Episode
#334 – Abbas Amanat: Iran Protests, Mahsa Amini, History, CIA & Nuclear Weapons
3:11:25
Published: Wed Nov 02 2022
Description
Abbas Amanat is a historian at Yale specializing in the modern history of Iran. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - Henson Shaving: https://hensonshaving.com/lex and use code LEX to get 100 free blades with your razor - InsideTracker: https://insidetracker.com/lex to get 20% off - Onnit: https://lexfridman.com/onnit to get up to 10% off - ExpressVPN: https://expressvpn.com/lexpod to get 3 months free EPISODE LINKS: Abbas's Website: https://history.yale.edu/people/abbas-amanat Abbas's Books: 1. Iran: https://amzn.to/3zzLWVA 2. Apocalyptic Islam and Iranian Shi'ism: https://amzn.to/3h66fU0 PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: - Check out the sponsors above, it's the best way to support this podcast - Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman - Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman - Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman OUTLINE: Here's the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. (00:00) - Introduction (06:18) - Mahsa Amini protests in Iran (24:35) - Propaganda (42:13) - Iranian culture (59:02) - Violent suppression of protests (1:20:31) - Islamic Revolution (1:38:14) - CIA in Iran (1:54:30) - Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini (2:25:26) - Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei (2:33:21) - Nuclear weapons (2:41:38) - Israel (2:56:18) - Putin (3:03:50) - Future of Iran
Chapters
Historian Abbas Aminah speaks with the host about the current struggle for freedom in Iran and the nature of the Iranian government.
00:00 - 00:52 (00:52)
Summary
Historian Abbas Aminah speaks with the host about the current struggle for freedom in Iran and the nature of the Iranian government. This conversation sheds light on the importance and complexity of the ongoing protests in Iran.
Episode#334 – Abbas Amanat: Iran Protests, Mahsa Amini, History, CIA & Nuclear Weapons
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The future will be all about using data from our bodies to make better decisions about our lifestyles, diet, and careers.
00:52 - 06:01 (05:08)
Summary
The future will be all about using data from our bodies to make better decisions about our lifestyles, diet, and careers. The same way smartphones have small yet powerful electronics that work seamlessly, our body data will become more accessible and useful in the future.
Episode#334 – Abbas Amanat: Iran Protests, Mahsa Amini, History, CIA & Nuclear Weapons
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Women in Iran have been protesting against mandatory hijab laws, with young women removing their headscarves and marching alongside those fighting for the choice to wear, or not to wear, the hijab.
06:01 - 18:24 (12:22)
Summary
Women in Iran have been protesting against mandatory hijab laws, with young women removing their headscarves and marching alongside those fighting for the choice to wear, or not to wear, the hijab. This movement is not against hijab as a whole, but rather against the lack of choice and the discrimination faced by those who choose not to wear it.
Episode#334 – Abbas Amanat: Iran Protests, Mahsa Amini, History, CIA & Nuclear Weapons
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The Iranian regime's intrusion into personal lives of individuals is worse than breaching political or civil freedoms, which implies that there is always an authority that dominates and monitors one's life.
18:24 - 33:06 (14:42)
Summary
The Iranian regime's intrusion into personal lives of individuals is worse than breaching political or civil freedoms, which implies that there is always an authority that dominates and monitors one's life. The current regime is anxious and lacks confidence in itself in contrast to the older generations who compromised and lived with the restrictions that the Islamic regime put on them.
Episode#334 – Abbas Amanat: Iran Protests, Mahsa Amini, History, CIA & Nuclear Weapons
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Iran's middle class underwent significant changes in response to the country's urban shift and population growth.
33:06 - 38:17 (05:11)
Summary
Iran's middle class underwent significant changes in response to the country's urban shift and population growth. Despite the challenges posed by the Islamic regime since 1979, the current middle class is much larger than in prior decades.
Episode#334 – Abbas Amanat: Iran Protests, Mahsa Amini, History, CIA & Nuclear Weapons
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The growth of educated, higher middle classes in Iran has caused a shift in population movements, resulting in the revival of local accents all over the country; even in more marginal regions.
38:17 - 53:16 (14:58)
Summary
The growth of educated, higher middle classes in Iran has caused a shift in population movements, resulting in the revival of local accents all over the country; even in more marginal regions. This has caused issues for the Islamic Republic who did not expect this shift in population movements.
Episode#334 – Abbas Amanat: Iran Protests, Mahsa Amini, History, CIA & Nuclear Weapons
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The Iranian protests have brought hope for non-violent revolution in the country.
53:16 - 59:58 (06:42)
Summary
The Iranian protests have brought hope for non-violent revolution in the country. The older, clergy-led regime may fear losing control, but end up modernizing and making constitutional changes instead.
Episode#334 – Abbas Amanat: Iran Protests, Mahsa Amini, History, CIA & Nuclear Weapons
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The Iran protests are not just about human rights, but also about conservatism versus modernization, and the regime's use of violence against women and youth should not be ignored.
59:58 - 1:11:20 (11:21)
Summary
The Iran protests are not just about human rights, but also about conservatism versus modernization, and the regime's use of violence against women and youth should not be ignored.
Episode#334 – Abbas Amanat: Iran Protests, Mahsa Amini, History, CIA & Nuclear Weapons
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The regime in Egypt has created a privileged class who benefit from contractors and certain professions that are built by the Revolutionary Guards, making them more powerful, organized, and better funded.
1:11:21 - 1:18:58 (07:37)
Summary
The regime in Egypt has created a privileged class who benefit from contractors and certain professions that are built by the Revolutionary Guards, making them more powerful, organized, and better funded.
Episode#334 – Abbas Amanat: Iran Protests, Mahsa Amini, History, CIA & Nuclear Weapons
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
This episode discusses the numerous constitutional revolutions that occurred in the early 1900s, with the business class at the forefront of a movement towards democratic systems and popular representation.
1:18:58 - 1:30:26 (11:28)
Summary
This episode discusses the numerous constitutional revolutions that occurred in the early 1900s, with the business class at the forefront of a movement towards democratic systems and popular representation. French ideas of a constitution greatly influenced these movements, with the goal of creating a public space between the state and religious establishment.
Episode#334 – Abbas Amanat: Iran Protests, Mahsa Amini, History, CIA & Nuclear Weapons
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The modernization of Iran throughout the 20th century led to the creation of a strong and authoritarian state, exemplified by leaders like Khomeini.
1:30:26 - 1:38:37 (08:10)
Summary
The modernization of Iran throughout the 20th century led to the creation of a strong and authoritarian state, exemplified by leaders like Khomeini. The British attempted to bring Iran into their Middle Eastern mandate system while also respecting the power of the Pahlavi state.
Episode#334 – Abbas Amanat: Iran Protests, Mahsa Amini, History, CIA & Nuclear Weapons
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
This podcast discusses the events leading up to the 1953 coup in Iran, which saw the downfall of the national government and created a distrustful memory in the minds of Iranian nationalists towards the British and Americans.
1:38:37 - 1:45:54 (07:17)
Summary
This podcast discusses the events leading up to the 1953 coup in Iran, which saw the downfall of the national government and created a distrustful memory in the minds of Iranian nationalists towards the British and Americans. The lasting consequences of this event are still being felt today.
Episode#334 – Abbas Amanat: Iran Protests, Mahsa Amini, History, CIA & Nuclear Weapons
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Khomeini saw himself as a voice of the old religious establishment and believed that the government had no right to redistribute land, even if the estates were large.
1:45:54 - 1:59:18 (13:23)
Summary
Khomeini saw himself as a voice of the old religious establishment and believed that the government had no right to redistribute land, even if the estates were large. He received a large income from oil revenue and built up a strong state with a powerful security force, the SAVAK, despite having a complex Islamic education.
Episode#334 – Abbas Amanat: Iran Protests, Mahsa Amini, History, CIA & Nuclear Weapons
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The religious authorities in the Islamic law resisted becoming under an umbrella of a more codified system, and in Islam, people would pay dues to the religious leaders.
1:59:18 - 2:05:24 (06:06)
Summary
The religious authorities in the Islamic law resisted becoming under an umbrella of a more codified system, and in Islam, people would pay dues to the religious leaders. The unexpected change in history could be due to a combination of ideas, accident, the man himself, or his charisma.
Episode#334 – Abbas Amanat: Iran Protests, Mahsa Amini, History, CIA & Nuclear Weapons
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The takeover of the state by the religious establishment was an unprecedented moment in Iranian and Islamic history, with tensions between the two always present but never as powerful as in 1979.
2:05:24 - 2:20:46 (15:21)
Summary
The takeover of the state by the religious establishment was an unprecedented moment in Iranian and Islamic history, with tensions between the two always present but never as powerful as in 1979.
Episode#334 – Abbas Amanat: Iran Protests, Mahsa Amini, History, CIA & Nuclear Weapons
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Roya Hakakian discusses the brutality of the Iranian regime, including the execution of a group of prisoners with varying political beliefs after the Iran-Iraq war.
2:20:46 - 2:26:56 (06:09)
Summary
Roya Hakakian discusses the brutality of the Iranian regime, including the execution of a group of prisoners with varying political beliefs after the Iran-Iraq war. She also discusses the succession of power in the regime over the past few decades.
Episode#334 – Abbas Amanat: Iran Protests, Mahsa Amini, History, CIA & Nuclear Weapons
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The Iranian regime rejects executive powers, and despite the president being the public face of the regime, they have historically fallen out with the leadership due to the division of authority between the presidency and the supreme leader or guardian jurist.
2:26:56 - 2:33:22 (06:26)
Summary
The Iranian regime rejects executive powers, and despite the president being the public face of the regime, they have historically fallen out with the leadership due to the division of authority between the presidency and the supreme leader or guardian jurist.
Episode#334 – Abbas Amanat: Iran Protests, Mahsa Amini, History, CIA & Nuclear Weapons
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The protests in Iran make it difficult to negotiate a deal with them, as the people fear that lifting sanctions and allowing oil trade would make the government more financially secure to suppress its own citizens.
2:33:22 - 2:49:18 (15:56)
Summary
The protests in Iran make it difficult to negotiate a deal with them, as the people fear that lifting sanctions and allowing oil trade would make the government more financially secure to suppress its own citizens. The nuclear agreement was made to limit Iran's nuclear capabilities, but the situation is complex and unfair to Palestinians.
Episode#334 – Abbas Amanat: Iran Protests, Mahsa Amini, History, CIA & Nuclear Weapons
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
A great power like the United States may decide to not get involved in nitty-gritty things in other parts of the world, while emerging global powers like China and Russia would remain significant.
2:49:18 - 3:04:07 (14:48)
Summary
A great power like the United States may decide to not get involved in nitty-gritty things in other parts of the world, while emerging global powers like China and Russia would remain significant. This is part of the reasons for the emergence of a new geopolitical environment, where China, Russia, possibly Iran, and Turkey would be a part of it.
Episode#334 – Abbas Amanat: Iran Protests, Mahsa Amini, History, CIA & Nuclear Weapons
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The speaker talks about the current protests in Iran and how they are being fueled by the hope of young people for a better future.
3:04:07 - 3:11:26 (07:19)
Summary
The speaker talks about the current protests in Iran and how they are being fueled by the hope of young people for a better future. There is a possibility that the protests may result in a peaceful process of greater accommodation and tolerance in Iranian society.