The Art of State Building

If you remember from Tuesday, I was quite intrigued by the short video that said "the Iran-Iraq war saved the Islamic revolution."
Now my question to you is: to what extent is this true? Your reply should contain information about Khomeini's consolidation, the acceleration of organization in the military and the surge of nationalism.
If you disagree, you might be able to substantiate your claims by mentioning some economic variables (something I discussed briefly during lecture towards the end)

See you on Tuesday!

Keyan

The Iran-Iraq War

This week we went over the Iran-Iraq war.

You can view a gallery of photos here. You can also view the surprisingly catchy Iranian propaganda song and video here.

For this post, I am interested to hear some of your views on many of the controversial moves on behalf of Iran and the world during the war. Once again you can answer as many of these questions as you like.

Without knowing the outcome, was the decision of Iran to counter-invade Iraq after two years the right one?

Do you feel it was right for the world, which felt threatened by Iran, to provide Iraq with both military support and chemical weapons?

How do you feel about Iran using human wave attacks, child soldiers, and human mine detectors (knowing that they helped Iran defend itself)?

In light of understanding more about the war, do you feel like you understand Iran's position (in terms of foreign policy) better?

Have a good week guys, keep on the lookout for more opportunities to post.

-Amir

Iran Nuclear Bid May Have Gone Past 2003

VIENNA, Austria (AP) — Iran may have continued work on nuclear weapons past 2003, the year U.S. intelligence says such activities stopped, a senior British diplomat said Monday.

Simon Smith, the chief British delegate to the International Atomic Energy Agency, commented after an IAEA presentation of documentation that — if accurate — would strongly back U.S. claims that Iran at one point worked on programs linked to attempts to make nuclear weapons.

That assertion was also made by a U.S. National Intelligence Estimate, summarized and made public late last year said. That report also said, however, that the Iranians froze such work in 2003.

Asked whether the information presented to the IAEA's 35 board member nations indicated that Tehran continued such activities past that date, Smith said: "Certainly some of the dates ... went beyond 2003."

He did not elaborate. Another diplomat at the presentation, who asked for anonymity because the IAEA meeting was closed, said some of the documentation focused on a 2004 Iranian report on alleged weapons activities. But she said it was unclear whether the project was being actively worked at then.

A senior diplomat inside the meeting said that among the material shown was an Iranian video depicting mock-ups of a missile re-entry vehicle.

He said IAEA Director General Oli Heinonen suggested the component — which brings missiles back into from the stratosphere — was configured in a way that strongly suggests it was meant to carry a nuclear warhead.

Smith and the senior diplomat both said the material shown to the board members came from a "multitude of sources," including information gathered by the agency and intelligence provided by the members themselves.

The International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear monitor, released a report last week saying that suspicions about most past Iranian nuclear activities had eased or been laid to rest.

But the report also noted that Iran had rejected documents that link it to missile and explosives experiments and other work connected to a possible nuclear weapons program, calling the information false and irrelevant.

The report called weaponization "the one major ... unsolved issue relevant to the nature of Iran's nuclear program."

Most of the material shown to Iran by the IAEA on alleged attempts to make nuclear arms came from Washington, though some was provided by U.S. allies, diplomats told the AP. The agency shared it with Tehran only after the nations gave their permission.

**What does this mean to us? Will it have an impact on policy? Please post your replies.

- Keyan

Revolution

This is a quick post that will probably elicit lengthy answers. I have two questions that I would like some of you to answer.

1. Without the benefit of hindsight, if you were an Iranian in 1979, do you believe you would have participated in the Revolution against the Shah? Why or why not?

2. Now with the benefit of hindsight, does your answer change? Why or why not?

I am interested to see what you guys think.

-Amir

Resistance to the Shah

You were supposed to have read this article by Maziar Behrooz for today's class lecture. It analyzes the guerilla movements in Iran during the 1960s and 70s. A couple of questions to contemplate:

- How important was the role of the guerillas in creating resistance to the Shah's rule?

- To what extent were they successful? What were their mistakes?
Please reply to this entry with your thoughts.

- Keyan

Cold War and Iran

If you're interested about the beginnings of the Cold War in Iran, and want to hear a different view on operation ajax, read this article by Professor R.J. Rummel (same guy who created the term "democide") and comment on it.

-Amir

Mossadegh

To learn more about the CIA overthrow of Mossadegh, I would suggest checking out these links below.

NY Times: Secrets of History
National Security Archive: The Secret CIA history of the Iran Coup

For a posting comment, I would like you to answer any or all of these questions:

-Do you feel like you understand why Iran has acted the way it has in the last 28 years, specifically in relations to the U.S., by watching the video today?

-Do you think the U.S. was justified in taking Mossadegh out?

-Do you think Iranians share the blame for what happened to Mossadegh?

-Do you think the CIA should repeat what it did to Mossadegh to other countries, even Iran today?

Remember, the deadline for the first post is coming up this Tuesday. Enjoy the rest of your break!

-Amir

Khomeini grandson returns to poll -- BBC reports

The grandson of Iran's late revolutionary leader Ayatollah Khomeini has been reinstated as a candidate in the country's parliamentary elections.

Ruhollah Khomeini's grandson Ali Eshraghi, 39, said last week he had been disqualified after officials questioned his neighbours about him.

Candidates are vetted to check loyalty to Iran's Islamic revolutionary system. The main vetting body said it had reinstated 280 out of more than 2,200 mainly reformist banned candidates.

Altogether 7,168 candidates have been registered to stand.

Iranian media published the names of the candidates, following the Guardians Council's decision on Tuesday.

But correspondents say many prominent reformists remain disqualified, and officials have hinted that more candidates could be excluded.

The vetting process will continue for several weeks and the final list of approved candidates will be announced on 5 March, with the vote held on 14 March.

Reformists were defeated in 2004 after hundreds of such disqualifications.

The council, a hardline unelected body, has the final say over who can stand.

Ayatollah Khomeini, who died in 1989, became Iran's first Supreme Leader after the 1979 Islamic revolution and instituted the current clerically-led system.

Khomeini's Grandson Disqualified From Majlis Elections

TEHRAN (AFP)--The Iranian authorities have disqualified the grandson of late revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini from standing in parliamentary elections, the press reported Wednesday.

Ali Eshraghi, was one of more than 2,000 mainly reformist candidates vetoed by an interior ministry committee for failing to adhere to the constitution's strict rules for candidates in the first phase of vetting.

Eshraghi, the son of Khomeini's son-in-law Ayatollah Shahaboddin Eshraghi, said he was closer to reformists than to other Iranian factions.

He said he had been disqualified after the authorities asked his neighbors detailed questions about his life during their investigations. He said he had been informed of the decision by letter.

"This does not benefit the system and the expansion of democracy. This narrow- mindedness does not suit the Islamic Republic of Iran," Eshraghi told the moderate daily Kargozaran.

"Some of the neighbors told me that inspectors from the supervisory committee asked them about my private life," Eshraghi complained. "I was shocked to discover that the questions tackled whether I prayed daily, if I fasted, if I wore a suit, if I shaved, and if I smoked and what kind of car I drove.

"And then the inspectors would ask the neighbors if they knew that I was the imam's (Khomeini's) grandson and the neighbors would say, 'Well, if you know, then why did you ask?'

"I did not lodge a complaint against the decision and I accepted it as it was, " he said. "If the credentials of the imam's grandson are not validated who should I complain to?"

Eshraghi said he had informed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei of his candidacy and had even held a one hour discussion with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

He said it had also been approved by Hassan Khomeini, another grandson of the revolutionary leader who oversees the literary legacy of Khomeini.

In order to pass the vetting process, candidates must meet a host of criteria, one of which is sufficient loyalty to the system of clerical leadership of Iran put in place by Khomeini. The final say over who can stand in the election lies with the hardline unelected vetting body, the Guardians' Council.

Ahead of the last elections in 2004, the Guardians' Council banned more than 2,000 candidates, leading the way for the conservatives to seize control of parliament from the reformists.

(from Nasdaq.com)

The Shia/Sunni Divide Revisited

I found a great, simple description that synthesizes what Amir and I said last night in our lecture:

"Schisms appeared in Islam shortly after Muhammad's death. His followers elected a successor (Arabic Khalifa or Caliph), but violent factional disputes soon arose between them. The fourth Caliph, the Prophet's son-in-law Ali, was forced to abdicate and later murdered. This gave rise to the principal division within Islam--the majority of Sunnis, who accepts the orthodox Caliphs, and the minority of Shias, who believe that Ali was the true successor to Muhammad. Iran today is the principal Muslim country in which Shia Islam is the religion of the state."
(from Peter Mansfield, "the Ottoman Empire and Its Successors")

Hope this helps.

-KK

*This posting is not for comment*

Spring Syllabus

Welcome to the Class! I hope you guys enjoyed the first day of lecture. Don't forget to sign up on telebears and pick up a reader from Copy Central. Heres to a good semester! -Amir

IRAN: 28 YEARS OF REVOLUTION- Syllabus

Course Description

This course serves as an introduction to modern Iranian politics in which no prior knowledge of Iran or the greater Middle East is required. It follows the events leading up to the Islamic Revolution and describes the outcomes that have spiraled into the headlines of today. Key topics of discussion include the coup d'etat against Prime Minister Mossadegh (1953), the rule of Reza Shah Pahlavi, the Iranian Revolution (1979), the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988), the Reform Movement (1997), and the recent rise of the radical movement led by Ahmadinejad (2005). Important current events to be covered will be Iran’s nuclear program, Iran’s role in Iraq, and the Shia-Sunni divide in the Middle East. Documentaries, films, guest lectures, participation in the class blog, and class discussions are integral parts of this decal. Class will meet once a week for two hours.

Course Coordinators
Amir Abadi - amirabadi@berkeley.edu
Keyan Keihani - keihani@berkeley.edu

Course Requirements

Readings
A reader comprised of short summaries and academic articles will offer the students a background to all the topics mentioned above. Specific sources for the reader are listed in the reading list. Additional readings may be handed out in class.

Final Paper
The final paper is a 3–5 page essay. Topics will be handed out two weeks prior to the final class meeting.

Blog Participation
You must submit a one paragraph response on the blog every four weeks during the course of the semester. Three blog postings are required to pass the course. You can only respond to the topics offered in each 4 week period (responses to topics that are from a prior 4 week period are encouraged but will not count for a grade). Your responses must be critical and engaging.

The blog can be found at http://iran-decal.blogspot.com/.

Grading
Final Paper (50%), Blog Participation (25%), Attendance (25%) NOTE: YOU MUST RECEIVE A SATISFACTORY GRADE IN ALL THREE COMPONENTS IN ORDER TO PASS THE COURSE. YOU CANNOT MISS MORE THAN ONE CLASS MEETING WITHOUT THE INSTRUCTORS’ PRIOR APPROVAL.

Schedule
Week 1: Introduction; overview of the course

Week 2: Iran 1850-1953; The Great Game, the Constitutional Revolution, and a period of ineffectiveness
۞ Reading due: Roraback, Amanda. Iran in a Nutshell. pp. 1, 7-15

Week 3: The coup against Dr. Mossadegh; documentary screening, The CIA and the Coup of 1953 in Iran
۞ Reading due: Roraback, Amanda. Iran in a Nutshell. pp. 19-21
Roosevelt, Kermit. Countercoup. Forward, Ch.13.
Blum, William. Killing Hope. pp. 64-72.

Week 4: The Shah and the Iranian Revolution; documentary screening, Iran: A Revolution Betrayed
۞ Reading due: Roraback, Amanda. Iran in a Nutshell. pp. 20-29
Pahlavi, Mohammad Reza. Answer to History. pp. 101-129, 175-179
Abrahamian, Ervand. Khomeinism. Ch. 1.
Behrooz, Maziar. “Iranian Revolution and the Legacy of the Guerrilla Movement” http://www.iranian.com/Behrooz/2004/September/Left/index.html

Week 5: The Iran-Iraq War: the longest conventional war of the century
۞ Reading due: Roraback, Amanda. Iran in a Nutshell. pp. 30-32 & 62-63
Hiro, Dilip. “The Iran-Iraq War,” from Iran and the Arab World, pp. 43-67

Week 6: Contemporary Iranian government structure: a quasi-democratic theocracy
۞ Reading due: Roraback, Amanda. Iran in a Nutshell. pp. 46-49
Abrahamian, Ervand. Khomeinism. Epilogue. pp. 132-143

Week 7: Rise of the reformists
۞ Reading due: Roraback, Amanda. Iran in a Nutshell. pp. 36-37
Khatami, Mohammad. Islam, Liberty, and Development. pp. 3-16. & 135-153 Amuzegar, Jahangir. "Khatami's Legacy: Dashed Hopes." Middle East Journal, Winter 2006

Week 8: Ahmadinejad and the rise of ultra-conservatives
۞ Reading due: Roraback, Amanda. Iran in a Nutshell. pp. 37-38
Ahmadinejad's letter to President Bush (link on blog)

Week 9: Iran’s nuclear standoff with the West
۞ Reading due: Roraback, Amanda. Iran in a Nutshell. pp. 50-56
Timmerman, Kenneth. Countdown to Crisis. Ch.26
Ritter, Scott. Target Iran. Conclusion.

Week 10: Iran’s foreign policy in the Middle East; documentary screening, Frontline: Showdown With Iran
۞ Reading due: Roraback, Amanda. Iran in a Nutshell. pp. 66-81
Nasr, Vali. The Shia Revival. Ch. 8
Klein, Joe. “Nation: Iran” Time Magazine, December 17, 2007. pp. 32-36.

Week 11: Guest Lecture, topic of the lecture to be announced two weeks prior.
۞ Final paper topics handed out

Week 12: Student chosen topic

Week 13: Final class meeting
۞ Final papers due