Democracy Of The Islamic States ( Iran Vs Turkey

Democracy and the challenges it is facing has been the main topic in the field of international politics since some Authoritarian regimes have raised again as a great power after a long time of absence. In this essay, we will look at some of the challenges facing the international democracy based on the work of Azar Gat “ The Return Of Authoritarian Great Powers”. The article is presenting the author view on the rise of authoritarian regimes as the main challenge of liberal democracy. The main part of my essay will be an illustration and reflection on a number of arguments that have been brought by the author. Additionally and before concluding my piece I will establish my own argument as a critical response to the article or more specifically to the Economic efficiency argument brought by Azar Gat.

Larry Diamond's presentation explores the question of why there are no Arab democracies in the Middle East and North Africa. He shows us the relatively stagnant levels of democratic freedoms that have been the norm in the region for the past several decades. Diamond gives us a multitude of potential explanations for the absence of a sustainable democracy.

In the Middle East, each country has it’s own form of government. These forms of governments have been consistently changing throughout time. Throughout all the revolutions and overthrows, the national identity of the Middle East has slowly changed, some parts more than others. Over many years, overthrows in countries such as Egypt and Libya have led to a more democratic government. However, many other countries such as Iran and Iraq have remained more oppressive. The Middle East is still changing to this day. For example, Egypt recently overthrew their president Hosni Mubarak. There are also many protests currently going on in Libya.

As Michael Axworthy states on the back cover of his book, A History of Iran: Empire of the Mind, Iran is a “land of contradictions”. As this is true these contradictions is what makes Iran, Iran. Iran today is looked as the pinnacle of the Islamic faith in the form of a Government structure. Since 1979, Iran has been known as the Islamic Republic of Iran and Iran will continue being an Islamic Republic for centuries to come. Iran has a rich history of intellectuals and scholars. Iran is known for its vibrant culture that dates back longer than the Western Ideals were even conceived. However Axworthy asks a question about Iran and its impact on the world’s history and the current events that we see in Iran today, Axworthy asks “Is Iran an aggressive power, or a victim?” This statement is a true paradox, can Iran be the next Nazi Germany, the next Soviet Union or the next Great Islamic Caliphate or is Iran just fighting to keep its culture alive from a vast array of attacks from foreign entities and internal struggles.

Over the course of the last century, the Islamic Republic of Iran (formerly known as Persia) has seen colonialism, the end of a dynasty, the installation of a government by a foreign power, and just over three decades ago, the popular uprising and a cleric-led revolution. These events preceded what could be considered the world’s first Islamic state, as politics and fundamentalist religion are inextricably linked in contemporary Iran. Looking at Iran from the mid 1940’s until the present day, one can trace the path that led to the rise of fundamental Islam in Iran in three distinct periods. The first is that which began with the rise of secular nationalism and the decline of Islam. In

The examination of the functionings of religious states is best done by using two of the most well known nations with a state sponsored religion; Israel and Iran. Their respective religions, Jewish and Islamic, govern their state’s policy and everyday life, allowing for a comprehensive comparison regarding the impact on democracy. Israel and Iran have long been at odds politically, so this comparison between the two will highlight the way the two states have dealt with their religious base. Iran is an Islamic sponsored state, with most of their political system revolving around the religious leaders. Israel is a Jewish state with a large secular citizenry to match the religious base, causing the political structure of the state to take a different approach to governing. Israel’s more secular and inclusive structure of government has allowed for a greater development of democracy, compared to Iran’s highly religious and non-inclusive governmental setup which has led to a theocracy disguised as a democratic state.

In order to understand ideology in Iran, placing constituents of the ideological aspects on a spectrum accentuates an established left and right. Specifically, a labeled representation of said spectrum includes: modernization and Westernization on the left, Islam as moderate, and Islamic fundamentalism on the far right. To demonstrate the ideological spectrum described above, the historical context of Iran, generally speaking, symbolizes ideological shifts in society throughout the 1900’s. Beginning with Reza Shah’s administration, politics began to shift middle left in proportion of non traditional Western influence and providing Women with more rights and opportunities. Throughout Reza Shah’s period, abolishment of the chador, readily increased

Further, Atatürk worked much harder than the Shahs to create a democratic government, even though he still maintained dictatorial powers. Atatürk’s democratic government showed a positive side of Western, secular style government, and it made the Turkish people more favorable to the West than Persians. Throughout Turkey’s early history, Atatürk was always the president, and nothing more; Turkey had democratic elections through Atatürk’s rule, and Atatürk was simply so popular that he continued to win them over and over until his death. Contrarily, Reza Shah and his son, Mohammad Reza Shah, were both Shahs, meaning kings, and there was very little democracy in their governmental system. Although their parliamentary bodies were elected by the people, both Shahs greatly ignored them, and Mohammad Reza Shah even exiled Mohammad Mossadeq, a leading member of their parliamentary body. Further, Turkey’s Western-style concept of populism and democracy never made it as far East as Iran, and Persians did not have a say in their government. This lack of representation angered Persians, and they considered the Shahs (especially Mohammad Reza Shah) puppets of the West, so by extension they were angry with the West. It is probable that Persians would have liked Western-style government more, had the Shahs created a truly Western government, with democracy and representation. However, because their governments were so autocratic and dynastic, their people were never privy to true Western-style government, and therefore only saw the bad side of the West. Furthermore, the Shahs also created a very confusing identity for their country, as their policies contradicted each other. Reza Shah attempted to create a secular government, but he still wanted Shi’a Islam to be a major part of people’s lives: he neither

As Mohammad Rezi Pahlava ruled Iran, his questionable approach to the government garnered opposition. On the verge of civil war, the country faced conflicting views. One being a push towards Westernization and the other being a more traditional, religious stance. Islamic clergy members pointed out that implementing modernization techniques would hinder Iran’s fundamentalist society.(Brinkley) However, the majority of Shah’s opposition originated from the leader’s repressive

The other self-defined theological Middle-Eastern state is the Islamic Republic of Iran. Since 1979, religion has played a major role in Iranian political history. When the revolution succeeded in 1979, despite it being a combined effort between religious and secular democratic factions, it was widely recognized that Shia Islam had been necessary to the success of the revolution (Majd, 6). As Majd says, “When…countless Iranians…voted in the yes-or-no ballot following the Shah’s downfall, we overwhelmingly chose an Islamic Republic. Islam

Americans tend to believe that writing an essay is so easy and fast. Have you ever thought about the list of components that go into a good essay? In fact a good essay addresses the main point and tells the reader what he or she will discuss and where they are going with it. An essay will also state the main ideas clearly. As writers we tend to sometimes use or leave out these important factors. Two authors by the names of Julius Nyerere and Benazir Bhutto; wrote two essays based on the topic of democracy and the struggles that go along with it. Nyerere’s essay titled One-Party Government emphasizes that a democracy can also be represented in a one-party government. On the other hand Bhutto’s essay Islam and Democracy focuses on the illusion that the west is the reason Muslim countries lack democracy. Bhutto’s essay was better in many ways. She convinces me that her essay was the best by providing relatable background information, and expressing both sides of the Western and Islamic beliefs on democracy and equality.

The first source which will be evaluated in depth is The Shah by Abbas Milani first published in 2011. Milani is the Hamid & Christina Moghadam Director of Iranian Studies and Adjunct Professor at the Center on Democracy at Stanford University. He is one of the founding co-directors of the Iran Democracy Project, and a research fellow at the Hoover Institution. His expertise is in U.S.-Iran relations as well as Iranian cultural, political, and security issues. Till 1986, he

Since the initiation of the Third Wave of Democracy, several countries have attempted to form a democratic system of governs. We take note that not all have succeeded. At the dawn of this era, democracy was being applied to countries with no prior history of a governing body that was place by the people for the people hence success of such a system could not be guaranteed because of the innumerous variables that existed in each country. People being the highlighted factor of variance, it may become easier to understand how countries such as Pakistan and Nigeria, both countries prior to the Wave had no local governing machinery. Pakistan further endured a partition from India which resulted in not only an instant religious and

The Arab Spring has been a life changing phenomena, not only for the people who are attempting to overthrow their governments but for political scientists everywhere. The events originating in the North African country of Tunisia have led to the snowballing of several other Middle Eastern, predominantly Muslim, nation states. The figurative breaking point might have finally been reached as the oppressed peoples of the Middle East have risen up to overthrow long-standing dictatorial governments in hopes of revolutionary change; change that is subject to the will of the people.

Over the last century, the Middle East has been the location of ethnic rivalry, political and economic instability, religious conflict, territorial dispute and war. Much of this tension in the Middle East comes from the various interpretations of Islam and how the religion should be applied to politics and society. Over the last ten years, the United States and their allies have pushed to promote democracy in the Middle East. However, they too have many obstacles they must overcome. They face problems such as the compatibility of Islamic law and democracy, the issue of women’s rights, and there is always the problem of how to go about implementing a democratic reform in these countries. Many initially would assume that it is only the