Islamic Government: Governance of the Jurist is a book published for the first time in 1970 by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, a charismatic religious scholar who led the Islamic Revolution that took place in Iran in 1979. As a matter of fact, until the Iranian Revolution back in 1979, this country has witnessed an autocratic form of government being exercised until the 1970s by the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Written almost a decade before the revolution, the book anticipates the formation of an Islamic government and the creation in 1979 of the Islamic Republic of Iran, based on the implementation of the Islamic law – Shari’ah – and a system of governance led by the so-called Supreme Leader (commonly known as “ayatollah”), that, yet today, remains the highest authority within the country, despite the existence of a president directly elected by the people and who – officially - upholds the executive power.
Despite being one of the most respected NATO members many are wondering why Turkey’s stance toward Russian aggression in Ukraine is softer than expected. The normalization of relations between Ankara and Moscow following the failed coup attempt of 2016 has led to the building of trust between the two regional powers that goes deeper than many would like to see.