The revival of nationalism and secularism in modern Iran

Iran is currently facing a time of demographic and ideological change. As the post-revolutionary generation has emerged into political awareness, there has been a revival of interest in democracy, nationalism, secularism and constitutionalism, and a heterogenic protest movement has gathered strength – particularly among young Iranians. This working paper aims to investigate these ongoing trends of secularisation and nationalism, as well as the response of the government. While the younger generation is not yet able to compete on a political level with the élite of the Islamic Republic, they do have potential, in the next decade, to establish a new ruling class able to change the political landscape of Iran

The Iranian Presidential Election: Will Rouhani be Stopped by the Conservatives?

With less than four days till the Iranian presidential elections, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, one of six candidates, announced his withdrawal from the race endrosing Ebrahim Raisi. The six candidates were pre-selected by the Guardian Council from amongst 1,653 hopefuls. This means they met all the requirements to eventually become President of the Islamic Republic

Iran’s Hardliners: The unexpected winners of the US elections

With the surprise election of Donald Trump, many are concerned about the future of the nuclear deal with Iran. But this new direction in the US will not only affect Iran’s foreign relations. The rise of conservative ideology in American politics will also have impact on internal balances of power in the Islamic Republic. It will strengthen conservative fronts, led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and weaken pragmatists like President Rouhani, Minister of Foreign Affairs Zarif, and former President Rafsanjani. This will be seen on three different fronts

The Azeri question and the political competition between Iran and Baku

The second half of the nineteenth century is one of the most important periods for the evolution of political thought in Persia. Notable intellectuals started to develop a critical perception of the social, economic and political issues, giving life to a new current of thought which became known as the constitutionalist movement of Iran. Mirzā Aqā Khān Kermāni (1853-1896) is one of the most important thinkers of this time who, in numerous books and articles, puts forward constitutionalist and nationalist ideas for the first time in Iranian contemporary history. This article will examine his political thought, highlighting how Kermāni, after being in contact with the liberal and constitutional ideas of western thinkers and also after a new revision of his own Persian history and philosophy, was able to work out a new way of thinking which contributed to creating the ideological basis for a modern concept of Nationalism in Iran and for the first attempt at secularization of Iranian society. This article shows how the Iranian constitutional revolution of 1906 (mashrūṭeh) was in fact partially the fruit of ideas of this first generation of secular thinkers such as Kermāni, who were able to spread a new civil concept of the state which separated religion from politics, by introducing the rule of law and limiting the absolute power of the monarch

The Shiite Islamic State between quietism and intervention

The Shiite Islamic debate regarding Politics, State and Religion has been characterising the last two centuries of Middle Eastern intellectual history. The main purpose of this article is to examine the origins of the intellectual discussion regarding the relation of politics and religion inside the Shiite world, focusing particularly on Iranian modern political history. This article will also examine the main Shiite Imami modern currents of thought which influenced the modern history and politics of Middle East, highlighting their differences and similarities

Quattrocentomila barili al giorno in viaggio sull’asse Iran-Cina

Il dragone e diventato cliente privilegiato della Repubblica Islamica per l'acquisto di petrolio anche per l'inasprimento delle sanzioni inflitto a Teheran nel 2012 dalla comunita internazionale. In evoluzione i rapporti commerciali tra i 2 paes