Democracy In Iran: Why It Failed And How It Might Succeed
by Misagh Parsa /
2016 / English / PDF
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The Green Movement protests that erupted in Iran in 2009 amid
allegations of election fraud shook the Islamic Republic to its
core. For the first time in decades, the adoption of serious
liberal reforms seemed possible. But the opportunity proved
short-lived, leaving Iranian activists and intellectuals to
debate whether any path to democracy remained open.
The Green Movement protests that erupted in Iran in 2009 amid
allegations of election fraud shook the Islamic Republic to its
core. For the first time in decades, the adoption of serious
liberal reforms seemed possible. But the opportunity proved
short-lived, leaving Iranian activists and intellectuals to
debate whether any path to democracy remained open.
Offering a new framework for understanding democratization in
developing countries governed by authoritarian regimes,
Offering a new framework for understanding democratization in
developing countries governed by authoritarian regimes,Democracy in Iran
Democracy in Iran is a penetrating, historically informed
analysis of Iran’s current and future prospects for reform.
Beginning with the Iranian Revolution of 1979, Misagh Parsa
traces the evolution of Iran’s theocratic regime, examining the
challenges the Islamic Republic has overcome as well as those
that remain: inequalities in wealth and income, corruption and
cronyism, and a “brain drain” of highly educated professionals
eager to escape Iran’s repressive confines. The political
fortunes of Iranian reformers seeking to address these problems
have been uneven over a period that has seen hopes raised during
a reformist administration, setbacks under Ahmadinejad, and the
birth of the Green Movement. Although pro-democracy activists
have made progress by fits and starts, they have few tangible
reforms to show for their efforts.
is a penetrating, historically informed
analysis of Iran’s current and future prospects for reform.
Beginning with the Iranian Revolution of 1979, Misagh Parsa
traces the evolution of Iran’s theocratic regime, examining the
challenges the Islamic Republic has overcome as well as those
that remain: inequalities in wealth and income, corruption and
cronyism, and a “brain drain” of highly educated professionals
eager to escape Iran’s repressive confines. The political
fortunes of Iranian reformers seeking to address these problems
have been uneven over a period that has seen hopes raised during
a reformist administration, setbacks under Ahmadinejad, and the
birth of the Green Movement. Although pro-democracy activists
have made progress by fits and starts, they have few tangible
reforms to show for their efforts.
In Parsa’s view, the outlook for Iranian democracy is stark.
Gradual institutional reforms will not be sufficient for real
change, nor can the government be reformed without fundamentally
rethinking its commitment to the role of religion in politics and
civic life. For Iran to democratize, the options are narrowing to
a single path: another revolution.
In Parsa’s view, the outlook for Iranian democracy is stark.
Gradual institutional reforms will not be sufficient for real
change, nor can the government be reformed without fundamentally
rethinking its commitment to the role of religion in politics and
civic life. For Iran to democratize, the options are narrowing to
a single path: another revolution.