An analysis of the use of political marketing by an insurgent group : a case study of the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization

In his 2005 work entitled The Marketing of Rebellion , author Clifford Bob explores the phenomenon of political marketing and its use by insurgent groups struggling to achieve their aims, most often against a central government opposed to their platform. In his book, Bob makes two central arguments: that courting support from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) is central to the success of insurgent groups; and that support is given to insurgent groups from NGOs not because of need, but rather because of political marketing techniques that insurgent groups use to attract that support. Thus, a successful and savvy insurgent group or opposition movement must employ sophisticated political marketing techniques in order to acquire the support they seek, and thus succeed in their struggle.Using Bob's framework as a model, this paper examines the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MeK) and their use of political marketing techniques, largely in the period of 2001-2006. In existence since 1965, the MeK is Iran's largest opposition group, having been formed to oppose the rule of Shah Reza Pahlavi, and currently opposed to the clerical regime in Tehran. The bulk of the group has been based in Iraq since 1986, and has been confined to their main base, Camp Ashraf, since the U.S.-led invasion that toppled the Ba'ath regime in Iraq in 2003. The MeK aggressively uses political marketing to promote their cause and attract support, and thus the paper examines their strategies, discusses characteristics of the MeK, and ultimately offers a series of explanations as to the outcome of their efforts as they stand in 2006