Vanguard of the Imam

Religion, Politics, and Iran's Revolutionary Guards

Inbunden, Engelska, 2016

AvAfshon Ostovar,Senior Analyst) Ostovar, Afshon (Senior Analyst, Senior Analyst

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Iran's Revolutionary Guards are one of the most important forces in the Middle East today. As the appointed defender of Iran's revolution, the Guards have evolved into a pillar of the Islamic Republic and the spearhead of its influence. Their sway has spread across the Middle East, where the Guards have overseen loyalist support to Bashar al-Assad in Syria and been a staunch backer in Iraq's war against ISIS-bringing its own troops, Lebanon's Hezbollah, and Shiite militias to the fight. Links to terrorism, human rights abuses, and the suppression of popular democracy have shrouded the Revolutionary Guards in controversy. In spite of their prominence, the Guards remain poorly understood to outside observers. In Vanguard of the Imam, Afshon Ostovar has written the first comprehensive history of the organization. Situating the rise of the Guards in the larger contexts of Shiite Islam, modern Iranian history, and international affairs, Ostovar takes a multifaceted approach in demystifying the organization and detailing its evolution since 1979. Politics, power, and religion collide in this story, wherein the Revolutionary Guards transform from a rag-tag militia established in the midst of revolutionary upheaval into a military and covert force with a global reach. The Guards have been fundamental to the success of the Islamic revolution. The symbiotic relationship between them and Iran's clerical rulers underpins the regime's nearly unshakeable system of power. The Guards have used their privileged position at home to export Iran's revolution beyond its borders, establishing client armies in their image and extending Iran's strategic footprint in the process. Ostovar tenaciously documents the Guards' transformation into a power-player and explores why the group matters now more than ever to regional and global affairs. The book simultaneously serves as a history of modern Iran, and provides a crucial and engrossing entryway into the complex world of war, politics, and identity in the Middle East.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2016-04-14
Mått236 x 155 x 33 mm
Vikt562 g
FormatInbunden
SpråkEngelska
Antal sidor320
FörlagOUP USA
ISBN9780199387892

Tillhör följande kategorier

1. IntroductionBrief Overview of the IRGCLiterature ReviewConceptualizing the IRGCPro-clerical ActivismPrimacy of the LeaderMilitary Power and State-buildingChapters and Questions2. From Ali to KhomeiniThe Formation of Shiite IslamRise of the ClergyThe Islamic MovementRevolutionary Ideology3. Vanguard of the ImamEnter the VanguardRoots and RadicalsKhomeini Über AllesOne System to Rule Them All4. The Imposed WarInvasionCivil Discord and a Stymied War EffortThe Islamic Republic Strikes Back5. The Long WarThe International DimensionRunning into WallsIn the Path of the DivineA Fleeting Taste of VictoryThe Bitter End6. Exporting the Revolution and the Khomeinist DivideRevolutionary InternationalismA Conservative TurnToward the Liberation of JerusalemThe Revolution Comes to LebanonFall of the Radicals7. Culture and IdentityThe Islamic Model ArmyPower of the PenWartime Cultural ActivismVisual IdentityIconology of the SelfWarriors of Karbala8. When Johnny Comes Marching HomePostwar Reconstruction under RafsanjaniPropagating Virtue, Prohibiting ViceTaking Back the Revolution9. The War on TerrorFear of a Nuclear IranElecting AhmadinejadAn Iran AscendantThe Specter of War10. Big Bang, Big Crunch"Death to the Dictator!"Rebranding the BasijSpringtimeA Cornered LionKnives Out11. In Defense of the Family of the ProphetIn Defense of Sayyida ZaynabA Return to Karbala12. Conclusion

Vanguard of the Imam offers seasoned students of Iran a more granular view of the early years of the revolution and the post-war period, as seen through the lens of the IRGC's rise. Readers who are new to the subject of Iran will benefit from a thorough introduction into the politics of the Islamic Republic, and they may also find useful the final chapters, which neatly synthesize many of the current events unfolding in Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon... Vanguard of the Imam is a useful addition to the literature, and one that both graduate and undergraduate instructors of courses on Middle Eastern politics would benefit from adopting.

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