Politics of Distrust in Iran

In Iran the distrust of the possession and exercise of power is pervasive and intense. Political promises are made to be broken. The careers of two outstanding postwar Iranian politicians—Ahmed Ghavam and Mohammed Mossadegh— illustrate the effect on Iranian politics of the blend of these po litical attitudes and Iranian nationalism. Inasmuch as politi cal parties exist in name only in Iran, family and social ties are important to the politician. An important concomitant of this factor is that the national legislative body, the Majlis, is a col lection of individuals and tiny factions without a stable majority coalition—which contributes to the instability of Iranian poli tics and of the Shah's regime. The regime consequently has been most precarious—and enduring. It has proven resistant to major political change in the short run and, perhaps, capable of important change over the long run.