9: Conclusion

Author:
Restricted access
Rights and permissions Cite this chapter

This book has described the processes and contradictions of capitalist development in Iran before and after the 1979 Revolution, and has examined the role of Islamists historically. The central theme of the book has been the uneven character of capitalist development in Iran and the ways in which Iran’s integration into the world-system has not involved uprooting traditional forces. Hence, the process has involved both continuity and change.

Iran’s development and its integration into global capitalism have been facilitated by the role of energy, especially since 1970. With the growing importance of energy in the world, the oil-producing countries have not only developed but also become fundamental players within the world-system. Along with the other Gulf countries, Iran has turned into a dynamic centre of global political economy, benefiting from the financial muscle it has been able to wield as a result (Hanieh, 2011).

This has given these countries the power to act relatively independently, although they have remained firmly dependent on the global market within the world division of labour, as oil producers and importers of raw materials. In the case of Iran, the country’s economy has become vulnerable to both economic fluctuations in the price of energy and political events, as is evident in the current economic crisis, with US sanctions on Iran.

Since the Revolution in 1979, the energy sector continues to be firmly under theocratic control, albeit within the neoliberal world market. While the form that this neoliberal model has taken in Iran is different from that of many ‘third world’ countries, here, as elsewhere, there have been attempts to privatize national industries and to remove subsides for some commodities.

Content Metrics

May 2022 onwards Past Year Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 307 224 12
Full Text Views 4 0 0
PDF Downloads 2 0 0

Altmetrics