Nikita Filin - Assistant Professor, Center for Modern East Studies, Russian State University for the Humanities

The suggested presentation will be dedicated to the analysis of the political system of contemporary Iran since 1989. A new methodology was set up in order to conduct the research. It combines game theory, resource-actor approach, system analysis (analysis of open unbalanced systems) and a scale developed by the Heidelberg Institute for International Conflict Research. Four coalitions are distinguished in the Iranian political system and their interaction is investigated. The paper attempts to analyze the structure and evolution of major decision-making centers in the political system of the IRI. These coalitions could be described in such terms as «right coalition», «left coalition», «center» and «the leader of the country». From 1992 until the present, «the right coalition» has been leading the country, but from 1997 to 2005 «the left coalition» had an opportunity to resume control of the two political institutions such as presidential post and parliament. The conclusions are as follows: –the ideological trends within Iran are vague and the political groups of the contemporary Iran are more oriented to the leaders than to the ideological goals; –the coalitions' activities remain unstable; –«the Islam politicization» process is ceaseless; –the meaning of «the legitimacy of authority» concept had been gradually reinterpreted over the last 21 years; –the main political process in the Iran remains within the framework of the Islamic legislative basis. As a whole, the political system of Iran is stable in spite of internal contradictions and external problems.

Iran, Stability, Conflict, Political System, Groups of Power, Coalitions