Suchergebnisse

Though they have historically been close, Moscow and Tehran have had to redefine their relationship following the demise of the USSR. This relationship entails, among other things, different approaches to political developments in the Middle East, ambiguous cooperation on nuclear and conventional weapons and a shared perspective on the Syrian crisis. Both capitals should nevertheless take care to make sure that their positions on the latter do not alienate major players in the region. (Politique étrangère (Paris) / SWP)

Is the Islamic Republic of Iran an ideological state, an Islamic democracy or a classic dictatorship? The heuristic dimension of the debate regarding the nature of the Islamic Republic has to be found in a better understanding of the decision-making process inside the regime. In other words, the choice of the criterion to define the political system of the Islamic Republic affects our analysis of its political functioning. It is therefore important to shed light on the diverging political classifications of the Islamic Republic as defined by scholars specialized in Iranian studies. Finally, this article challenges the relevancy of analyses underlining the "elective" or "republican" dimensions in the complex web of institutions of an Islamic theocracy. Adapted from the source document.