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Kazem Alamdari received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois,Champaign-Urbana. He is the author of four books and numerous articles in Persian and English. His first book, Why Iran Lagged Behind and the West Moved Forward (2001) has been published 15 times. Currently, he is teaching at the Department of Sociology, California State University, Northridge.
Elections as a Tool to Sustain the Theological Power Structure
In the 30-year history of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI), a total of 30 elections have been held. In spite of losing popular ground, and despite uninterrupted elections, the clerics in Iran still firmly hold the reins of power because elections are designed to serve the status quo rather than to change it.
