthen its strict and, apparently, definitive positions to ensure its survivor, since at the moment any concession or move toward a more liberal approach breaking the countrys isolation could easily cause a collapse of the whole system.... ... middle of paper ...

    Read More

  • War: Nuclear Power

    1074 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...that it will not accept a future in which Iran--its Shiite, Persian rival--has nuclear weapons and it does not” (Allison). If many more countries create nuclear weapons, the world could be in danger of a nuclear war just like it was during the Cold War.

    Read More

  • Iran Before and After the Revolution

    2135 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Islamic Republic of Iran, formerly known as Iran or Persia, was crowded with a young generation looking for full freedom against the Shah. Persia, once as a powerful country with vast oil resources, soon became a vulnerable nation, ready to accept a new leader to guide them. The people were ready for change, but were the changes they got the changes they were looking for. The people wanted freedom against the shah, (For generations Iran was ruled by Kings) who allowed some freedoms, but it was somewhat limited. The people wanted freedom of speech, so that the press could freely publish their own opinions. They wanted to get rid of a law that made all eighteen-year-old males attend two years of military service unless they are accepted to a university, which would allow them attend the army later as a service worker. The shah was anti-religious, which was not ideal for many of the civilians in Iran. Savak (Secret organization of Iran) was accused of many anti – human rights actions, such as killing students who protested and immediately jailing press members for inappropriate conduct. A major problem was that the shah was a “puppet” of the United States many say, because the Shah would constantly confer with the U.S. of all of his decisions as ruler. The after affects of the revolution resulted in similar conditions, however. Human rights are horrible, the government limits all freedoms, the economy has suffered greatly, average salaries are hard to live with, most of the educated people in Iran fled to foreign countries, the quality of public schools is horrible, and the government still controls all television broadcasts and keeps a watchful eye on the newspapers. From bad to worse is what many people feel has become of Iran, but the people are ready for a real change.

    Read More

  • Causes Of The Iran-Iraq War

    1343 Words  | 3 Pages

    The war with Iraq slowed down Iran’s research. Near the end of the Iran – Iraq War, Iran started working with a rogue nation, North Korea. The countries partnered up to work The loss of motivation to keep fighting was the main reason Iran accepted the United Nations Security Resolution 598 in 1988 that ended the war between Iran and Iraq. The combination of allegations of terrorism from countries, the lack of support from other nations, and the death toll of the Iranian people were the factors that support Iran’s loss of motivation to keep fighting in the

    Read More

More about The Islamic Republic of Iran

Open Document