Hesam Forozan - The Military in Post-Revolutionary Iran: The Evolution and Roles of the Revolutionary Guards

Irans Revolutionary Guards Corps, also known as the Sepah, has wielded considerable and increasing power in Iran in recent decades. Established in 1979 by Ayatollah Khomeini as a paramilitary organisation charged with protecting the nascent Islamic regime and countering the Imperial Army (or Artesh) whose loyalty was seen as doubtful, the Sepah has evolved into one of the most powerful political, ideological, military and economic players in Iran over recent years. The Sepah is entrusted with a diverse set of indoctrination apparatuses, training programmes and system welfare provisions intended to broaden support for the regime. Although established as a paramilitary organisation, the Sepah developed to have its own ministry, complex bureaucracy and diversified functions, alongside its own network and personnel. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the Sepah and its role. It examines the position of the Sepah in the Iranian state and society, explores the nature of the Sepahs involvement in politics and discusses the impact of the Sepahs political rise on Irans economy and foreign policy. Contemporary Iran can only be fully understood by an awareness of the ongoing infighting among regime factions and increasing popular demands for social change knowing about the Sepah is central to all this.

Hesam Forozan is a visiting Research Fellow at the School of Government and International Affairs at Durham University, UK.

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38The Military in Post-Revolutionary Iran

The evolution and roles of the Revolutionary Guards

Hesam Forozan

Hesam Forozan

First published 2016

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2016 Hesam Forozan

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British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Forozan, Hesam.
The military in post-revolutionary Iran / by Hesam Forozan.
pages cm. (Durham modern Middle East and Islamic world series ; 38)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1.IranHistory, Military20th century.2.IranHistory, Military21st century.3.IranHistory19791997.4.IranHistory1997 I.Title.