Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps

[Bill Moore]

So far we generally have two categories of actors that we frequently refer to when discussing conflicts, which are State Actors and Non-State actors. I am beginning to wonder if it is appropriate to designate a third category called sub-state actors. These are organizations that are allegedly belong to the state, yet also conduct independent operations outside the realm of state control. I'm not they exist, but I think the ISI of Pakistan and the Quds of Iran could be two examples. If true this creates some interesting dilemnas.

As anyone wrote on this subject previously?

Bill

[zenpundit]

"Is there any material on whether or not the IRGC is working with the Shia in Afghanistan, like the Shia elements of the Hazaras, or any of the other groups in Afghanistan?"

That's an excellent question. The Hazara are Mongol-descended Sevener Shia who would be "hereteical" in the eyes of more stringent Iranian Twelver Shia. OTOH, the ruling clique in Syria are Alawites, an even more distant and weird offshoot, yet are nominally considered Shia by Iranian authorities.

I suppose if the Iranians can work with Hekmatyar....

[Van]

Bill, the middle ground between "State" and "Non-State" is "State-Sponsored". This description fits Quds to a tee. The problem is that even state-sponsored has a very wide range, from rogue elements of the state's apparatus to elements that would be considered non-state except that they are wholly funded by one state. Of course, the state involved usually sees an interest in covering the money trail carefully IOT create plausible deniability, and there is always a question of how 'rogue' are those rogue elements (again with the plausible deniability).

[jcustis]

These are organizations that are allegedly belong to the state, yet also conduct independent operations outside the realm of state control. I'm not they exist, but I think the ISI of Pakistan and the Quds of Iran could be two examples. If true this creates some interesting dilemnas.

As anyone wrote on this subject previously?

I've read considerable commentary regarding the ISI and meddling in India, and know there is a book out there that I browsed once. I'll try to hit the Research Center this weekend and dig it up.

[tequila]

Most Hazaras are Twelvers. There is a small Hazara population in Iran as well.

[zenpundit]

"Most Hazaras are Twelvers. "

Actually, Tequilla is correct, I was thinking in terms of the Qayani Hazara and in retrospect I'm pretty sure that there are some non-Hazara Seveners in Afghanistan as well.

[Uboat509]

Bill, the middle ground between "State" and "Non-State" is "State-Sponsored". This description fits Quds to a tee.

I have to disagree with you on this. I suspect that the Quds force falls firmly into the "State" category. Now it may be debatable whether their orders are coming from the religious apparatus or the government but in Iran that is an entirely moot point.

SFC W

[Jedburgh]

RFE/RL, 16 Feb 07: Iran: Expert Discusses Iran's Quds Force And U.S. Charges Concerning Iraq

...RFE/RL: Is it possible that the Quds Force is involved directly in attacks against U.S. forces and coalition troops?

Abedin: Not at all, because that's not Iranian policy. The contention which the Americans have made -- now they've backtracked from it -- is rather quite silly, because now what they are saying is that maybe the Quds Force is doing it without the official sanction of the Iranian government. The Quds Force, although it's a highly specialized department, it is subject to strict, iron-clad military discipline. It's completely controlled by the military hierarchy of the IRGC, and the IRGC is very tightly controlled by the highest levels of the administration in Iran. If the Quds Force was going around blowing up American soldiers, then that would be definitely sanctioned by the highest levels of the Iranian government. But my point is that they're not doing that, because Iranian policy in Iraq is not about that. Iranian policy in Iraq is to give proper training and support to Iran's natural allies in Iraq in order to influence their political positioning in post-occupation Iraq. The Iranians are far too smart, in my view, to challenge American power in Iraq directly....

[SWJED]

19 February Washington Times - Secretive Force Pivotal in Iraq by David Sands.

A shadowy Iranian paramilitary unit smaller than some U.S. Army battalions is at the center of a standoff between Washington and Tehran over the war in Iraq.

President Bush voiced growing concern about the secretive Quds Force at a press conference Wednesday. The capture of a senior Quds operative during a raid last month in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil underscores the U.S. charge that Iranian leaders are funding and arming Iraqi Shi'ite militias that kill American troops.

"Let me put it this way: There's not a whole lot of freelancing in the Iranian government, especially when it comes to something like that," White House spokesman Tony Snow said last week.

But Iranian scholars and military specialists say the case in not so clear-cut. The Islamic Republic of Iran, they say, was designed to create multiple, often competing power centers, with blurry, shifting lines of authority reaching eventually to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei...

[Bill Moore]

SWJED and Jed, thanks for the articles, it shows how little the open source community knows about this issue, and we're starting to see the counter spin from Iran in the article Jed posted (perhaps). Jed, unless I missed it, the article you posted side stepped the main issue, which is we're claiming (we know) that someone from Iran is providing material support in the form of weapons (EFPs to start with) to various actors in Iraq. The article stated the Quds were not attacking Americans. That is two separate issues. I didn't see one question about the Quds providing material support? It almost appears to be a deliberate side step, what's your take?

This is one area where we're going to have to trust the intelligence community. Regardless of whether or not the arms is coming from lower level mugs conducting illicit arms smuggling (in this case it appears doubtful) or from the government, someone on the Iranian side of the border should be losing sleep tonight for what we may do to them tomorrow.