1. Iran: Sovereignty, Authority, and Power
AP Comparative Government

2. Identify the country studied in the AP Comparative Government and Politics course that limits the chief executive to one term. Describe how a one-term limit can be an advantage for a political system. Describe how a one-term limit can be a disadvantage for a political system.
Warm-up

3. Everything in Iran’s government centers on the religion of Islam
Since all government decisions in Iran are based upon following Islam, Iran is considered to be a theocracy
The dominance of Iran as a theocracy is contradicted and challenged by increased secularization in the economy
Iran has recently move further towards a more market based economy
Iran is one of very few states that still identify as theocracies (another is the Vatican)
Iran is extremely important throughout the world because of it’s possession of oil, its developing economy ,and it’s multi-faceted government system
Theocracy

4. Legitimacy in the Modern State
Iran’s history is based upon Authoritarian Rule
From 1925 to 1979, the Pahlavi shahs Iran attempted to secularize the state
The push for secularization failed due to the leadership of Ayatollah Khomeini
Khomeini led the Revolution of 1979 and pushed to center all parts of the government and society towards theocracy
Khomeini is considered to be the protector of the true faith that unites the Shiite sect of religion
Legitimacy in the Modern State

5. Legitimacy in the Modern State
The Constitution of 1979 and the amendments of 1989 are what legitimize the government
This document mixes the ideas of a theocracy and a democracy
The preamble of the document reflects the importance of religion in the state
Two conflicting ideas are at the heart of Iranian society
The sovereignty of the people and divinely inspired clerical rule
President Muhammad Khatami ( ) was a popular reform president
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was elected in 2005, and forced theocracy into greater strength
Legitimacy in the Modern State

6. Political Culture Authoritarianism, but not totalitarianism
Even in ancient culture, the leaders of Iran have not controlled all aspects of an individual’s life
Local officals have played large roles in the governing of society and the people generally look to those officals for guidance
Union of political and religious authority
In ancient Iran political and religious leaders were often the same people
They were separated for about 150 years of Iranian history and re- unified with the Revolution of 1979
Shiism and sharia central components
90% of Iranians identify themselves as Shiite
Islamic law, the sharia, is an important source of legitimacy that the modern government particularly emphasizes
Political Culture

7. Political Culture Escape from European colonization
Iran was never officially colonized by Europe even though the surrounding region was heavily impacted by European intrusion
Geographic limitations
Much of Iran’s land is not suitable for agriculture
Because of this most people live in cities in the northwest of Iran
The influence of ancient Persia
When the Arabs took over Iran, people continued to speak Persian rather than Arabic and their cultural habits remained the same
This dual identity has shaped the culture of Iran
Strong sense of Iranian nationalism
Iranians generally have a strong sense of Nationalistic pride and look at themselves as Iranian first and Muslim second
Political Culture