40 years after the Islamic revolution: what has changed in Iran and the Middle East?

The relationship between Islam and politics as we know today would be incomprehensible without taking into account the profound impact of the Iranian revolution of 1979. The complexity of the link between the Muslim world and the West can not be understood without taking into account the radical political and social transformation that took place at that time.

Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, last representative of a monarchy who reigned during 2,500 years on the Persian territory, badumed in 1941 a reign that sought to modernize the country. It expropriated land owned by landowners, privatized state-owned enterprises and liberalized the economy.

In addition, reduce the weight of religion in civilian life, as part of a strategy of Westernization. Among other things, he banned the use of the Islamic veil and allowed the female vote.

Shia clerics, of great Iranian descent, are the main detractors of shah. Among them, the figure of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini began to stand out, although he was expelled from the country for criticizing the monarch, but that he was leading a movement of exile unprecedented.

Resistance has also joined the secular sectors. Some left-wing parties have questioned Reza Pahlavi's policy in favor of the market and its proximity to the United Kingdom and the United States. And liberal groups opposed to political persecution and widespread corruptionand demanded the establishment of a complete democracy.

All of these groups converged behind Khomeini, thinking that after the fall of the monarchy, he would run away from the scene and open the political game. However, once the chah escaped from Iran and the revolution was consummated, the ayatollah instituted a theocracy according to the precepts of Islamic lawand has been proclaimed supreme leader.

The recovery was so brutal that it radically changed the geopolitical scenario in the Middle East and altered international relations. He demonstrated that the process of secularization could be reversed – which seemed previously irrepressible – and that religion could be a very powerful political tool in the twentieth century, especially in the Muslim world.

"There has been a population explosion and the expectations of society have started to increase. The Shah was making important political changes, which had to be postponed when the price of oil dropped Suddenly, he ran out of money to finance them. In addition, there was a global spirit favorable to the revolution that could be breathed in, encouraged by university students. The young people were tired of the monarchy and naively believed that there would be a democracy. But Shiite clerics had other ideas, "he said. Infobae the famous historian Laina Holzman, specialist of the Islamic Revolution.

The ayatollahs are among the highest religious authorities of Shiite Islam. They are experts in Islamic law and philosophy and, although their role is mainly theological, they have always been involved in political issues.

But none has ever played a role comparable to that won by Khomeini in the 1960s, while deepening Western shah reforms. The vote of women, the adoption of international time zones, the authorization for Jews and Christians to exercise public functions, were aberrations for him.

In 1963, he delivered a famous speech at the Feyziyeh School of Qom, in which he directly attacked the king for the measures he was taking and for brutally suppressing a group of students who had protested against them. Shortly after, he was arrested and then forced into exile.

Far from losing its relevance, it ended up becoming a myth. The tapes who recorded from the outside, they entered the country illegally and their followers gathered in secret to listen to them.

"At the time of the revolution, the Iranian economy was suffering from inflation and growth too slow. The educated middle clbad called for better conditions and more freedom. But these factors alone can not explain what happened, "said Nader Entessar, professor emeritus of political science at the University of South Alabama, accessed by Infobae.

"In many ways," he continued, "the Revolution was accidental. None of the parties, not even the religious camp, hoped that the revolt could overthrow the monarchy. The left, at best, had anticipated a long period of armed clashes that could weaken over time. The secular and nationalist forces simply wanted the system to reform and allow fundamental freedoms. "

But after several years of accumulated discontent, the regime began to falter in late 1977 after the mysterious death of Mostafa Khomeini, the eldest son of Ayatollah, in Iraq. The official version is that he suffered a heart attack, but Khomeini's supporters have accused the SAVAK, the Iranian secret police.

The event triggered a wave of protests that grew in the following monthsand all the shah's answers have aggravated the crisis. When he opted for greater openness, his detractors took the opportunity to organize and jam him. When he preferred savage repression, he aroused such outrage that more people joined the following mobilizations.

"In my opinion, the most important factor in the sudden collapse of the monarchy was the shah's political paralysis and inability to think clearly and act decisively in the latter part of his reign. His Western allies, especially the United States, wanted to ensure that his successor government was not pro-Soviet. So they started looking for the best alternative, which gave the weakened Shah more reason to panic and stay indecisive. . Perhaps it was a terminal cancer that had contributed to his disability. For some reason, He stopped working as a chef and the country was left without direction more than a year before the revolutionary victory, "explained Entessar.

The last big mistake Reza Pahlavi made was forcing the Iraqi government to expel Khomeini from the country., in an attempt to cut off their links with the referents of the revolts. But he went to France, where he attracted the attention of international media. With a moderate speech, not to mention his plan of Islamization, he managed to gain the sympathy of organizations and leaders around the world.

The opposition movement has gained more strength than ever and the Shah tried to avoid total debacle by appointing a Provisional Government on December 28, 1978. He chose as Prime Minister Shahpour Bakhtiar, leader of the National Front, a leftist opposition party. But, seeing that his fall was imminent, he left the country forever on January 16, 1979.

Bakhtiar began a brief period of opening, which included the dissolution of SAVAK, the release of political prisoners and, as part of a daring maneuver, the invitation to Khomeini to return to the country. Ayatollah arrived in Tehran on 1 February. He was received by a crowd rarely seenin what was a prelude to his coronation.

"Khomeini only let him know what his real intentions were on his return from Paris," said Holzman. Many thought that it was going to become a harmless symbol of justice, but they understood that they had been deceived.. The first thing he did was go to a girls' school. He expelled them and turned them into their headquarters. "

Ayatollah only took a few hours to declare war on the provisional governmentwhich provided for the creation of something similar to a liberal democracy. On February 5, he proclaimed his own revolutionary government and appointed Mehdi Bazargan as prime minister.

In the days that followed, armed clashes broke out between militias of both groups., until Bakhtiar is forced to flee the country. On February 11, 1979, the final triumph of Khomeini took place.

A country that has radically changed

The new regime quickly disappointed the democratic sectors that had supported it. On March 30 and 31, he organized a referendum in which an overwhelming majority chose to end the monarchy and founded an Islamic republic.. Khomeini became Iran's supreme leader for life, reserving the power to control all laws and appoint political and judicial leaders.

In addition, the figure of the elected president was created by the popular vote, although not everyone can obviously appear. From then on, candidates for all elective positions must pbad the strict filter of the Council of Guardians of the Constitution., composed of experts in Islamic law elected by the Supreme Leader and Parliament.

"The chief reserves unusual powers and ideological prerogatives. He and the subordinate clerics argue that he is infallible and that he is never wrong because he receives the guidance and inspiration of the prophet (Muhammad). Some even claim that everyone must submit to their orders and that disobedience is equivalent to polytheism. The opponent is considered a Mohrabor enemy of God, and can be executed, "he said. Infobae Misagh Parsa, professor of sociology at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire and author of Democracy in Iran: Why it failed and how it could succeed (Harvard University Press).

In the months following the revolution, the main political forces not dependent on the regime were banned and purges took place in universities and various public bodies. The veil was again obligatory and religious minorities were again marginalized.

"Theocracy imposed various social and cultural changes that were not part of the demands most of the groups that took part in the revolution, "Parsa continued, the new leaders immediately relegated women to the rank of second-clbad citizens and restricted the right of people to dress, sing, drinking, celebrating, listening to music, or simply walking their dogs freely on the street.In addition to creating new conflicts in society, the regime has resorted to endless repression to contain them. "

On November 4, 1979, the world saw how far the Islamic Revolution was willing to go. A few days earlier, the United States had accepted the request of the dying Reza Pahlavi to enter the country for treatment. Medical complex Tehran protested and asked for his extradition, but Washington refused. Then, a group of young people forcibly entered the US embbady in the Iranian capital.

To the astonishment of the international community, 52 diplomats remained as hostages for 444 days. After the imposition of economic sanctions by the United States, the failure of a rescue attempt and the successive negotiating forums promoted by the Jimmy Carter government, were released on January 20, 1980, hours after Ronald Reagan took office in the presidency.

The Shah left the United States in December and died on July 27, 1980. Nine years later, Khomeini's death took place. Ali Khamenei became the supreme leader on June 4, 1989and remains the highest authority of the republic until today.

"40 years after the revolution, The Iranian economy has been an absolute failure: GDP per capita is now lower than that of 1976. In addition to receiving an unspecified amount of state resources, the ruler and the entities under his orbit control close to 50 percent of GDP. The Revolutionary Guard (the armed wing of the regime) has also become very active economically, intervening in all important areas. Together with the office monopolies, they have marginalized the private sector, "said Parsa.

However, it would be a mistake to say that the result of the Revolution is homogeneous. The truth is that the changes did not affect the different sectors in the same way of Iranian society, whose interests have always been contradictory.

"For the modern middle and upper clbades, things have changed for the worse. Many lost their jobs, women had to reuse the veil and alcoholic beverages were prohibited. For them, it was as if the country had fallen under foreign occupation and more than a million of them had emigrated. But for the traditional sectors and for the poor, there have been improvements. The new occupiers of power were in solidarity with their cultural values ​​and there had been a tremendous process of upward social mobility in the 1980s and 1990s. However, this trend was interrupted in the mid-2000s with neoliberal policies. At this point, it is the poor who suffer the most, "said Houchang E. Chehabi, professor of history and international relations at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies in Boston, in dialogue with Infobae.

The impact on the Middle East

"One of the most powerful and profound effects of the revolution has been the demonstration that a religious regime can, in fact, work, and that people are able to overthrow their governments, "said Chehabi.

Iran has long been one of the largest powers in the region. With a population of 81 million inhabitants, the world's fourth largest oil reserve and the first gas reserve, has the scope and resources to influence its neighbors.

As the revolution occurred in a country of this magnitude, the impact has been powerful and almost immediate throughout the Middle East.. In various Muslim-majority countries, where there were already small groups with radical ideas, which rejected the growing influence of the West, it became an example to follow. Found a state ruled by the Sharia -Because they are Islamic republics or caliphates, it has become feasible.

"Many dictatorial governments have begun to fear contagion and have taken steps to undermine the new Iranian system," said Entessar. His first gesture was to encourage and fund Saddam Hussein for Iraq to invade Iran. (which happened in 1980 and sparked a war that ended in 1988 without a clear winner). This was one of the most disastrous decisions made by Arab autocrats. The war strengthened the nascent Islamic republic and made it more decisive. This has led her to seek allies in the region, especially in the form of movements sharing similar ideas. This triggered the polarization of Middle East politics, which continues today. "

Iran has begun to work conscientiously to export its political and social model. The establishment of Hezbollah in Lebanon in 1985 was a fundamental element of this effort..

This armed organization, which later became a political party – and considered a terrorist by many countries – appeared in reaction to the presence of Israel in southern Lebanonas part of its confrontation with the Organization for the Liberation of Palestine. Hezbollah has become a central player in the country and in the region, with military power enabling it to act on various fronts, as was recently shown during the war in Syria.

"The seizure of power by Islamists in Iran has prompted other groups, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Palestine, to organize and advance in achieving their goals. These organizations have received substantial training and financial and military badistance from Iran. Islamists also mobilized in Afghanistan, which brought the Taliban to power in the 1990s and finally led to the tragedy of September 11, 2001. With the fall of Saddam and the Taliban, Iran has found new opportunities to Influence Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and more recently in Yemen ", concluded Parsa.