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The Rise of the Pasdaran
Assessing the Domestic Roles of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) — also known as the Pasdaran (Persian for “guards”) — was initially created by Ayatollah Khomeini during the 1978–1979 Islamic Revolution as an ideological guard for the nascent regime. Since then, it has evolved into an expansive socio-political-economic conglomerate whose influence extends into virtually every corner of Iranian political life and society. In the political sphere, many high-ranking officials are former Pasdaran. As a force in Iranian culture and society, the IRGC controls media outlets and conducts training and education programs that are designed not only to bolster loyalty to the regime and train citizens in homeland defense, but also to improve the IRGC's own institutional credibility. And on the economic front, the IRGC controls a wide variety of commercial enterprises, including both government contracting and illicit smuggling and black-market enterprises. In this monograph, Wehrey et al. assess the IRGC less as a traditional military entity and more as a domestic actor, emphasizing its multidimensional nature and the variety of roles it plays in Iran's political culture, economy, and society.
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Pages: 152
ISBN/EAN: 9780833046208
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Contents
Chapter One:
Introduction
Chapter Two:
The IRGC in Context: Iran's Security and Political Landscape
Chapter Three:
The IRGC's Diverse Domestic Roles: Origins and Evolution
Chapter Four:
Militarizing Civil Society: The IRGC's Indoctrination, Training, and Media Activities
Chapter Five:
Economic Expansion: The IRGC's Business Conglomerate and Public Works
Chapter Six:
The IRGC in Politics
Chapter Seven:
Conclusion: Toward a More Strategic Understanding of the IRGC
Appendix A:
Business Organizations Affiliated with the IRGC or Influenced by IRGC Personnel
Appendix B:
Current and Former IRGC Personnel
Appendix C:
Evolution of the Islamic Republic and the IRGC
Appendix D:
Provincial Map of Iran
Appendix E:
Glossary of Persian Terms
The research described in this report was prepared for the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD). The research was conducted in the RAND National Defense Research Institute, a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the OSD, the Joint Staff, the Unified Combatant Commands, the Department of the Navy, the Marine Corps, the defense agencies, and the defense Intelligence Community.
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