The Iranian Revolution: Its Global Impact (review)

BOOK REVIEWS 151 The Iranian Revolution: Its Global Impact. Edited by John L. Esposito. Miami: Florida International Press, 1990. 346 pp. Paperback. Reviewed by Sam Whipple, M.A. Candidate, SAIS. In February 1989, a conference was convened under the aegis of the Middle East Institute, the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and the Royal Institute of International Affairs to mark the tenth anniversary of the Iranian revolution. An impressive array of scholars addressed the question: What effect has the Iranian revolution had on the Islamic world in its first ten years? This collection of essays is the result. The experts provide answers to three questions: Has the Iranian revolution influenced Islamic revivalism elsewhere, or is the Islamic resurgence in other countries due to indigenous factors? To what extent has the Iranian experience shaped the politics, economics, and cultures ofother countries? What factors have so far accounted for the failure of the Iranian revolution to replicate itself in other countries? Together, these experts cover most of the Islamic world from Tunisia to the Philippines, Soviet Central Asia to Nigeria. It may seem that a volume devoted to the same three questions is bound to be repetitious and monotonous, especially when the writers share the same general conclusions. As Shahrough Akhavi, writing of Egypt, explains, "the Iranian revolution has served to quicken, rather than cause, the Islamic resurgence." It is a conclusion with which the other authors agree. But in order to arrive at this conclusion, each analyzes the particular Islamic movements in his or her country. Moreover, in each case the reasons provided for the conclusions are very different. This diversity of analysis is the great virtue of the book. The original questions provide a springboard for what, taken as a whole, is a wonderfully concise yet complete survey of the background and status of Islamic revivalism in all of its various forms in each region. Whether one is studying the Islamic world as a whole or is interested only in a particular country, the essays will provide a simple and straightforward guide. At the same time, it offers some fascinating studies of countries that are not always associated with Islam and revivalism, or are not always included in other books on Islam, for instance, the Philippines, Nigeria and Soviet Central Asia. The collection is prefaced with essays by John Esposito, R.K. Ramazani and Farhang Rajaee, which set the scene by giving the history of the Iranian revolution. They concentrate on the internal consolidation of the revolution, the debate within Iran on the decision to export the revolution, and the differing opinions on the form that the export should take. While they are not exhaustive studies (nor could they be in such a collection) they are helpful and informative, especially for the novice. Perhaps of greatest interest is the question to which the essays devote most attention: Why did the Iranian revolution fail to replicate itself? Although the explanation differs for each country, there are common threads to the analyses. The reactions of the governments to the possibility ofan Iranian-style revolution helped to combat the threat it posed. In some countries, the 152 SAISREVIEW governments chose to counter the influence ofthe Iranian revolution by co-opting potential revolutionaries (the Sudan), or showing greater sensitivity to their demands (Saudi Arabia). In others, such as Egypt, Tunisia under Bourguiba, Malaysia, and Indonesia, the government increased its security measures and control over the islamicists. Iraq combined both tactics by economically rewarding Shi'a who "behaved", while repressing militants. Thus the international effect of the revolution has been largely self-defeating. Its effect in heightening Islamic demands has largely been offset by the fact that it has forced the governments to respond to those demands. Conditions that might have been favorable to an Iranian-inspired revolution have in this way been removed. The second obstacle to the Iranian revolution was its failure to appeal to the people of other countries. For many Sunni, the revolution, based as it was on Khomeini's Shi'a conception of rule by cleric-jurists, appeared sectarian and alien to them; for them, the legitimacy of a government is dependant only on its upholding Islamic law...