The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Importance of Khomeini's Mandate of the Jurist
Abstract
Before 1979 Iran was a staunch ally of the U.S. and a corner stone of U.S. security policy in the broader Middle East. Since 1979 Iran has played a destabilizing role throughout the Middle East and continues to impact U.S. national security interests as they relate to Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Lebanon, Israel, the Persian Gulf, and perhaps most importantly nuclear non-proliferation. The change in the relationship between the U.S. and Iran resulted from the revolution, which replaced an autocratic pro-U.S. monarchy with a virulently anti-U.S. Islamic theocracy. Since the Islamic revolution in 1979 Iran's government has been based Ayatollah Khomeini's theory that society should be ruled by a just cleric. This paper seeks to evaluate Khomeini's theory in Shi'a thought, its codification in the Constitution of the Islamic Republic and the evolution of Iranian political discourse as it applies to the nature of the Islamic Republic. Finally, the paper will draw conclusions as to the trajectory of the domestic Iranian political discourse.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 15, 2010
- Accession Number
- ADA544370
Entities
People
- Danial D. Pick
Organizations
- Stanford University