Don’t Rule Out the Possibility of War with Iran

by Shireen T. Hunter      According to press reports, Iran has all but despaired of the European Union’s ability—or, perhaps more accurately, willingness—to work out a system of financial transactions that could facilitate Tehran’s trade with Europe. Not only that,… Continue Reading

U.S. Economic Warfare and Iran’s Politics of Muddling Through

by Daniel Brumberg It is too early to gauge the overall economic consequences for Iran of the Trump administration’ re-imposition of oil-related sanctions. Their full impact will partly depend on the ability of the European Union (EU), China, Russia, India,… Continue Reading

Bookkeepers, Mad Mullahs, and the Sources of Iranian Conduct

by Paul R. Pillar The Trump administration’s policy of “maximum pressure” on Iran so far shows no sign of inducing any desirable change in Iranian policy. Several reasons underlie this failure.  The administration has given the Iranian regime no realistic… Continue Reading

U.S. Syria Policy Is a Strategic Failure

by Daniel Brumberg U.S. policy toward Syria pivots around vague and potentially incompatible goals that are not linked to adequate means. The White House wants to insure the permanent destruction of the Islamic State (ISIS or IS), expel Iranian and… Continue Reading

Iran’s Economic Populism: Antidote to U.S. Pressure

by Kaveh L. Afrasiabi Exactly 30 years ago, I wrote a dissertation of over 500 pages on state and populism in Iran that ended with a chapter on “permanent populism.” This concept draws together various strands: the pattern of post-revolutionary… Continue Reading