The literature on domestic politics of the Islamic Republic of Iran generally
argues that that politically centrist ideologies are altogether absent in a
political milieu characterised by extreme positions. Some observers emphasise
the institutional peculiarities of the Islamic Republic, which tends to
facilitate rampant factionalism and polarisation of ideological positions,
thereby impeding the emergence of a political middle. Others argue that the
doctrinaire Islamist character of the revolutionary generation makes them averse
to pragmatic positions in the centre, promoting an opposition that is equally
doctrinaire. This paper means to argue that the politics of the Islamic Republic
in the post-Iraq-War era has actually witnessed the emergence of a