ABSTRACT
Ayatollah ʿAli Hosseini Khamenei, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, is one of the most controversial and influential Muslim leaders in the world today. As Iran’s main decision-maker, his theocratic ideology and decisions carry global consequences.
The Political Ideology of Ayatollah Khamenei is the first book to identify and analyze the development and evolution of the theocratic ideology of the Supreme Leader from 1962 to 2014, using his own writings, speeches, and biographies, as well as literature published in the Islamic Republic of Iran. This work provides new insights into Khamenei’s political thought and behavior and their impact on Iran’s domestic, regional, and international policies. Correlating the development of Khamenei’s personality, character, and political behavior with Iran’s internal and external challenges, this study explores key issues of the Middle East region, in particular Iran’s political posture toward Israel, the United States, and the Muslim world, and the diplomatic crises unfolding over Iran’s nuclear development program. This work provides a comprehensive chronological and thematic survey of Khamenei’s life.
This book will be of interest to students, scholars, researchers, diplomats, and policymakers focusing on Middle Eastern politics, Iranian affairs, Islamic studies, and international relations; and could serve as an essential resource for those striving to understand Iran’s policies toward Israel, the United States, and the Muslim world, as shaped by its supreme autocrat.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part I|118 pages
The early years
chapter 1|22 pages
The rise of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini
part II|159 pages
Supreme Leader Khamenei, 1989–2014
chapter 8|34 pages
The struggle over the reconstruction of Iran after Khomeini
chapter 9|16 pages
The Iranian reform era and the debate over foreign policy
chapter 10|20 pages
The Tehran Spring and the debate over the freedom of the press
part III|84 pages
Central themes in Ayatollah Khamenei's ideology