ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the nature of Iran's pre and postrevolutionary regimes, and compares the qualities of the leaders of the two regimes in order to enhance the understanding of the Islamic Republic's prospects for survival. The Islamic Consultative Assembly constitutes another formidable institution in the theocracy, whose vitality and relative openness exemplify the structural differences between present and prerevolutionary regimes. The Islamic Republic has given new meaning to the concept of separation of powers, as the regime is permeated by parallel power structures that compromise efficiency and exacerbate the impact of factionalism. The chapter shows that the monarchy, bereft of autonomous institutions and overly dependent upon the shah as a ruler, was inherently more fragile and vulnerable to collapse and overthrow than is the Islamic Republic. The shah was utterly incompetent in crisis management and had, throughout his rule, established a recurrent "pattern of retreat in the face of adversity or challenge".
