Iranian culture was very pragmatic throughout its history, it always took what it found to be useful of another culture. The invasions, however, lead to a great political shift in the Islamic world, the Sunni-Shi’ite split. Iran was the place where Shi’ite Islam was born. It was a political decision that came as a result of the political ambitions of rival leaders throughout the Islamic world. The central issue in the Sunni-Shi’ite split concerns the succession of the Prophet Mohammed. In the 13th century, Iran needed a more centralized authority because the many invading foreign tribes posed a threat to the empire’s existence. From the Sunni-Shi’ite split came a political dynasty called the Safavid Empire. This was the most glorious empire in Iranian history.

The modern period of Iran was marked by imperial conquests at the hands of the Industrial powers. Parts of the Greater Iran region were carved out by Russia and Great Britain. The age of oil was well underway and Iran was very rich in it. Unfortunately, at this time, Iran was politically and militarily too weak to fight the mechanized armies of Great Britain and Russia. Russia and Great Britain divided the nation into spheres of influence and had many interests in Iran. Not long after World War II, Iran attempted to modernize with a new secular republican government. They elected President Mohammed Mosaddegh in the early 1950’s. Mosaddegh was a charismatic leader that tried to assert Iran in rightful place in the world; as a free and independent nation. He wished to deport British oil interests in the country. The Central Intelligence Agency and the British Ministry of Intelligence launched a coup d’etat against Mosaddegh to prevent Britain from losing its oil interests. The nation was replaced with the reinstatement of the Shah, the historical monarch Iran. The Shah was named Reza Pahlavi and he ruled with an iron fist until 1979.

Iranian history met a turning point in 1979 with an Islamic revolution. The revolution was partly based on Iranian history, partly based on modern governments. The new Islamic Republic of Iran would impose Islamic law on the country. Iran went back to its history and choose its more religiously oriented government of the past with elements of modern representative democracy. Iran was again a theocratic country as it was in the Middle Ages.

Pre-Islamic Iranian culture was heavily shaped by the teachings of Zoroastrianism and the interaction between the great empires of Persia, Greece, and Rome. In the Pre-Islamic period, Persian culture was the rival of the Greek model of civilization. Iran, as one of the oldest civilizations developed its own model of civilization and religions. King Cyrus the Great whose reign lasted from 600 to 576 BCE is remembered by historians to be one of the first models of a tolerant multi-ethnic civilization. Cyrus the Great was the first king to provide equal legal protections to all of his subjects. Pre-Islamic Persian culture died out during the height of the Roman Empire as part of the Iranian empire became part of the Roman empire, this Roman Province was known as Parthia. Pre-Islamic Iranian culture needed a strong change.

That strong cultural change marked a new period in Iranian history, the adoption of Islam in Iran. The Islamic conquest of Iran happened in the 8th century of the Common Era and it shaped Iranian culture to the present. Not only did Islam change Iran; Iran changed Islam. Pre-Islamic Iran had always been a center of cultural exchange known for scholarship, music, and a heavily developed urban culture. Iran in the Middle Ages became a center of Islamic Cultural exchange. Persian culture influenced the development of Islam as many Iranian intellectuals became leaders within the Islamic empire. Arab and Turkic conquerors of Iran became patrons of Persian Art, literature, and architecture.

The next wave of conquerors to shape Iranian culture and history were the Turkic Mongols who further shaped Iranian culture. The political concerns of the successive Mongol invasions prompted the Iranians to break away from the rest of the Islamic world with the creation of the Shi’ite sect of Islam. This move was made due to the political rivalries that characterized the political structure of the Islamic conquerors. This Sunni-Shi’ite split in Islam would have many different consequences in the course of Iranian history and the history of Islam. In the short term, Iranian culture thrived as a new Iranian empire emerged, the Safavid empire. The empire ranged from the Caucasus mountains to northern India.

The Afghans and Turks then tried to conquer the Safavid empire. The result, as always, resulted in the conqueror’s adoption of Iranian culture. This is the pattern throughout Iranian history. The interim period between the 14th century and the early 20th century were not culturally formative years in Iranian history. The period was marked by conquests from the industrialized European powers and Russia. In this period Iran was weak to the industrialized world and it desperately tried to modernize. Iran struggled to modernize Iranian culture and technology. This period was marked by imperial conquests and in spite of cultural resiliency, Iran was not successful in asserting its historical cultural strength.

It was not until 1979 that modern Iranian culture emerged out of the pit of imperialism. The 1979 Islamic Revolution marked a shift in Iranian culture that prompted Iranian culture to go back in its history. The most important cultural message it took from Iranian history was its religion. The modern Iranian government is strongly rooted in Islamic background. However, Iranian culture is also flexible enough to accommodate the few religious minorities of Christians, Jews, and Zoroasters in their constitution. Iranian culture is a culture that is strong and respects its history.

Iranian music uses the same seven note scale with half-steps as European music. Stylistically, Iranian music is typical of music of the Middle East. However, Iranian music puts more of an emphasis on melody than rhythm as tradition Arabic Music does. In fact, modern traditional Arabic music is heavily influenced by the Iranian tradition of music.

The Iranian music tradition is one of the oldest and when the Arabs brought Islam to Iran, the Persians introduced music to Islam. Islam has always had an ambivalent relationship with music. Many Islamic scholars do not believe there to be any need for music for religious reasons because it distracts the observance of God. The Sufi tradition of Islam that emphasizes the esoteric nature of God believe that music is important to exploring the esoteric nature of God. The famous Sufi poet Rumi sang songs in his native tongue, Parsi of the Middle Ages. Rumi, also known as Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī, was born in the 13th century of the Common Era. The beautiful words of his poetry are full of wonder and mystery and speak of topics that are universal of the human condition. Many of Rumi’s poems were put to music. Iranian songs are very poetic in nature and many modern genres are rooted in Sufi tradition of music and Rumi’s verses.

Iranian Pop and Rock Music

As strong as Iranian culture is, the influence of modern Western music is inevitable. Iranian popular music is stylistically Western but the lyrical content of Iranian pop is telling of Iranian cultural norms. Iran’s pop and rock music is very popular among the youth and is a product of the cultural exchanges that are typical of the age of modern communications. Iranian rock an popular music became popular in the 1970’s before the 1979 revolution. Even American style hip-hop is popular in Iran. The rap lyrics are said in the Parsi language.

Iran’s economy is heavily dependent on the oil sector as a source of wealth and revenue for the government. The state sector of the economy is markedly inefficient. The market viability of the rest of the private sector is heavily distorted by the oil industry. Most of the economy is controlled by the state. The state fixes prices and subsidizes certain industries, which put undue market pressures on the economy. The private sector is generally limited to small scale workshops, agriculture, and services. State controls over the economy have stymied any potential for private sector led market growth.

As a result of a state run economy that is very inefficient, Iran is known for a large informal economy. The informal economy trades items and services without the state’s knowing and thus avoids the collection of taxes. This inability to collect the taxes of the informal economy further prevent the Iranian economy from growing. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the legislative branch passed laws that reduce subsidies on food and energy to combat governmental price distortions. The bill will eventually phase out all subsidies of other products. The phasing out of government subsidized products will benefit Iran’s upper and middle classes. The last time government subsidy reform was attempted was in the 1990’s and the lower classes aggressively protested against the policies.

As an oil producing and exporting nation, Iran had benefited from the higher price of oil in recent years. This could function as a cushion on the transitional periods of its economic reforms. In 2008 Iran secured over $100 billion in foreign exchange reserves as a result of high oil prices. However, in 2009 with the decline in the price of oil at $55 per barrel and a decrease in the production of oil, Iran is currently experiencing budget constraints that hinder any attempts at economic reform.

In addition to Iran’s economic and budgetary concerns, Iran has had a continuous trend of double-digit unemployment despite a decreased rate of inflation. Unemployment in Iran currently stands at 11.8%. Underemployment is another problem in Iran. The highly educated youth are starting to move away from Iran to seek better employment elsewhere resulting in a trend of “brain drain.”

Iran has made the reduction of foreign debt one of its top priorities following the end of its war with Iraq. Since then, the country’s credit rating has improved dramatically as the country has worked hard to pay off foreign debts.

Modern Iranians consist of several linguistic groups speaking different dialects of the Iranian language. 75-80% of Iranians speak a language of the Indo-Iranian subfamily of the Indo-European language family. The most important Iranian language spoken by Iranians is Parsi, sometimes spelled Farsi. Farsi is generally considered the improper name because it is an Arabism of the name of the language due to lack of a “P” sound in the Arabic language. Iran is a geographically diverse nation with mountains and the Caspian sea in the north and deserts and the Persian Gulf in the South. This variety of geographic area leads to a variety of accents and dialects in the country. Most dialects of Parsi are mutually intelligible along with other sister languages in the family like Pashto, Urdu, and Kurdish.

Iranians have a plurality of different ethnic groups as well. There are Azeris and Kurds in the north, near the border with Azerbaijan and northern Iraq. There are Arabs in the south near southern Iraq in the western part of the country. Lurs in the deserts of the south. Minor pockets of Turkmenis near the border with Turkemenistan. The largest ethnic group in all of Iran are the Persians who are approximately 65% of the population. The percentages of the minority groups are: Azeris 16%, Kurds 10%, Lurs 6%, Arabs 2%, Baloch 2%, Turkmens 1%, Turkic tribal groups 1%, and non-Persian, non-Turkic groups 1% (CIA World Fact-Book). After 2001, Iran has been home to many refugees of the Iraq and Afghan Wars.

There are also Iranians living abroad as members of the Iranian diaspora. Most Iranian-expatriates and people of Iranian ancestry live in North America and Europe. Los Angeles, California has the largest concentration of Iranians living outside of Iran with a community of over 72,000.

Iranians are mostly Muslim. The break down of Muslims along Sunni and Shiite lines are approximately 9% Sunni and 89% Shiite. However, there are several religious minorities that are constitutionally able to practice their religion peacefully. Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians are able to practice and collectively consist of 2% of the entire population. Zoroastrianism is a religion that predates Islam and is a religion of Iranian origins. Iranians who are of Bahai’i faith, Iran’s largest religious minority, are not constitutionally protected and are persecuted in Iran.

Iran is a young country with a median age of 26.4 years. The life expectancy of Iran is approximately 69 years for men and 72 years for females.

A possible problem with the new shift in the dynamics between the sides of the conflict is that it may be too late. Iran’s new motion to discuss its nuclear program with the P5+1 is happening at the same time that the United States and its allies are calling to impose sanctions on the country. The debate over the imposition of sanctions is currently under deliberation. Turkey is the country with the strongest arguments against the imposition of economic sanctions. The Prime Minster of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, reported recently to the French newspaper, Le Figaro, that sanctions would not do anything to resolve the dispute.

The topic of sanctions is being discussed a little over six months after last summer’s Iranian Election Riots that challenged the government. The Iranian government committed many human rights violations against the Iranian people as a result of the rioting. The people of Iran are questioning the legitimacy of their own government, the possibility of sanctions might alienate the Iranian people. Sanctions could also cause the people to put more pressure on the government, eventually causing the government to topple. In any case, sanctions are a risky move and always result in the unnecessary deaths of people who are denied of their human rights. There is chance that talk of sanctions would be abandoned shortly after Iran made this important step in the peaceful resolution of this conflict.

Iran argues that its nuclear program is for solely for peaceful purposes. However, the United States and its allies denies the validity of that claim. It recently announced that it would be organizing and hosting an international conference on nuclear disarmament on April 17th, 2010. At the conference, Iran will promote peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Ironically, this will occur four days after the United States hosts a international security conference in the District of Columbia. This Iran news developments are all happening in light of Iranian President Ahmadinejad’s rejection of US efforts to engage in diplomatic talks over Iran’s nuclear program.

Today, many facets of the media are reporting on the aggressive stance that Iran is taking in international politics. Possible war with Iran is a topic of much speculation among the Anglo-American think-tanks, media, supranational governments, and national government agencies. The new possibility of war with Iran is not a topic that emerged unexpectedly and out of context. The possibility of war with Iran is a phenomenon 31 years in the making with major developments in the geopolitical climate in the last decade. Iran is a nation-state that is suspect of American intentions as a result of Anglo-American cold war policies of the 1950’s. In 1953 the American Central Intelligence Agency and Britain’s Ministry of Intelligence launched a coup against Iranian President Mossadeq because he threatened Anglo-American oil interests that were established in the British colonial era. Mossadeq wanted to nationalize the Iranian oil industry and expel foreign interests in that country. Mossadeq was democratically elected and Iran at the time resembled modern western liberal democracies. However, Iranian policy in 1953 conflicted with Anglo-American interests and the West punished Iran by imposing the monarchical Shah that would function as a puppet of the West.

The 1979 revolution is what eventually destroyed the Shah’s regime and it was done in spite of America. Subsequently after, there was the American Embassy standoff in which American hostages were held by Iranian college students. The standoff was an embarrassment to the United States, strengthening the odious feelings between the two states. The Islamic Republic of Iran stabilized after the Iran-Iraq war until the United States invaded Afghanistan and Iraq after September 11, 2001. Iran feels threatened by the presence of Western military forces on both the east and west sides of her sovereign borders. As a result, Iran is said to be seeking to create a nuclear weapons program to protect itself. The prospect of a nuclear weapon in that region is dangerous to global security and the interests of OPEC, the United States, and Israel, who believes that Iran poses an existential threat.

The verdict is still out on the question of Iran having nuclear weapons because Iran has been generally cooperative with the nuclear non-proliferation watchdog of the UN, the International Atomic Energy Agency. War with Iran is unlikely as long as the general peace is maintained. Most likely Iran would not strike first in conflict. However, this raises questions of America’s intentions in that region as a result of the recent pre-emptive war with Iraq based on allegations of weapons of mass destruction against that country. Iran has reason to feel threatened; however, it is unlikely that war will happen because Iran has a military that is significantly under-developed in its capabilities. The nation only spends 2.5% of its GDP on weapons. Iran also makes claims that their nuclear program is only for the development of civilian nuclear power plants. This policy makes sense for a nation whose oil reserves are believed to be dry by mid century.

There is progress to be made in the dialogue between the United States and Iran to avoid war. President Barack Obama denounced the policy of pre-emptive war of the Bush administration. His focus is primarily on the open dialogue and diplomacy between the two nations. Sometimes pressure from the international community is implemented on President Obama’s behalf. Such pressure is unlikely to trigger a war. The Iranian government is feeling pressure from its own people in light of the recent election riots in Tehran. War with Iran is not in the interest of the United States because wars tend to strengthen oppressive regimes. The president has often stated that the conflict with Iran does not reside with its people; rather, the conflict is between the two governments. With that said war is unlikely with Iran, as such a conflict would be very unpopular with the people of the United States and Iran.

The current government structure of Iran came as a result of 1979 Islamic Revolution of Iran that deposed the monarchical shah of Iran. The state is headed by a supreme leader with the title of Ayatollah, which is Islamic in connotation. The Ayatollah is a position that is not elected by the public but indirectly elected the Assembly of Experts. The Ayatollah has the ultimate power in Iran, according to the Iranian government’s constitution. He is responsible for the “delineation and supervision of the general policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He, therefore, has the last word in matters of foreign and domestic policy. He is also commander-in-chief of the nation’s armed forces and intelligence agencies. He alone has the authority to declare war. Iran’s government is very top heavy as the Ayatollah also has the authority to appoint and dismiss members of the judiciary, state radio and television networks, and the commander of the Revolutionary guard corps, the Iranian government’s national defense force. The current Ayatollah of the Islamic Republic is Ayatollah Khameini.

The second highest position of the Iranian government infrastructure is the President. The president is elected and has a very public presence in matters of domestic and foreign policy. The current president of Iran is Dr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Ahmadinejad has the authority over the Iranian government’s economic policy. He has nominal rule of over the Supreme National Security Council and Ministry of Intelligence and Security. The president has a cabinet of 22 ministers of which are appointed by the Iranian parliament.

The Parliament of Iran is an elected legislative body that passes laws, ratifies treaties, and approves the State’s budget. The parliaments laws must be approved by the Council of Guardians to ensure that new legislation is in accordance with Islamic law. The Council of Guardians is a body of Islamic clerics and scholars appointed by the Supreme Leader. The Assembly of Experts is a group of 86 Islamic clerics that approve the candidates for president and parliament. The Assembly is elected by the public and must consist of the top Islamic scholars of the country. The Assembly is also the entity that appoints the Supreme leader and reaffirms the Supreme Leader’s rule. Most new Supreme leaders are appointed from among the Assemply of Experts, therefore the tenure of the Supreme Leader is generally for the duration of the Supreme Leader’s life from the time he is appointed.

Many members of the Western media and Israel use alarming language regarding the intentions of Iran and Iran’s military. Many geopolitical strategists in the West and Israel speculate whether or not Iran’s military is a capable of acquiring their own nuclear weapons programs. If it is the case that Iran has nuclear weapons capabilities, then the claims the Western media and governments against Iran is substantiated and proper actions should be taken. However, these claims are questionable because Iran is the only major influential player in the Middle East that might entice its neighbors to go against US and Western interests in that region. The complexities regarding Iran’s military capabilities should be critically thought of before one gives into the propaganda of both sides. Empirical facts should be considered, national histories, and all biases should be set aside in order to be properly informed on this critical matter of international politics.

Iran’s military is 8th largest in the world with a little over 500,000 active troops and 20 million men and 19 million women who are capable of military service. According to the CIA World Fact-book, Iran spends 2.5% of its gross domestic product on her military every year. In comparison, Turkey, a nation of similar size spends more on its military, 5.3% of its GDP. Iran’s military requires all of its citizens to serve in the military at age 19 for at least two months. In 2008, in the middle of all of the alarm regarding Iran’s nuclear capabilities, Iran decreases the minimal time of mandatory military service for all its citizens. Every year about 700,000 new citizens are able for mandatory conscription into military service. Most of Iran’s weapons were bought 30 to 40 years ago from the United States and Great Britain when Iran’s last Shah was still in power before 1979. Iran’s military still possesses many of these weapons in addition to weapons purchased during the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988), of which the United States funded both sides. The Iran-Iraq War was one of the bloodiest conflicts of the 20th century as it killed up to 1,000,000 men. The economic damages from the war are still showing some repercussions. Iran’s military does not pose an existential threat to Israel or the West as it stands today.

However, if Iran has the nuclear capabilities in the region, Iran would have an influence over the region that would not be conducive to either US or Israeli interests in the region. Iran is acting rationally as it feels threatened by the war-hawkish stance of the United States, NATO and Israel. It may or may not have the funds to develop a nuclear weapon. Many geopolitical strategists are calling Iran’s bluff because Iran has not the technology or the means of developing such a program. Iran is an dictatorial and autocratic state, therefore it must appear strong in the face of international adversity. Autocratic states depend on the people’s fear of retribution from the regime. However, the recent riots in the streets of Tehran, the capital, would suggest otherwise as the people challenge the legitimacy of the Iran’s elections. Iran’s Military retaliated to control the angry mob; but more outrage amassed as the national leaders of Iran were internationally ridiculed by the international community in solidarity with the people of Iran. If this kind of discipline is endemic in the country itself, it says one of two possible things; either that Iran is neglecting its people because its allocating funds to a nuclear program, or the power-structure of the regime is buckling under the shifting weight of political change. In either case, Iran would not threaten its own existence either by isolating itself further from the international community or destroying itself from another potential revolution.

Therefore, the scenario of Iran’s military having nuclear capabilities is an unlikely one due to the sheer fact that Iran is bluffing as a means of securing its regime. The 2009 Iranian Election Riots of Tehran is an event that suggests that the American Government may have the wrong intelligence again. However, it could also be likely that they have intelligence that is classified and thus, not available to the media. One thing is for sure, time will eventually unfold the events that will shape this question of global security.