...after Madrassa students took to the streets in response to “slanderous” remarks against Khomeini. The Shah responded to this threat with violence. In each protest or tragedy that followed, people who died became martyrs in the eyes of Shiite Islam. Demonstrations took place daily, but some events were especially angering for protesters. In August of 1978, the Rex Cinema in Abadan burned with 400 people trapped inside. On Black Friday (September 8, 1978), 100 people were killed by the law enforcement at a protest in Tehran. Each death was responded with more protest and each protest was responded with more violence (Ansari). In a crippling move, oil-refining workers went on strike in Abadan in November of 1978, drastically lowering oil revenue for a government that was dependent on oil. These strikes led to the creation of trade unions and councils, called shoras, which took partial control over production and included democratic elections in the workplace. The shoras lasted until shortly after the revolution (Jafari). In January of 1979, in the midst of anarchical protests, realizing that he had lost the will of the people, the Shah fled Iran. He left an inept regency council and prime minister Shahpur Bakhtiar to rule in his place. Bakhtiar failed to make comprises with Khomeini, the Tudeh Party, or the National Front. The...
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...Iran-Iraq War, An Iraqi soldier carrying an AK-47 assault rifle during the Iran-Iraq War. [Credit: © Jacques Pavlovsky/Corbis](1980–88), prolonged military conflict between Iran and Iraq during the 1980s. Open warfare began on Sept. 22, 1980, when Iraqi armed forces invaded western Iran along the countries’ joint border, though Iraq claimed that the war had begun earlier that month, on September 4, when Iran shelled a number of border posts. Fighting was ended by a 1988 cease-fire, though the resumption of normal diplomatic relations and the withdrawal of troops did not take place until the signing of a formal peace agreement on Aug. 16, 1990. The roots of the war lay in a number of territorial and political disputes between Iraq and Iran. Iraq wanted to seize control of the rich oil-producing Iranian border region of Khūzestān, a territory inhabited largely by ethnic Arabs over which Iraq sought to extend some form of suzerainty. Iraqi president Ṣaddām Ḥussein wanted to reassert his country’s sovereignty over both banks of the Shaṭṭ al-ʿArab, a river formed by the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers that was historically the border between the two countries. Ṣaddām was also concerned over attempts by Iran’s Islamic revolutionary government to incite rebellion among Iraq’s Shīʿite majority. By attacking when it did, Iraq took advantage of the apparent disorder and isolation of Iran’s new government—then at loggerheads with the United States over the seizure of the...
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...members of the UN Security Council plus Germany – to secure a comprehensive deal with Iran on its controversial nuclear program. These concerns, however, represent a somewhat myopic view of the bigger picture concerning Iran’s nuclear ambitions. A thorough look at the Iranian regime’s domestic and foreign policies reveals that a nuclear deal would, in fact, have very limited effect on the behavior of Iran’s authoritarian theocracy and change very little about the dynamics in the 1 Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution changed the balance of power in the Middle East. Following the revolution, Iran, a pillar of the US’ regional Cold War policy, became increasingly isolated as it quarreled with its majority Sunni neighbors for influence and sought to export its Islamic revolution as far as to Europe.1 However, Iran attempted to overcome its isolation as a Shiite and majority Persian state by tempting the aspirations of the region’s Arab population with its support for radical anti-Israel/anti-US regional movements, thus successfully establishing a web of proxies and surrogates – the so-called “axis of resistance.” Furthermore, since 2003, the Iranian regime has effectively engaged Western powers in extensive nuclear negotiations aimed at halting Iran’s nuclear program. The current Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, who has been referred to as the architect of Tehran’s nuclear diplomacy, directed nuclear talks with the EU3 (France, Germany, and the United Kingdom) until 2005...
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...that plagued them with economic frustrations, rising unemployment and an overwhelming feeling of anxiety that began during 1975s oil crisis. Lack of government accountability and increasing political unrest among the middle class exacerbated the crisis and allowed the religious clergy to take advantage. Thus, this disillusionment with the governing monarchy paved the way to a revolution that has proven to be unprecedented. The advent of a new Islamic revival proved successful upon the birth of the Iranian Revolution and with the overwhelming consent of its people came the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini as its ruler. With a new political mind-frame, came an authoritarian regime, which volubly conceded to no one, and consolidated itself through each governing tenet. The resilience of this regime brought about terror.( Mehran Kamrava; A Modern Middle East: A Political History since the First World War (2005)) The author of this new political revival which has impregnated into other areas of the Arab World is The Iranian Republic. All Western world influences that attempted to pollute the sanctity of the creation of a democracy out of a theocracy ended with the rule of the Shah of Iran in 1979. The Pahlavi Dynasty: Its demise leads to change The role of the Pahlavi Dynasty in instigating an Iranian Revolution proved to be a highly effective invisible force. As Reza Shah attempted to orchestrate a new modern Iran full of secularist ideas, his regime...
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...Persepolis Essay Pesepolis is an autobiographical graphic novel depicting the life of Marjane Satrapi during the Iranian Revolution. In the early pages, Marjane illustrates that she saw herself as a prophet. She wanted to change the world, and with the help of God, she thought that she could. During Satrapi’s early childhood, the traditions and history of Iran had been going through drastic changes. The Iranian Revolution was when Iran’s monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was overthrown and replaced with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini who led the revolution. ii Persepolis is framed during 1979 and after the Iranian Revolution. The Shah of Persia was overthrown and eventually replaced by an Islamist government during this time. Satrapi narrates her experience of the Revolution, which includes bombings, violent deaths of family and friends, and inequality. Women of Iran had many restrictions, and the leaders of Iran had disrespected them in many ways and belittled them as citizens. I The Islam religion forces women to wear veils for many reasons. Satrapi shows us how men saw themselves superior to woman and how most women did not enjoy the attitudes of men and also following certain obligations like wearing the veil. Following the Revolution, intense social changes took place in what had previously been a liberal country, became a religious republic. Her family lived through many events. She discusses how her mother told her that the regime burned...
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...A prime example of this is the Prisoner of War dilemma of 1970. Several American soldiers were unaccounted for during the Vietnam War. The wives of these men demanded a hearing before the House of Representatives Committee on Armed Services. The main purpose of their testimony was to “call attention to the failure of the North Vietnamese to comply with the guidelines for prisoners of war laid out in the 1949 Geneva Accords” (Zaretsky 25). The accords signed by the North Vietnamese before this incident occurred required that the name of every soldier captured would be released, that they would receive adequate food and shelter, and that prisoners were allowed to exchange letters with family members. In regards to this agreement the North Vietnamese failed to reveal information about the conditions of the captured prisoners. This issue led to the rising public doubt in relation to America’s military force. Along with the prisoners of war, awareness that soldiers were being “tortured and placed in solitary confinement” (Zaretsky 26) made US citizens realize that their military power in Southeast Asia was close to non-existent. The total defeat of the Vietnam War produced a sense of panic and distrust in the United States’ military and government amongst...
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...Iranian Hostage Crisis Lance Richard Mr. Gaspard English IV April 26, 2013 Iranian Hostage Crisis Can anyone imagine being in captivity for four hundred forty-four days. Away from family and friends, wondering what is going on in the outside world.The Iranian Hostage Crisis was a horrid time for fifty-three Americans who were held hostage in the worst conditions of there lives against there will. The living conditions and time spent in captivity took a mental and physical toll on the Americans involved. The hatred among the United States and Iran grew significantly during the time of the crisis. The Iranian Hostage Crisis was the greatest contributor to negatively impacting the economy and US's realtionship with Iran. The Iranian Hostage began on November 4, 1979 and lasted for four hundred forty-four days until January 20 1981. In 1977 the stage was set for the revolution and the virtual severance of ties between Iran and the United States (Gorman 1181)The seizure of the American embassy was initially planned in September 1979 by Ebrahim Asgharzadez (“Iranian Hostage Crisis” weebly). The takeover was orginally suppose to be short-term but US didnt follow the demands of Iran. In the words of Asgharzades, “We intented to detain.... for a few days, ,aybe one week, but no more.”(Gorman 1184) Asgharzadez consulted with the heads of the Islamic associations of Tehran's main universities. “Our aim was to object the...
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...through strength”. This policy was put to the test when U.S. government officials became threatened of national security relations with two seemingly unrelated counties Iran and Nicaragua. Tension rose when radical Islamic movement overthrew U.S. backed Iran government in 1979. The U.S. tried bolstering relation with Iran by selling weapons to them, in turn the administration felt with the backing of Iran they could negotiate the release of seven American hostages being held by Iranian terrorists in Lebanon. On the other side of the world was Nicaragua which the U.S. has shown interest since the 20th century, due to the region’s close proximity to America. Relations with Nicaragua, falter after the Nicaragua government was toppled by a revolutionary government, the Sandinista Liberation Front. Tensions worsen, when Sandinistas sought relationship ties with Cuba and the Soviet Union. Reagan and his administration pushed political power to the brink by using profits from weapons sold to Iran to fund Contra militants to topple the Sandinista government. The action conducted by the Reagan administration was in direct violation of prohibited foreign policy that Congress enacted against these two countries. The Iran-Contra Affair was a scandal that...
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...John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt, "An unnecessary war," Foreign Policy, Jan/Feb 2003 In the full-court press for war with Iraq, the Bush administration deems Saddam Hussein reckless, ruthless, and not fully rational. Such a man, when mixed with nuclear weapons, is too unpredictable to be prevented from threatening the United States, the hawks say. But scrutiny of his past dealings with the world shows that Saddam, though cruel and calculating, is eminently deferrable. Should the United States invade Iraq and depose Saddam Hussein? If the United States is already at war with Iraq when this article is published, the immediate cause is likely to be Saddam's failure to comply with the new U.N. inspections regime to the Bush administration's satisfaction. But this failure is not the real reason Saddam and the united States have been on a collision course over the past year. The deeper root of the conflict is the U.S. position that Saddam must be toppled because he cannot be deterred from using weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Advocates of preventive war use numerous arguments to make their case, but their trump card is the charge that Saddam's past behavior proves he is too reckless, relentless, and aggressive to be allowed to possess WMD, especially nuclear weapons. They sometimes admit that war against Iraq might be costly, might lead to a lengthy U.S. occupation, and might complicate U.S. relations with other countries. But these concerns are eclipsed by the belief...
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...towards democracy from the year 1900 to present. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Iran experienced protests and disagreements against the foreign intervention and Qajar. Patriotic opinions of the religious classes established a Constitutional Movement that took place from 1905 to 1911. An alliance consisting of ulama bazaaris and fellow thinkers forced Qajar Shah to pass a constitution to enact a parliament 1906. The introduction of the constitution limited the absolutist rule powers. After the discovery of oil in 1908 in Britain, Qajar Shah Position and military power weakened. Some artists were in Europe to study and master academic paintings and upon their return; they found fine arts academies (Arjomand, 2008). During the World War I, the British and Russian powers occupied the country but it maintains neutrality. With Reza Shah in power, Iran began to secularize and modernize the government as well as taking control over the provinces and tribes. The British together with the Russians overthrow Reza Shah in 1941 and Muhammad Reza, his son overtakes his place through to 1980. During Muhammad's time in power...
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...Page 1 Ryan Lawson 19 April 2011 PolSci 111 Exam 2 I.Ds: 1. UNDERDEVELOPMENT- Frank reading. Underdevelopment is when a country exists with shortcomings or even lacks in areas of industrial growth, social welfare, jobs, political stability, education, and literacy. These countries typically have much poverty and unequal distribution of wealth. This is significant to comparative politics because we study how underdeveloped countries come to be more successful nation-states with prospering markets. We also study examples of countries that have failed at this. Some of the more successful countries would be Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. Africa and Afghanistan would be prime examples of countries that still have trouble with underdevelopment. 2. SYNCRETISM- Sil reading. Syncretism is the strategy of Nation building that combines foreign/modern and native/traditional values. Sil believes that in order for a Third World country to move forward, traditions must be reconstructed with newer, more modern ideals. This is significant to Comparative Politics because it is a way of understanding how social mobilization affects modern nation building. 3. ZAIBATSU- Johnson and Fukai reading. Zaibatsu are eastern Asian industrial and financial conglomerates that unleashed entrepreneurship in countries like Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. They focus capital in developmental projects in underdeveloped countries and constitute compromise between inefficiencies of...
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...This page intentionally left blank An Introduction to Islamic Law The study of Islamic law can be a forbidding prospect for those entering the field for the first time. Wael Hallaq, a leading scholar and practitioner of Islamic law, guides students through the intricacies of the subject in this absorbing introduction. The first half of the book is devoted to a discussion of Islamic law in its pre-modern natural habitat. The author expounds on the roles of jurists, who reasoned about the law, and of judges and others who administered justice; on how different legal schools came to be established, and on how a moral law functioned in early Muslim society generally. The second part explains how the law was transformed and ultimately dismantled during the colonial period. As the author demonstrates, this rupture necessitated its reinvention in the twentiethcentury world of nation-states. In the final chapters, the author charts recent developments and the struggles of the Islamists to negotiate changes which have seen the law emerge as a primarily textual entity focused on fixed punishments and ritual requirements. The book, which includes a chronology, a glossary of key terms and lists for further reading, will be the first stop for those who wish to understand the fundamentals of Islamic law, its practices and its history. w a e l b . h a l l a q is James McGill Professor in Islamic Law in the Institute of Islamic Studies at McGill University. He is a worldrenowned...
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...islamic leviathan religion and global politics John L. Esposito, Series Editor University Professor and Director Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding Georgetown University islamic leviathan Islam and the Making of State Power Seyyed Vali Reza Nasr Islamic Leviathan Islam and the Making of State Power Ú seyyed vali reza nasr 1 2001 3 Oxford Athens Chennai Kolkata Nairobi New York Auckland Bangkok Bogotá Buenos Aires Cape Town Dar es Salaam Delhi Florence Hong Kong Istanbul Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Mumbai Paris São Paul Shanghai Singapore Taipei Tokyo Toronto Warsaw and associated comapnies in Berlin Ibadan Copyright © 2001 by Seyyed Vali Reza Nasr Published by Oxford University Press, Inc., 198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016 Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Nasr, Seyyed Vali Reza, 1960 – Islamic leviathan : Islam and the making of state power / Seyyed Vali Reza Nasr. p. cm.—(Religion and global politics) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-19-514426-0 1. Malaysia—Politics and government. 2. Islam and politics—Malaysia. 3. Pakistan—Politics and government—1988...
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...Reading the Novel in English 1950–2000 i RTNA01 1 13/6/05, 5:28 PM READING THE NOVEL General Editor: Daniel R. Schwarz The aim of this series is to provide practical introductions to reading the novel in both the British and Irish, and the American traditions. Published Reading the Modern British and Irish Novel 1890–1930 Reading the Novel in English 1950–2000 Daniel R. Schwarz Brian W. Shaffer Forthcoming Reading the Eighteenth-Century Novel Paula R. Backscheider Reading the Nineteenth-Century Novel Harry E. Shaw and Alison Case Reading the American Novel 1780–1865 Shirley Samuels Reading the American Novel 1865–1914 G. R. Thompson Reading the Twentieth-Century American Novel James Phelan ii RTNA01 2 13/6/05, 5:28 PM Reading the Novel in English 1950–2000 Brian W. Shaffer iii RTNA01 3 13/6/05, 5:28 PM © 2006 by Brian W. Shaffer BLACKWELL PUBLISHING 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5020, USA 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK 550 Swanston Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia The right of Brian W. Shaffer to be identified as the Author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs, and...
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