Middle East Programs Commentary & Analysis

Analysts Debate Iran’s Political Future

By Future of Iran Initiative

In the aftermath of demonstrations in more than 100 Iranian cities and towns in late December-early January, analysts have been divided over whether the Iranian system can profit from the protests to enact meaningful reforms or whether the system is too repressive and brittle to change through relatively peaceful evolution. Speaking Feb. 12 at a […]

Iranian Public Opinion after the Protests

In the aftermath of widespread protests in more than 100 cities in Iran, a new public opinion poll conducted by the Center for International Security Studies at Maryland, in conjunction with IranPoll.com, suggests that the overwhelming majorities of Iranians agree with protestors’ critiques of government economic performance. On Friday, February 2, the Atlantic Council’s Future […]

Iranian Habit of Demonstrating Boomerangs Against the Government

By Barbara Slavin

For forty years, the Islamic Republic of Iran has encouraged, even demanded, that its citizens participate in mass demonstrations. Repeatedly, however, Iranians have taken to the streets not to praise the regime, but to protest its policies. The latest protests began December 28, in Mashhad, a conservative city and home to a major Shi’ite Muslim […]

Here’s Everything You Need to Know About the Protests in Iran

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Iran has been rocked by the most significant protests in almost a decade. At least twenty people have been killed. Amir Handjani, a senior fellow in the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center and a Council board member, discussed the reason for the protests, the Iranian government’s response, and how US President Donald J. Trump should […]

Kevan Harris on Iran From Below: Findings from the Iran Social Survey

By Masoud Mostajabi

As the Trump administration formulates a new policy toward Iran, it is important that that policy be informed by accurate information about the realities of Iran’s rapidly changing society. On October 18, 2017, the Atlantic Council’s Future of Iran Initiative hosted sociologist and author Kevan Harris on the findings of the first Iran Social Survey, […]

Trump and the Art of the [Iran Nuclear] Deal

By Ashish Kumar Sen

As expected, US President Donald J. Trump on October 13 announced that he will not certify Iran’s compliance with the terms of a multilateral nuclear deal, accusing the Islamic Republic of “not living up to the spirit” of the agreement. While Trump did not take the United States out of the deal, he asserted the […]

What are the Implications of Decertification of the Iran Nuclear Deal?

By Ashish Kumar Sen

The expectation that US President Donald J. Trump will decertify the nuclear deal with Iran this week raises the question: what would be the implications of decertification? Trump faces an October 15 deadline to certify to the US Congress that Iran is complying with the terms of the nuclear agreement that the Islamic Republic struck […]

The Kurdish Crisis: Baghdad, Erbil, and Institutional Reform in Iraq

By Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East

On October 10, 2017, the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East held a panel discussion on the recent Kurdish referendum and the state of Iraqi-Kurdish relations. Ambassador Frederic C. Hof, the director of the Hariri center, moderated the event. Ambassador Stuart Jones, Dr. Harith Hasan, and Dr. Denise Natali contributed to the discussion as […]