chiisme et politique au moyen orient

by Laurence Louër

In this timely book, completed before the current outbreak of unrest in Bahrain that has formed part of the Arab Spring, Laurence Louer explains, the background of the Bahraini conflict in the context of the wider issue of Shiism as a political force in the Arab Middle East, amongst other issues relating to the role of Shiite Islamist movements in regional politics. Her study shows how Bahrain's troubles are a phenomenon based on local perceptions of injustice rather than on the foreign policy of Shiite Iran. More generally, the book shows that, though Iran's Islamic Revolution had an electrifying effect on Shiite movements in Lebanon, Iraq, the Gulf and Saudi Arabia, local political imperatives have in the end been the crucial factor in the direction they have taken. In addition, the overwhelming influence of the Shiite clerical institution has been diminished by the rise to prominence of lay activists within the Shiite movements across the Middle East and the emergence of Shiite anti-clericalism. This book contributes to dispelling the myth of the determining power of Iran in the politics of Iraq, Bahrain and other Arab states with significant Shiite populations.

Genres: Middle East, Islam

196 pages

First published February 15, 2010

Reviews

[JEAN-PHILIPPE PEROL]

Un éclairage passionnant sur l'apparition du chiisme sur les scènes politiques du Moyen Orient, montrant la complexité des mouvements politiques qu'il a généré, en particulier chez les deshérités d'Irak, du Liban, du Bahrein ou d'Arabie Seoudite. Un livre que beaucoup de nos responsables ferait bien de lire et de méditer avant de lancer des anathèmes trop simplistes.

[Umberto Profazio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sorprendente volume che fa luce sulla complessa evoluzione dell’Islam sciita in Medio Oriente e nel Golfo, specialmente a seguito della rivoluzione islamica in Iran. L’analisi si concentra sulla competizione tra i principali luoghi di culto, sulla complessa internazionalizzazione, le tensioni tra centro e periferia e il complesso rapporto con la politica. Fortemente raccomandato.

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laurence Louer, a Research Fellow at CERI/SciencesPo in Paris offers in this concise, 139-page book a cogent examination of Shia political movements and their transnational links through various organizations, personal relations, and the Hawzya, or religious institution of Higher Learning, that were established most reputably and competitively in Qom, Iran and Najaf, Iraq to train the Clerical class. There is no sense of disparagement or demagoguery within these pages, but a focused attempt to describe Shia political and religious movements and how the schools of thought and action are distinct from one another.

I believe this is perhaps the best academic introduction to Shiism, particularly for a College Undergraduate/Graduate trying to understand the comparative nature of, say, Shirazists and Da'wa, or the Sadr Brigades and the Mahdi Army. If you are curious how far Hezbollah's reach is in the Shia world or what part Iran really plays in Hezbollah's decision-making structure, these questions are also tackled by Louer.

I think the basic conclusion I received from Shiism and Politics in the Middle East is that, Shia movements rarely act in an interrelated manner towards a singular goal of a Shia Crescent, but are largely driven by domestic political concerns and strategies. Even after the revolution in Iran, which Louer explains was not able to export itself, and indeed fairly quickly made the decision to normalize its Foreign Policy. The Revolution in fact, just created new questions which were debated within a transnational Network that is fairly individual and personality-driven. The book involves a lot of modern history, speaking about Iraq in the 1920s, but mostly focuses on the 60's to the present, with a real emphasis on those 70's and 80's.