Imam Khomeini’s political thought: The inspiration for a new international era
By laying the foundation of a “new order” outside of the old Westphalian order, Imam Khomeini (RA), the great architect and leader of the Islamic Revolution, created a new era which – keeping in view the temporal and spatial conditions of the bipolar international system – led to the entry of a third front in international relations.
Dr Mohammad Reza Dehshiri
Professor of Political Science (School of International Relations)
By laying the foundation of a “new order” outside of the old Westphalian order, Imam Khomeini (RA), the great architect and leader of the Islamic Revolution, created a new era which – keeping in view the temporal and spatial conditions of the bipolar international system – led to the entry of a third front in international relations.
In a process that influenced the structure of the international system, while creating a transformation in the type and number of actors and involving new actors in the scene of international relations – in addition to governments – including nations, civilisations, liberation movements, intellectual elites and religious enlighteners, Imam Khomeini caused a transformation in the distribution of power between actors, increased the role of the non-alignment movement vis-à-vis the two power blocs of East and West with the slogan “Neither East nor West”, promoted the importance of regional analysis – apart from international one that divided the international system between the camps of the supporters of the domination system, called arrogant powers, and the opponents of the domination system, referred to as the oppressed.
Imam Khomeini also caused a transformation in the concepts of international relations such that, for example, he removed the concept of the nation from its narrow geographical notion enclosed in nationalism and replaced it with the broad concept of “Ummah” and introduced a new actor in the field of international relations.
Furthermore, he removed the concept of politics from its merely immoral meaning and introduced a new type of humanitarian and Islamic politics.
He transformed the concept that “religion is a personal issue” to that of a maximal religion encompassing individual, social, economic and political domains.
He removed freedom from the concept of unrestrainedness and mixed it with human responsibility.
He transformed the concept of power from hardware and military power to software and semantic power.
He also changed the concept of rationality being enclosed in “self-based wisdom” and expanded it to include “ultimate, normative or epistemic and instrumental rationality”; in the sense that the shortest and least expensive path of achieving worldly salvation must be in alignment with the afterlife goals of happiness and salvation and the use of legitimate and ethical means.
By presenting dualities in the vocabulary of the Islamic Revolution, such as arrogance versus oppressed, the great Satan versus Hezbollah, insider versus an alien, Islam with the clergy versus Islam minus the clergy, pure Muhammadan Islam versus American Islam, cultural independence versus colonial culture, Islamic civilisation (based on morality, self-belief, wisdom, and learning science) versus imported civilization, as well as interactive phrases like independence and freedom, religion and politics, science and purification, expertise and commitment, primary and secondary laws, national and divine, physical and spiritual, material and spiritual, and finally such conceptual innovations as: introducing mosques as strongholds, mobilised forces as the nucleus of resistance against the East and the West, radio and television as a university, and describing the imperialists as wolves, Imam Khomeini (RA) practically offered a new literature that caused international transformation in the world of politics in the last decades of the 20th century.
Moreover, by breathing the spirit of spirituality into the body of the soulless world of that time, that wise leader, created the first soft revolution in contemporary history in the age of hard revolutions, which demanded confrontation with the colonial powers and influencing the international system from the bottom up.
With his strong faith, profound knowledge, sincerity, honesty, struggle, courage, zeal, greatness, and unique enlightenment, Imam Khomeini was able to manifest the connection between epic and mysticism and at the same time connect religion to politics.
The importance of Imam Khomeini’s leadership can be seen in the presentation of values that convinced the people to follow his orders without question, as it was people’s heartfelt belief in the Imam’s deep faith in his own words, which adhered to pure Islamic teachings.
Imam Khomeini’s charismatic and legitimate leadership, which was the outcome of his spirituality, enabled him to encourage the nation to fulfill the demands of the Islamic Revolution, manage the existing crisis, and inspire and convince the world about the possibility of a new international order sans the domination of arrogant powers.
Led by Imam Khomeini, the Islamic Revolution of Iran was able to establish a kind of post-Westphalian order based on spiritualism.
The root of the success of Imam Khomeini’s thoughts should be sought in the values and virtues that are rooted in striving for salvation, prosperity, progress, and a pure life for mankind.
Imam Khomeini (RA) particularly adhered to the virtues that are expected from a perfect human being in Islamic mysticism and are in accordance with the life and tradition of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
It was the manifestation of these virtues and values in the Imam’s thought that provided the foundation for the political system of the Islamic Republic and also the new international order.
For Imam Khomeini, politics was the means of flourishing human and Islamic virtues, as well as the realisation of human rights and duties in society such that there would be a kind of balance between rights and responsibilities.
Thus, the success of Imam Khomeini’s thought lies in the fact that he was able to present a practical model for human behavior based on pure Islamic and human values and virtues, in which there is a close connection between thoughts with actions.
Based on the “diffusion theory”, it can be interpreted that it was because of Imam Khomeini’s thoughts and ideals that the Islamic Revolution of Iran attracted the attention of the world and became the source of inspiration and innovation for the emergence of new ideals and values – based on the teachings of Islam – for the Muslim world.
The issue of diffusion can be seen as a new model of the political system, i.e. religious democracy, which reflects the compatibility of Islam and modernity.
In his historic speech in Behesht-e Zahra, by stating that we are not against cinema but against corruption and immorality, Imam Khomeini practically showed that Islam is compatible with modernity but not with modernism, in the sense that it approves of new means of communication and the new innovations in the fields of sciences and technology that lead to the progress and development of Muslim societies, but it opposes modernism, which is rooted in individualism, positivism, humanism, and unbridled liberalism, secularism and materialism.
In fact, the Islamic Revolution of Iran came to the conclusion that it could use the tools of globalisation but confront forced globalisation.
One of the tools of globalisation is communication, which in the era of Imam Khomeini was based on the distribution of tapes of his speeches and other tools such as the press, radio, and television, but is presently dominated by cyberspace and the Islamic Revolution of Iran has been able to use the virtual space to explain its up-to-date, practical and attractive views.
It goes without saying, that the Islamic Revolution gives priority to thoughts over tools because tools are to serve thought and not vice versa.
Thus, the maximum use of soft power to present a suitable image of the Islamic Revolution and the process of creating a discourse is of increasing importance.
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The universal approach of the Islamic Revolution, which is based on anti-tyranism, the extension of justice, anti-corruption, people’s participation in the process of decision-making at the global level, adherence to lawfulness, and desirable and fair governance – while focusing on human happiness – reflects the multiplicity of methods and styles in accordance with the cultural contexts of local communities, and brings to the fore the theory of unity in diversity, i.e., the dialectical process of unity at the same time as plurality.
Keeping these aspects in view, it seems that the Islamic Revolution can rely on soft power to influence the behavior of others, influence the decisions and policies of others, shape the international environment, influence public opinion, and use soft power as the source of public diplomacy to ensure the portrayal of correct understanding of the ideals of the Islamic Revolution and its principles to the international community.
The fact is that the Islamic Revolution has been able to strengthen the components of soft power, especially discourse creation and the production of its semantic system, to reproduce the power of the normativity of transnational ideology, to increase the sphere of influence, and to create a model, i.e., to provide a model for political, economic, social, and cultural progress and by relying on the power of Shiite authority, which is transnational in essence.
Also, the fact is that the Islamic Revolution has taken a critical approach to globalisation in such a way that while interacting effectively and constructively with the world, it criticizes the conditions and characteristics of the international system.
In other words, the Islamic Revolution emphasises “multiple globalisation” and believes that there can be no such thing as a single homogenised globalisation.
This means globalization can be Western, Russian, Confucian, or Islamic. The globalisation offered by Islam is based on a civilisational approach.
The basis of Islamic globalisation is a civilisational thought that has several characteristics: 1) religion is the foundation, 2) it is open to other civilizations, 3) it believes in pluralism, 4) it studies the West, and 5) it believes in providing scientific support or the branding of thought and the use of intellectual tools to enrich thoughts.
From this point of view, civilisation is considered a multifaceted phenomenon.
In fact, the era of Imam Khomeini was a new era in which dimensionality replaced polarity, and a “multifaceted international system” was established instead of a “multipolar international system”. Furthermore, the Islamic Revolution believes in asymmetric globalisation in the real world.
This is because globalisation does not have the same effect on different societies and the speed of globalisation is not the same in them.
This is also because every society can be affected by globalisation from different cultural, social, communication, economic, and political angles.
Iran’s Islamic Revolution also believes in globalisation from the middle or horizontal globalisation such that elites and religious intellectuals can horizontally affect international trends and spread the message of the Revolution to other societies.
Another point is that the Islamic Revolution believes in reverse globalisation, i.e. a type of globalisation that, contrary to the prevailing trend, seeks to influence international relations from the bottom up and present a kind of “alternative modernity” that adheres to religious principles and values while striving for innovation and regeneration, which means, the Islamic Revolution can present a civilisation-building religious thought that opposes the approach of the domination system.
This type of civilisation-making will be able to present a positive identity of Muslims and for this purpose, the use of communication tools to advance the views of the Islamic Revolution in the cross-border spaces is of double importance.
Therefore, it is required to use information and communication, to explain norms and myths, to have leverage in politics to influence social groups in Muslim societies, to answer the doubts raised about the Islamic Revolution, and to deal with Iranphobia and Shiaphobia in cyberspace and negate the mental stereotypes of fear about the Islamic Revolution.
In fact, during the era of Imam Khomeini, the Islamic Revolution of Iran presented a unique alternative model that negated both the spiritual nihilism of modernism and the epistemological nihilism of post-modernism and encouraged the humanisation and moralisation of Islamic societies according to the transnational nature of the religion of Islam.
Change management in today’s world requires planning, foresight, model making, staffing, networking, streamlining, and scenario planning by keeping in view the spiritual and civilisational approach of Islam.
Networking means creating a coordinated and coherent network between Muslims in both real and virtual spaces.
Cultivation and mainstreaming in the Islamic world should be done by using the media and mass communication tools for directing international public opinion.
And staffing is possible through educating and training young religious-oriented generations so that while actualising the cultural supersystem, it would be possible to establish a link and coherence between the means of socialisation including family, peer groups, reference groups, media, and society.
In other words, in order to influence the geometry of global power, the Islamic Revolution requires creating a positive image, presenting attractive ideas, and explaining the link between Islam and modernity or religion and democracy.
Effective networking, in turn, can take place by creating a network of political, scientific, and cultural elites to spread the message of the Islamic Revolution in the world, by branding the model of religious democracy, adopting multi-dimensional policies attractive to elites and intellectuals, by relying on moral and spiritual values, and by having the power to persuade audiences.
In fact, during the era of Imam Khomeini, the focus was on 1) the conceptualisation of the link between religion and politics, ethics and politics, religion and spirituality, republicanism and Islamism, and religion and democracy, 2) on theorising and creating contents based on solid theoretical foundations and Islamic thought and teachings with the aim of forming an Islamic system, Islamic state, Islamic society, and Islamic civilisation, 3) model-making, i.e. objectifying goals and plans in an operational way and within the framework of macro strategies in the process of implementing the political system, 4) networking, i.e., expanding and developing quantitatively and qualitatively the models produced through organising trained staff for carrying out extensive network and strategic operations, strengthening the front of the oppressed against the arrogant and ultimately promoting the role of the axis of resistance in regional and international equations, and 5) creating a public discourse to expand the culture and identity dimensions of the network of supporters of the Islamic Revolution based on the negation of the domination system, giving priority of intellectual and cultural independence over political and economic independence; considering the necessity of self-belief and doing away with lack of self-esteem vis-à-vis foreigners.
It is hoped that by taking advantage of Imam Khomeini’s guidelines on rejecting the system of domination and confronting international Zionism, the Islamic Ummah will be able to initiate staffing and network building within the framework of resistance diplomacy to realise the ideals of Imam Khomeini and succeed in depicting the correct essence of pure Muhammadan Islamic thought and while exposing the demonic and inhuman face of the capitalist system and the Western media, that are only concerned about their own interests, spread and establish Imam Khomeini’s thought, which is based on humanity and justice.
Imam Khomeini also caused a transformation in the concepts of international relations such that, for example, he removed the concept of the nation from its narrow geographical notion enclosed in nationalism and replaced it with the broad concept of “Ummah” and introduced a new actor in the field of international relations.
