Student Question
What were the long-term effects of the Iranian Revolution?
Quick answer:
The Iranian Revolution of 1979 had profound long-term effects, notably establishing political Islam as a significant force. It led to Iran's diplomatic isolation yet increased its regional influence, particularly through support of groups like Hezbollah and involvement in conflicts like the Syrian Civil War and Yemen. The revolution inspired Islamists globally by demonstrating that political Islam could form a viable government, challenging secular dominance in the Middle East.
It is no exaggeration to say that the Islamic revolution that took place in Iran in February 1979 sent shock waves throughout the Middle East, political tremors that still reverberate to this day. The region had long been a center of chronic upheaval and instability, but the nature of the overthrow of the Shah and his replacement by an Islamic Republic was unprecedented.
For one thing, the Iranian Revolution was a revolt of society against the state—and not just one particular segment of it. The Shah's regime, strongly supported by the West, had no deep roots within wider Iranian society, especially its more conservative, religious elements. As a result, it was always a question of when, not if, the Shah's regime collapsed, as virtually the whole of Iranian society was ranged against it.
The unique nature of the Revolution and the subsequent establishment of an Islamic Republic inevitably meant that...
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the long-term effects would be different to those following other major upheavals in the region. The novel combination of Shia Islam and social radicalism immediately isolated the new regime, an isolation which was never fully reversed. Despite moves toward an accommodation of Iran by the Obama administration, the Islamic Republic still retains a pariah status within the international community exceeded only by North Korea.
Ironically, it is the increasing role of Iran within the Middle East as a whole which has, if anything, consolidated its outsider status. The long-term effects of the Revolution have entailed both diplomatic isolation and simultaneously an increasingly assertive foreign policy beyond Iran's immediate borders. Tehran continues to back the terrorist group Hezbollah, which fights alongside government troops in the Syrian Civil War while also acting as a destabilizing factor in Lebanese politics. Iran has also become deeply involved in the conflict in Yemen, placing it directly at odds with Saudi Arabia.
Arguably the most important long-term effect of the Iranian Revolution, however, has been the establishment of political Islam as a force in world politics. Previously, political Islam had been systematically suppressed by the predominantly secular rulers of the Middle East, whether they were hostile to the West, such as Nasser in Egypt, or client states, such as Persia under the Shah. Islam as a political force tended to be restricted to the margins of society, to the poor and dispossessed.
What the Iranian Revolution demonstrated, however, was that Islamism could enjoy a much wider appeal among a broad section of society. For the first time, political Islam demonstrated that it could not just inspire a revolution, it could also form the basis of a viable government. The Iranian example has acted an an inspiration to Islamists of various stripes ever since. Members of various Islamic parties, groups, and terrorist organizations have been able to see themselves no longer as simply insurgents, but also as potential rulers.
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