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

Iran Sanctions: How Deep Will They Bite?

by Djavad Salehi-Isfahani For anyone watching the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League final, hosted in Tehran’s Azadi stadium on Saturday, the only disappointment was the nil-nil score that denied Iran’s team first place in Asia. The stadium scene was… Continue Reading

Strangulation of Persia: Why Trump’s Iran Policy Will Backfire

by Sina Azodi Over the past four decades, U.S.-Iranian relations have experienced frequent periods of hostility. The Trump administration, however, has escalated tensions, going as far as threatening Iran with war. The administration is under the false impression that by… Continue Reading

Boys Go to Baghdad, Real Men Go to Tehran

by Shervin Malekzadeh The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was as much a domestic initiative as it was a foreign policy endeavor, as analysts such as Reza Marashi and Ariane Tabatabai have been saying. It’s a way for the… Continue Reading