The Revolutionary Guards in Iranian Politics: Elites and Shifting Relations / Edition 1

by Bayram Sinkaya

Overview

The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has been dubbed the ‘kingmaker’ in recent studies of Iranian politics, precipitating heated debates surrounding the potential militarization of the Iranian regime and giving rise to paradoxical understandings of the IRGC; whether as a military institution entering politics, or a political institution with a military history.

Revolutionary Guards in Iranian Politics offers a way out of this paradox by showing that the IRGC is not a recently politicized institution, but has instead been highly politicized since its inception. It identifies the ways in which the IRGC relates to national political dynamics, examines the factors contributing to this relationship, and its implications on Iranian politics from the revolution up to the present day. The book examines the three decades following the revolution, uncovering the reasons behind the rise of the Revolutionary Guards and tracking the organization’s evolving relationship with politics. Establishing a theoretical framework from revolution and civil-military relations theories, this book provides new perspectives on the relationship between the IRGC and Iranian politics.

This book would be of interest to students and scholars of Middle East Studies and Iranian Studies, in particular Iranian Politics.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781138853645
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	07/06/2015
Series:	Iranian Studies
Pages:	234
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Bayram Sinkaya is Assistant Professor in the Department of International relations at Yildirim Beyazit University in Ankara.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction 2. Revolutionary Armies and Politics 3. Revolutionary Army of Iran: The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC) 4. The IRGC and Politics during the Transitional Period (1979-1981) 5.The IRGC and Politics in Radical Iran (1981-1989) 6. The IRGC and Politics in Thermidorian Iran (1989-2005) 7. The IRGC and Politics in Neo-Radical Iran (2005-2013) 8. Conclusion