[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv class=\u0022ds-1col clearfix\u0022\u003E\n\n  \n\n  \n  \u003Cp\u003EThe international media, for the most part, agrees on the brutal nature of IRGC\u2019s domestic action, condemning the Basij\u2019s practice of silencing dissidents and acting as a morality police. But there is disagreement \u2013 largely in non-Western media and media from countries with stronger relations with Iran \u2013 over whether the IRGC\u2019s role in international terrorism has been exaggerated in order to tarnish Iran\u2019s reputation and bolster the U.S. argument that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EGiven the adversarial relationship between Iran and the West over the Iranian nuclear issue, Western media has prominently covered the activities of the IRGC and its branches in recent years. Global Western media outlets such as the Associated Press and Reuters have widely reported on the presence of IRGC forces in Syria and the role of the IRGC in fighting on behalf of the Syrian regime. The 2009 protests in the aftermath of Iran\u2019s disputed presidential elections were also widely covered, and many outlets reported violent crackdowns by IRGC forces, particularly the Basij militia.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EWestern media typically acknowledges the IRGC\u2019s involvement in anti-U.S. activities, extremism in Iran, and support of terrorism. A 2007 NPR report on the Guards describes the organization\u2019s evolution from a \u201cpeople\u2019s army\u201d meant to mobilize the Iranian population against foreign threats to actively creating Hezbollah and other terror networks abroad.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003ERenee Montagne, \u201cThe Evolution of Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guard,\u201d NPR, April 5, 2007, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.npr.org\/templates\/story\/story.php?storyId=9371072\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.npr.org\/templates\/story\/story.php?storyId=9371072\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EGlobally, however, the media \u2013 just like members of the international community \u2013 do not always agree with Western claims that the IRGC supports terrorism and will ignore or justify IRGC actions. Just as the international community has been unable to agree on a singular definition of terrorism, the global community appears split between the hemispheres on the IRGC, with media in non-Western countries portraying Iran in a positive light, as standing up to the American hegemon.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EA 2007 piece in the \u003Cem\u003EAsia Times\u003C\/em\u003E, for example, argues against the U.S. designation of the IRGC, claiming that the \u201ccase for the designation of the IRGC as terrorists has been built on thin empirical grounds and even thinner legal grounds.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EKaveh L. Afrasiabi, \u201cIran Terror Label Bites Deep,\u201d \u003Cem\u003EAsia Times\u003C\/em\u003E, October 4, 2007, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.atimes.com\/atimes\/Middle_East\/IJ04Ak03.html\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.atimes.com\/atimes\/Middle_East\/IJ04Ak03.html\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E Ahead of Iran\u2019s 2013 elections, Zimbabwe\u2019s \u003Cem\u003EHerald\u003C\/em\u003E reported on the IRGC encouraging high voter turnout and interviewed a senior IRGC commander, but did not mention any of the IRGC\u2019s terrorist ties or even its involvement in the Syrian civil war.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003E\u201cIRGC Commander Calls for High Voter Turnout,\u201d \u003Cem\u003EHerald\u003C\/em\u003E (Zimbabwe), June 13, 2013, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.herald.co.zw\/irgc-commander-calls-for-high-voter-turnout\/\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.herald.co.zw\/irgc-commander-calls-for-high-voter-turnout\/\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EColumnists in Canadian media, on the other hand, appeared largely to support the country\u2019s 2012 designation of the Quds Force as a terrorist entity. Former Canadian justice minister and international commentator Irwin Cotler praised the Canadian government for adding the Quds Force to the terror list, but accused the government of a \u201cpiecemeal\u201d strategy and said it needed to add the entire IRGC organization.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EIrwin Cotler, \u201cCotler: Listing of Quds a Welcome Step, but Government Lacks a Comprehensive Strategy,\u201d Irwin Cotler, MP, December 20, 2012, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/irwincotler.liberal.ca\/blog\/cotler-listing-quds-step-government-lacks-comprehensive-strategy\/\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/irwincotler.liberal.ca\/blog\/cotler-listing-quds-step-government-lacks-comprehensive-strategy\/\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E Cotler goes on in a \u003Cem\u003EJerusalem Post\u003C\/em\u003E column to declare that the IRGC \u201chas been at the forefront of a long-standing global campaign of terror against perceived opponents of Iran.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EIrwin Cotler, \u201cIran: The Leading State Sponsor of Int\u2019l Terrorism,\u201d \u003Cem\u003EJerusalem Post\u003C\/em\u003E, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.jpost.com\/Opinion\/Op-Ed-Contributors\/Iran-The-leading-state-sponsor-of-intl-terrorism\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.jpost.com\/Opinion\/Op-Ed-Contributors\/Iran-The-leading-state-sponsor-of-intl-terrorism\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EIn European media, particularly in countries that have better relations with Iran than the United States, the role the IRGC plays is considered more open to interpretation. The \u003Cem\u003EGuardian\u003C\/em\u003E\u2019s Henry Newman questioned in a 2009 column how much power the IRGC actually has, noting that despite Khomeini\u2019s directive that the IRGC remains apolitical, the IRGC has \u201can increasingly significant role in Iranian politics.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EHenry Newman, \u201cThe Grip of Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guards,\u201d \u003Cem\u003EGuardian\u003C\/em\u003E (London), August 28, 2009, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/commentisfree\/2009\/aug\/28\/iran-revolutionary-guards-grip\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/commentisfree\/2009\/aug\/28\/iran-revolutionary-guards-grip\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E Newman points out the IRGC\u2019s economic power, citing its forced closure of the Imam Khomeini Airport in 2004 because it lost its bid to control the airport to a Turkish firm \u2013 and that the IRGC has been in \u201ctemporary\u201d control of the airport since 2008.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EHenry Newman, \u201cThe Grip of Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guards,\u201d \u003Cem\u003EGuardian\u003C\/em\u003E (London), August 28, 2009, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/commentisfree\/2009\/aug\/28\/iran-revolutionary-guards-grip\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/commentisfree\/2009\/aug\/28\/iran-revolutionary-guards-grip\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E He further points out that the Iranian regime has to increasingly rely on \u201crepression and a culture of fear\u201d and as such the role of the IRGC is growing.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EHenry Newman, \u201cThe Grip of Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guards,\u201d \u003Cem\u003EGuardian\u003C\/em\u003E (London), August 28, 2009, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/commentisfree\/2009\/aug\/28\/iran-revolutionary-guards-grip\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/commentisfree\/2009\/aug\/28\/iran-revolutionary-guards-grip\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe\u003Cem\u003E Guardian\u003C\/em\u003E\u2019s Ian Black and Saeed Kamali Dehghan wrote in a 2014 article about the IRGC\u2019s increased role in battling ISIS in Iraq. The article obliquely acknowledged the IRGC\u2019s ties to terrorism by placing the group in an offensive role, describing the Quds Force\u2019s mission as carrying out \u201ca range of highly sensitive functions: intelligence, special operations, arms smuggling and political action \u2013 anything that constitutes protecting the revolution or attacking its enemies, Israel foremost among them.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EIan Black and Saeed Kamali Dehghan, \u201cQassim Suleimani: Commander of Quds Force, Puppeteer of the Middle East,\u201d \u003Cem\u003EGuardian\u003C\/em\u003E (London), June 16, 2014, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2014\/jun\/16\/qassim-suleimani-iraq-iran-syria\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2014\/jun\/16\/qassim-suleimani-iraq-iran-syria\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EEven in the United States, some pundits take a more sympathetic position on the IRGC, making supportive and apologist arguments. In September 2009, for example, author and analyst Juan Cole cited an IRGC commander in charge of Iran\u2019s missile program who said Iran would act militarily only in response to external military threats.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EJuan Cole, \u201cIRGC Air Force Commander: Missile Tests Defensive; Pledges Iran to \u2018No First Strike\u2019,\u201d Informed Comment, September 29, 2009, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.juancole.com\/2009\/09\/irgc-air-force-commander-missile-tests.html\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.juancole.com\/2009\/09\/irgc-air-force-commander-missile-tests.html\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E Pointing to Western media reports that Iran\u2019s missile tests coincided with Iranian threats to wipe out Israel, Cole contended that the IRGC had made a \u201cno first strike\u201d pledge and \u201cno current high official in the Iranian executive has threatened war against Israel\u2026.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EJuan Cole, \u201cIRGC Air Force Commander: Missile Tests Defensive; Pledges Iran to \u2018No First Strike\u2019,\u201d Informed Comment, September 29, 2009, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.juancole.com\/2009\/09\/irgc-air-force-commander-missile-tests.html\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.juancole.com\/2009\/09\/irgc-air-force-commander-missile-tests.html\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E In 2012, after the IRGC\u2019s Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh said Iran would destroy Israel if \u201cthe Jewish state\u201d attacked, Cole argued that \u201cthis is not a threat to commit an act of aggression\u201d as \u201cIran has a \u2018no first strike\u2019 policy\u201d reaffirmed by Khamenei, and Iran is only \u201cthreatening to retaliate with everything he has if Iran is itself the victim of a naked act of aggression.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EJuan Cole, \u201cHajizadeh: If Israel Attacks Iran, It Will Be Destroyed,\u201d \u003Cem\u003EInformed Comment\u003C\/em\u003E, July 2, 2012, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.juancole.com\/2012\/07\/hajizadeh-if-israel-attacks-iran-it-will-be-destroyed.html\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.juancole.com\/2012\/07\/hajizadeh-if-israel-attacks-iran-it-will-be-destroyed.html\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EEven in the Arab media, the role of the IRGC is not so clearly presented. Iranian dissident Akbar Ganji describes the IRGC\u2019s economic power in Al Jazeera, but ignores the organization\u2019s terrorist ties, even whitewashing them by laying the blame for a \u201csecuritised\u201d Iranian society and political process on \u201cnearly 35 years of military threats,\u0026nbsp;by Iraq, the US, Israel, and others\u2026.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003E\u201cAkbar Ganji, \u201cGuardians of the Revolution - and Business,\u201d \u003Cem\u003EAl Jazeera\u003C\/em\u003E, December 26, 2013, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/indepth\/opinion\/2013\/12\/guardians-revolution-business-2013121010184257375.html\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/indepth\/opinion\/2013\/12\/guardians-revolution-business-2013121010184257375.html\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EIran\u2019s English media, of course, shed a sympathetic light on the IRGC, often taking IRGC statements at face value. An April 2014 article by the Fars News Agency (FNA) cited Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari defending the group\u2019s role in Syria, claiming that the IRGC provided only Iran\u2019s intelligence support and not physical support.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003E\u201cIRGC Top Commander: Transfer of Experience Iran\u2019s Only Military Aid to Syria,\u201d Fars News Agency, April 21, 2014, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/english.farsnews.com\/newstext.aspx?nn=13930201000866\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/english.farsnews.com\/newstext.aspx?nn=13930201000866\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E FNA provided no balance in the article, providing only a quote from another IRGC commander who agreed with Jafari.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ESympathetic journalists who view the United States as unfairly targeting the Islamic Republic are more skeptical of reports on the IRGC\u2019s involvement in global terrorism, viewing these reports as propaganda to further cast the Iranian regime as an enemy of freedom. Just as some pundits denounce Hamas\u2019s and Hezbollah\u2019s deadly attacks against Israel while upholding the \u201clegitimacy\u201d of their causes, the IRGC\u2019s involvement with these and other terrorist organizations is viewed as noble Iranian aid. In a 2012 article on the IRGC\u2019s transfer of missile technology to Hamas, the \u003Cem\u003ETehran Times\u003C\/em\u003E did not comment on the IRGC chief\u2019s statement that, \u201cIran provides technological assistance to help the world\u2019s Muslims and the oppressed so that they can stand up to tyrants and the hegemonistic system\u2026.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003E\u201cIran Transferred Fajr-5 Missile Technology to Gaza: IRGC Chief,\u201d \u003Cem\u003EInternational Daily Tehran Times\u003C\/em\u003E, November 21, 2012, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/tehrantimes.com\/politics\/103510-iran-transferred-fajr-5-missile-technology-to-gaza-irgc-chief-\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/tehrantimes.com\/politics\/103510-iran-transferred-fajr-5-missile-technology-to-gaza-irgc-chief-\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E While Iranian media is subject to extreme censorship by the government, sympathetic coverage of the IRGC is not limited just to Iranian sources. On the whole, global media acknowledges the IRGC\u2019s role as a harsh enforcer of the Iranian revolution\u2019s ideals domestically and abroad, but there remains dissention on whether the IRGC is a politically powerful domestic militia or a global terrorist organization.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n","dialogOptions":{"minWidth":850,"resizable":true,"modal":true,"title":"Media coverage\/analysis of group"}},{"command":"doFootnotes"}]