The Rise of the Pasdaran Assessing the Domestic Roles of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps

by Wehrey, Frederic; Green, Jerrold D.; Nichiporuk, Brian; Nader, Alireza; Hansell, Lydia

• ISBN13: 9780833046208
• ISBN10: 0833046209
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-02-16
• Publisher: RAND Corporation

Summary

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, the authors 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. Book jacket.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. iii
Figures	p. ix
Summary	p. xi
Acknowledgments	p. xix
Abbreviations	p. xxi
Introduction	p. 1
The IRGC in Context: Iran's Security and Political Landscape	p. 7
The IRGC in Iran's Security Hierarchy	p. 8
Iran's Factional Landscape	p. 13
The IRGC's Diverse Domestic Roles: Origins and Evolution	p. 19
Postrevolutionary Developments: Consolidating Internal Control	p. 20
The Sacred Defense: The IRGC in the Iran-Iraq War	p. 23
"Popularizing" the IRGC: The Development of the Basij Resistance Force	p. 25
The Guardians of the Revolution: The IRGC's Domestic Intelligence and Security Roles	p. 29
The Merger of Basij and IRGC: A Sign of the Regime's Growing Entrenchment	p. 32
Militarizing Civil Society: The IRGC's Indoctrination, Training, and Media Activities	p. 35
The IRGC's Ideological Activism: Origins and Development	p. 35
The IRGC Presence in Iran's Education System	p. 38
The "Ten-Million-Man Army": The IRGC's Role in Popular Paramilitary Training	p. 44
Increasing the Basij's Capability to Conduct Asymmetric Homeland Defense	p. 45
Disaster-Relief Training	p. 47
Protection Against Soft Coups	p. 47
Additional Cultural Education	p. 48
The IRGC Media Apparatus: Formal and Informal Influences	p. 49
Censorship of Independent Media Outlets	p. 53
Economic Expansion: The IRGC's Business Conglomerate and Public Works	p. 55
Origins of the IRGC's Economic Activities	p. 56
Foundations (Bonyads)	p. 57
Construction, Engineering, and Manufacturing Companies	p. 59
Illicit and Black Market Activities	p. 64
Public Works	p. 66
The Dilemmas of Economic Expansion	p. 70
The IRGC in Politics	p. 77
The Origins of the IRGC as a Political Force	p. 77
Ideological Factionalism Inside the IRGC	p. 81
Possible Future Scenarios for the IRGC	p. 89
Scenario 1: The Evolving Role of the Supreme Leader and the Eventual Succession to Khamenei	p. 89
Scenario 2: The "Muslim Reza Khan"	p. 90
Scenario 3: The Religious Turkish Option, or a "Coup by Memorandum"	p. 91
Conclusion: Toward a More Strategic Understanding of the IRGC	p. 93
The Utility of a Comparative Approach: Pakistan and China	p. 94
Appendixes
Business Organizations Affiliated with the IRGC or Influenced by IRGC Personnel	p. 99
Current and Former IRGC Personnel	p. 103
Evolution of the Islamic Republic and the IRGC	p. 109
Provincial Map of Iran	p. 113
Glossary of Persian Terms	p. 115
Bibliography	p. 117
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