Question 1: “Is Iran a democracy?” The idea behind this answer is to consider what defines democracy and then apply the arguments to the case of Iran (see the Week 5 lesson). This is an evaluation similar to our study of Russia in the forums, and the question of whether it deserved a different label than democracy or authoritarianism. In the answer write on three (3) views: (a) Why do some people consider Iran partially a democracy? (b) Why do others consider it different from a democracy? (c) What’s your verdict and why? Question 2: “Culture and Politics.” Using your readings, write about three (3) ways that an understanding of culture helps us study political systems. What would we be missing in our studies of comparative politics if we neglect culture? What examples illustrate the need for including it? Sources to use: https://www.brookings.edu/blog/markaz/2017/01/13/rafsanjani-proved-that-pragmatism-couldnt-moderate-iran/ Bassiouni, M. Cherif. 2007. Evolving approaches to jihad: From self-defense to revolutionary and regime-change political violence. Chicago Journal of International Law 8 (1): 119. Deng, Yong and Thomas G. Moore. 2011. China Views Globalization: Toward New Great-Power Politics? Global Powers in the 21st Century. Eds. Alexander Lennon and Amanda Kozlowski. MIT Press: Cambridge, MA. Huntington, Samuel P. 1992. Democratization in the Late Twentieth Century. University of Oklahoma Press. Kahler, Miles. 2013. Rising powers and global governance: Negotiating change in a resilient status quo. International Affairs 89 (3): 711-29. White, Jonathan. 2011. A comparative revolution? an argument for in-depth study of the Iranian Revolution in a familiar way. Teaching History (142): 40-7. Yesiltas, Ozum. 2016. Contested notions of national identity, ethnic movements and democratization in Iran. Studies of Transition Statesand Societies 8 (1): 53-68.
