# Is Iran a republic, a dictatorship, or something in between? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 23, 2008, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-iran-a-republic-a-dictatorship-or-something-in-between/434725 "2008-01-23T22:18:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-iran-a-republic-a-dictatorship-or-something-in-between/434725/21 "2008-01-24T01:36:45Z")
[QUOTE=Aquila Be] You would need to read the whole report to get the full flavour. In my view, Iran’s current government is a tyranny, with the greatest share of oppression and discrimination falling on the non-Shiite, non-Muslim and non-male sectors of the population. [/quote] What about non-Persians (Kurds, Arabs, Balochis, Azeris, etc.)? [QUOTE=Aquila Be] From the point of view of minorities who are persecuted in matters great and small under the current “legal” framework the question of whether Iran is or is not “totalitarian” is of secondary importance. [/quote] It’s the difference between the frying pan and the fire. Would you rather be a Czech in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, or a pureblood Korean in North Korea? ---
**Author:** ![Aquila\_Be](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a698b9/32.png) [@Aquila\_Be](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquila_Be)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-iran-a-republic-a-dictatorship-or-something-in-between/434725/22 "2008-01-24T01:58:55Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] It’s the difference between the frying pan and the fire. Would you rather be a Czech in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, or a pureblood Korean in North Korea? [/QUOTE] Fried or burned, you get third degreed either way. According to [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austria-Hungary) : - > [@](#): > > Article 19 of the Austro-Hungarian constitution stated: > All races of the empire have equal rights, and every race has an inviolable right to the preservation and use of its own nationality and language. The equality of all customary languages (“landesübliche Sprache”) in school, office and public life, is recognized by the state. In those territories in which several races dwell, the public and educational institutions are to be so arranged that, without applying compulsion to learn a second country language (“Landessprache”), each of the races receives the necessary means of education in its own language. On paper, at least, the ideal to strive for equality was in the constitution. I’m not going to spend too much time reading up on the complete history of the multi cultural mess of the Austro-Hungarian Empire to ascertain how much the reality fell short of the ideal. For all I know, North Korea has a constitution with wonderful provisions on human rights, but it observes none of them. So what? What point, if any are you trying to make? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-iran-a-republic-a-dictatorship-or-something-in-between/434725/23 "2008-01-24T02:11:04Z")
[QUOTE=Aquila Be] What point, if any are you trying to make? [/QUOTE] That it can make a real difference whether the government you live under is totalitarian, or merely authoritarian. (The U.S. has a long history, you know, of allying itself with authoritarian states, like South Korea used to be, so long as they are not totalitarian, like North Korea still is.) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2008, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-iran-a-republic-a-dictatorship-or-something-in-between/434725/24 "2008-01-25T19:43:25Z")
[QUOTE=Lemur866] It’s not an elective monarchy or any sort of monarchy, because there isn’t a king. [/QUOTE] The pope is not a king, but he’s still considered an elected monarch (sovereign over the Vatican City, and the whole RCC). How would he differ from Iran’s supreme leader in this regard? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-iran-a-republic-a-dictatorship-or-something-in-between/434725.md?page=1)