The Impact of Ayatollah Khomeini's Interpretation of Shiite Islam on Iranian Strategic Culture

Since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979 Shiite Islam has been adopted as state ideology in Iran. This paper is concerned with the impact of Islam on Iranian strategic culture. More specifically, it examines the impact of Islam on the manner Iran employs force in self-defense. To shed light on the influence of ideology, the article has relied heavily on Ayatollah Khomeini's speeches, sermons, and writings as well as Iranian conduct during the war with Iraq. It argues that Islam has set the goals for which force should be used, determined the military strategy to be adopted, defined the meaning of victory on the battlefield, spelled out the factors that contribute to military prowess, and impacted the organization, recruitment, and training of the armed forces.