Cadre Building in the Wilāyī System as a Strategic Necessity for the Realization of the Islamic State

With the passage of more than four decades since the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the issue of realizing the "Islamic State" remains one of the fundamental challenges on the path to achieving the modern Islamic civilization. One of the most important obstacles to achieving this goal is the structural and institutional weakness in the process of cadre building and the training of managers at the level of the discourse of the Islamic Revolution. Despite the repeated emphases of Imam Khomeini and the Supreme Leader on the necessity of training believing (Muʾmin), revolutionary, young, and efficient forces, a coherent, sustainable, and cross-sectoral mechanism connected to the institution of Wilāyat al-Faqīh (Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist) for identifying, training, empowering, and employing these forces has not yet been formed. The result of this strategic vacuum has been the emergence of detriments such as arbitrary appointments, the dominance of relationships over rules, the elimination or marginalization of competent believing (Muʾmin) forces, and the instability of the current of revolutionary management at various levels of governance. The main problem of the current research is why, despite a rich theoretical background in the field of political jurisprudence (Fiqh) and Wilāyī thought, the Islamic system still faces serious weaknesses in the arena of strategic cadre building, and how the process of training managers at the level of the Islamic Revolution can be redesigned in the form of an institutionalized, forward-looking structure connected to the institution of Wilāyat al-Faqīh? In other words, the present research seeks to answer the question of what the nature of cadre building in the Wilāyī system is, what theoretical and practical requirements govern it, and what mechanism can guarantee the realization of
the Islamic State and the continuation of the civilizational movement of the Islamic Revolution. The main objective of this research is to elucidate the strategic position of cadre building in the Wilāyī governance paradigm and to present an institutionalized model for organizing the process of training managers at the level of the Islamic Revolution. The secondary objectives of the research include re-reading the concept of "cadre" and "cadre building" with a governance-oriented approach, identifying the existing structural detriments in the country's management system, extracting the indicators of a cadre at the level of the Islamic system from the perspective of the thought of Wilāyat al-Faqīh, and proposing the establishment of an independent and trans-organizational institution for cadre building under the institution of Wilāyah. This research endeavors to show that without solving the problem of cadre building, the realization of the Islamic State and, subsequently, the Islamic society and the modern Islamic civilization, will face serious and structural challenges. The research method is descriptive-analytical, utilizing a combination of conceptual analysis, discourse analysis, and the examination of the documents and statements of the leaders of the Islamic Revolution. The research data has been collected through library research, the examination of theoretical texts in the field of political jurisprudence (Fiqh), Islamic governance, and human resources management, and the analysis of the statements of Imam Khomeini and the Supreme Leader regarding the Islamic State, the believing (Muʾmin) youth, cadre building, and succession planning. Furthermore, to analyze the current situation, the method of structural pathology has been utilized, and the experience of four decades of the country's executive management has been analytically considered. The present research attempts to achieve the design of a macro and institutional framework in the field of cadre building by moving past intermittent and project-oriented perspectives. The research findings indicate that in the logic of the Wilāyī system, cadre building is not merely an administrative or educational action; rather, it is a strategic, identity-bearing, and civilization-building process that plays a decisive role in the continuation of the Islamic Revolution and the realization of its macro objectives. The cadre in this system refers to a set of key, capable, trained, committed, and believing (Muʾmin) forces who possess the necessary epistemological, ethical, specialized, and managerial competencies to play impactful roles in the official and unofficial structures of the country. These forces are considered the backbone of policymaking, decision-making, and the execution of the macro strategies of the Islamic system, and without their presence, Islamic governance will suffer from rupture and instability. The process of cadre building in the Wilāyī system must be based on a multi-stage and coherent model that includes structural and strategic needs assessment, indicator building of competencies, targeted talent identification, precise competency assessment, continuous empowerment, proportionate placement, and legal and institutional support. The absence of any of these stages causes inefficiency or deviation in the process of training managers. Particularly, the lack of a trans-organizational institution that manages this process in an integrated and continuous manner is one of the most important detriments of the current situation. The present research proposes the establishment of the "Cadre Building Center of the Islamic System" under the institution of Wilāyah and within the framework of the Strategic Planning and Monitoring Organization of the Institution of Wilāyah as a macro solution. By aggregating the seminary (Ḥawzah), academic, managerial, and revolutionary capacities of the country, this center can design and execute a complete cycle of identification, training, promotion, and employment of young believing (Muʾmin) managers, thereby establishing a sustainable bond between Wilāyat al-Faqīh and the executive structure of the country. In conclusion, the present research demonstrates that cadre building in the Wilāyī system is not a choice, but a strategic necessity for the realization of the Islamic State and the continuation of the civilization-building path of the Islamic Revolution. Without 
designing and institutionalizing this process, the Islamic system will be exposed to managerial erosion, generational rupture, and the weakening of efficiency; whereas institutionalized and Wilāyī cadre building can guarantee the dynamism, stability, and progressiveness of Islamic governance in the future.