The Middle East in search of an equilibrium between transcendent idealism & practicality.

• Author: Mahallati, Mohammad

The following article is an attempt to introduce, observe and assess a specific aspect of the recent history of Iran and apply it to the future trend of this nation's growth. In many ways, Iran is a typical example of a Middle Eastern nation in its political and economic fluctuations. On closer examination, however, it is evident that Iran's social, political and economic experiences are unique in the modern Middle East.

In this article, we will first assess whether it is possible, by looking at Iran's history in the twentieth century, to foresee some of its future developments with regards to socio-political structures over the next decade. Secondly, we will attempt determine what lessons we can apply from this analysis in looking at social developments in other countries in the Middle East.

Due to its geographic location, and its importance to the West, the Middle East is the subject of a great deal of speculation by scholars and analysts. This article will merely attempt to touch on a few issues that are familiar to this writer. However, the following analysis must be further scrutinized by analysts and theorists since almost any opinion of the Middle East can easily be sold, as a result of a limited understanding of the region in the outside world.

The Middle East, the Cradle of Idealistic Aspiration

The Middle East is the landscape that gave birth to, and lent her resources to the rise of, all three major monotheistic religions in the world today. It is probably not an accident that some ideological and religiously attuned people in the world can be found in the region. Certainly, few regions in the world can claim to have served as a battleground for the struggle of ideology and religion to the extent that the Middle East has. Even today, despite containing some of the most resource-rich lands in the world, it remains a cradle of upheaval and turmoil, both regionally and internationally.

Some analysts who follow the cliche of the Middle East, subscribe to a conspiracy theory as an explanation of the region's instability. This theory suggests that these chronic disturbances result from the deliberate interference of "great powers" and other outside forces through attempts to impose their influence upon the region. While it is certainly true that the influence of nations outside the region on the Middle East have been consequential in its historic instability, much of the turbulence in the region is the result of internal power struggles, utopian aspirations of idealism and misled policies that originate from within the region.

A comparison between the Far East and the status quo of the Middle East effectively demonstrates this premise. In light of similar origins of colonial oppression in each, the Far East has developed far more rapidly, and appears to have been able to attain some measure of stable economic development. The economic and social transformation taking place in the Far East signals far greater development than that found in the Middle East today. Further, it is a transformation with no major ideological oscillations, while the Middle East remains locked between ideology and the practical application of economic and social policies necessary to produce the same growth.

The most prominent example of ideological struggle throughout the Far East has been the rise of communism in China and Vietnam, as well as some smaller nations in the region. However, the nations of the Middle East have experienced far greater instances of "-isms," including various forms of nationalism, socialism and communism, through to Islamism and a range of ideological, cultural, political and social phobias.

The predominant obstacle in the Middle East is that it is unwilling to sacrifice its ideological aspirations in order to secure political and economic development and social stability. The Middle Eastern mind has yet to reconcile its spiritual aims with the demands of the modern lifestyle. It is precisely for this reason that the region finds itself still trapped in the quagmire of ideological idealism and modern practicality, and so remains in search of a comfortable balance between these two necessities.

As noted above, the history of the Middle East is laden with religions, both transient and lasting. For this reason, it remains highly religious and continues to be committed to the ideological covenants of its past. It is significant to note that throughout the twentieth century, almost all foreign ideologies and "-isms" imported into the Middle East have developed a religious character or cover of one kind or another. It has often been virtually impossible to differentiate between the original concepts, and the religio-transcendental components they have gained during the course of their existence in the Middle East.

Almost all variations of Middle Eastern nationalism, socialism and communism have displayed such transformations. All have immediately gained new transcendental and romantic dimensions and interpretations. The end result of such a metamorphosis is that throughout the region's history, the followers of ideological movements have frequently displayed a zealous and unwavering commitment to their principles in a manner sometimes described as being "more Catholic than the Pope." In the Middle East, the ideal and abstract form of an outdated "ism" sometimes outlives its practical and original form in its place of origin. For example, one can still find staunch supporters of communism among Iranian opposition groups today, despite the breakup of the Soviet Union.(1)

For these reasons, during any period of socio-political and economic transformation in the region, popular dissent may lead to instability if the spiritual needs of the people are not met. On the other hand, change which addresses spiritual fulfillment alone cannot bring stability. The Islamic revolution in Iran provides a vivid example in this regard. While the leaders of the Islamic Revolution have not given any credit to the socio-economic developments during the overthrown Pahlavi Dynasty, it did not take long for them to declare unequivocally that "if we fail to provide a successful economic pattern, the Islamic Revolution will lose its appeal for the rest of the Islamic world."(2)

The fact is that the key to the economic, social and political development of the Middle East hinges on its ability to strike a compromise between religious and transcendental identity one the one hand, and forward expansion in the economic, social and political sense on the other.

The Experience of Iran

Among Middle East and Islamic nations, Iran is perhaps the only country to have remained independent throughout its history, as it was never colonized. In addition, Iran is widely regarded as having made one of the most important contributions to the development of Islamic civilization, both in qualitative and quantitative terms.

In its struggle to attain a balance between ideology and political development, Iran has been a pioneer. The country has experienced a repeated cycle of different movements in its search for an appropriate balance between the spiritual and the secular. The social movements experienced by Iran during the last century have triggered similar movements in other countries in the region. Through its diverse social and political experiences, Iran has inched away from conceptual illusions and is now well placed to identify the requirements of the equilibrium necessary to reconcile ideology and practicality to facilitate modern development in the Middle East.

Religion-Nationalism in the Constitutional Revolution

At the outset of the twentieth century, Iran faced one of its most significant socio-economic upheavals. The Constitutional Revolution of 1906 took place in Iran at a time when the other nations in the region had yet to experience any measure of independence. The Ottoman Empire was on the brink of dissolution, and the nations housed under its umbrella were threatened by colonial influence from Great Britain and France. Although Iran was also under the influence of both Russia and Great Britain during this period, it never surrendered its formal sovereignty. Given these circumstances, there can be little doubt that the Constitutional Revolution in Iran marked a significant turning point in the history of the region.

The Constitutional Revolution of 1906 was a psychological reaction to Iran's socio-political experience throughout the preceding century, a period in which it was encumbered and impeded by the colonial designs of Russia and Great Britain. The 1906 revolution had three primary aims. The first was to put an end to the despotic rule of the Qajar Dynasty (1779 to 1925) which governed Iran at the time. The second was to facilitate modernization through a socio-cultural transformation, in order to bring about economic and social development. (In this, revolutionaries drew inspiration from the countries of Western Europe.) The third was to liberate Iran from the control of Russia and Great Britain.

The Qajar Dynasty lost much of the northern and eastern territories of Iran to Russia and Britain. In addition, Nasser E-Din Shah's rule, which lasted through the better part of the second half of the nineteenth century, had plunged Iran into a socio-cultural crisis. As a result, the population of Iran was ready to welcome any movement which combined economic modernization with some form of ideological revolution. In fact, the revolution was the first twentieth-century transformation in the Middle East which succeeded through the leadership of clerics; a clergy that would be deemed progressive even by today's standards. What may strike the western reader is that the Constitutional Revolution, which was led by the efforts of the clergy, was the first nationalistic movement in the region that was founded on religious pillars, yet bore predominant components of liberal democratic values.(3)

At the same time, the revolution...