Quest for Authority in Iran

Siavush Randjbar-Daemi is Lecturer in Modern Middle Eastern History at the University of St Andrews. He was previously Lecturer in Iranian History at the University of Manchester. He holds a PhD from Royal Holloway, University of London. His research interests include the development and evolution of the state and the history of the press in modern and contemporary Iran, as well as protest movements in the modern Middle East. His writings on Iranian history, culture and current affairs have been published in English, Italian and Persian.

`Siavush Randjbar-Daemi has an obvious mastery of both the sources and the detail... [he is] among the brightest of the emerging scholars working on modern Iranian history.' - ALI ANSARI, PROFESSOR OF MODERN HISTORY, UNIVERSITY OF ST ANDREWS, `Siavush's work is outstanding... His approach is also highly original, so it will be a significant new addition to the literature on the subject... I would highly recommend his book to anyone with an interest in the politics of Iran, including journalists, foreign affairs experts of many kinds, academics, students and many English-speaking Iranians.' - VANESSA MARTIN, PROFESSOR OF MIDDLE EASTERN HISTORY, ROYAL HOLLOWAY, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON, `[This book] succeeds in bringing out the ways in which the distinctive office of the presidency in Iran operates in a maze of institutions that are themselves shot through with personal ties and relationships... very well written and a pleasure to read.' - CHARLES TRIPP, PROFESSOR OF POLITICS, SCHOOL OF ORIENTAL AND AFRICAN STUDIES (SOAS), UNIVERSITY OF LONDON, `Highly recommended... this book is thoroughly researched... well written, and highly focused on an important topic in contemporary Iran.' - ERVAND ABRAHAMIAN, DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR EMERITUS OF MIDDLE EAST HISTORY, CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK (CUNY)

• IntroductionThe Genesis of the Islamic Republic’s Executive Branch15 Months of Crisis: The Presidency of Abolhassan Bani-SadrConsolidation and Confrontation: The Khamenei Presidency (1981-1988)From Imam to rahbar: The Inception of the Post-Khomeini StateThe First Tenure of Hashemi Rafsanjani: The Quest for SazandegiA Sour Success: Rafsanjani’s Re-Election and his Turbulent Second TermThe Presidency of Mohammad Khatami and the Crucible of eslahA Long Twilight: Khatami’s Second Term (2001-2005)Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the Struggle for Presidential Authority (2005-2009)2009: The Struggle for the Islamic RepublicAn Agile Lame Duck: The Second Mandate of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, 2009-2012From Fiery Talabeh to Diplomatic Sheikh: The Rise to the presidency of Hassan RouhaniConclusion - An Ongoing Quest for Authority and State-Building