Iran The 5th Wave, By Anwar AQ, Alexis B., Chelsea S., Rafiq R.

Iran Topics: Social, Military, Economic, Political

Social:

More and more news site have been blocked in Iran as the struggle for power and influence is played 

out in the media. Though the Iranian people have the right to free press, broadcasters are more 

restricted and confined than the press. In Iran, owning satellite dishes may be illegal but outside TV 

channels are widely tolerated by authorities and thousands maybe even millions watch. With the 

growing access to technology, around 32. 2 million Iranian people were internet users, though the 

government uses their technical controls to limit bandwidth, filter certain things, and putting down 

regulatory and legal curbs. Sites that have been filtered out so far have been, Facebook, Twitter, 

MySpace, Flickr, & Youtube. Online bloggers and activists have been arrested as well. For those 

foreign broadcasters like BBC & Persian TV, they mostly target Iranian audiences.

Military:

The Irainian Military consists of several different branches such as the Islamic Republic of Iran 

Regular Forces which contains the Ground Forces, Navy, and Air Force. There are different military

age services, and obligations. At age 19 the person is eligible for compulsory military serivice, at 16 

the person can volunteer into the army. At 17 the person can be involved with the Law Enforcement 

Forces. The Iranian military consists of more males than females, numbers from 20,763,890-

20,157,570. There have been videos and proof of the military breaking into houses shooting, and beating people who they believe were threats. They claimed that they have warned the people that they were going to perform their patrols. Also it has been reported that many prisoners that have been taken have been brutally tortured and raped.

Economic:

The economy is powered by an inefficient sector, which is oil. This oil provides the majority of the 

governments money. Another sector or part that is involved is a private sector that is limited to 

workshops, farms, and other services. The economy is brought down by different problems such as 

price issues, and others. Even without inflation, Iran still struggles with its economy. The agricultural 

products of Iran are wheat, rice, grains, fruits, nuts, and others. Aside from oil, Iran is known for its 

mining of its its resurces such as zinc, uranium nand other minerals.

Political:

Iran is a revolutionary country. It is known for its different uprisings and chnage in leadership. The 

legal system is inspired by the Islamic rules. The power is divided into differen groups. The country’s 

supreme leader Ayatollah Khamanei is in change of the army, police, and media.

Its legal system is inspired by the Koran and conservative Koranic teachings govern many aspects of social and political life. The Supreme Leader -- Ayatollah Khamanei, Khomeini's successor -- controls many levers of power, army, the police and the electronic media. He is elected by a council of clerics. Iran also has a president, elected by universal suffrage. Iranians elected a new president in May 1997. Mohammad Khatami is seen as a progressive moderate. He won a convincing victory over the religious establishment's candidate thanks largely to support from women and young people (the voting age is 1 5). Finally, Iran is a young country. Over half of the population is under the age of 1 8. The population has doubled in the twenty years since the revolution, from 30 million to over 60 million -- in spite of the war.

Citations:


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2.

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ir.html

3.

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ir.html

4.

"Politics In Iran." Iranian Trade Association. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. <http://www.iraniantrade.org/doinbiz/poly.asp>.

5.

Sick, Gary. "Iran’s Political Coup — War in Context." War in Context. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. <http://warincontext.org/2009/06/13/irans-political-coup/>.

6.

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http://www.armyrecognition.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1058

8.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IranSocialMedia.jpg

9.

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10. 

"YouTube - CNN Iran a Winner in Egypt Uprising - 31 January 2011." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OK7XtF-cmmY>.

11.

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12.

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