Fault Lines: Ideology, Pragmatism, and Geopolitics in the Islamic Republic of Iran
The title is a Graduate Theses by Travis M. Middleton for the degree of Master of Science in Defense and Strategic Studies in the Department of Defense and Strategic Studies, graduated in Spring 2006.[1] The following is an excerpt from its abstract.
Ideology of the Islamic Republic of Iran
The Islamic Republic of Iran was founded upon the revolutionary interpretation of Shi’a Islam. This ideology, first articulated and implemented by Ayatollah Ruhullah al-Musavi Khomeini, served as the animating force behind much of Iran’s behavior in the 1980s.
Pragmatism or ideology
With Khomeini’s death in 1989, Iran was faced with an important decision or to pursue his revolutionary vision of a Muslim world transformed by Iran’s Islamic government, or to become more pragmatic in its dealing with other states.
Challenge for the Islamic Ummah
This tension between pragmatism and ideology has created several difficult challenges for Iran as it attempts to expand its sphere of influence and establish itself as a regional power in the Middle East, and throughout the Islamic Ummah.