Middle East Programs Commentary & Analysis

A State of Mind: Tillerson vs. Pompeo on the Issues, and What that Means for US Foreign Policy

By Atlantic Council

Newly former US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and his replacement, former Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo, do not necessarily see eye to eye on every major foreign policy issue. Their divergent views raise serious questions as to how the shake-up in leadership at Foggy Bottom will alter the course of US foreign policy […]

Iran’s Post-Revolutionary Elite

By Future of Iran Initiative

Iran’s political elite is “graying” and the average age of its members exceeds 55 in the cabinet and 65 in clerical-led institutions, according to Mehrzad Boroujerdi, a professor of political science at Syracuse University and co-author of an upcoming new book, Post-Revolutionary Iran: A Handbook. Boroujerdi, who spoke March 12 at an event hosted by […]

Envisioning Reform: The Social Impact of Saudi Arabia’s Transformation Agenda

By Alexander Werman

On Wednesday, February 28, the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security’s Middle East Security Initiative hosted a discussion on Saudi Arabia’s reform agenda with HRH Princess Reema bint Bandar Al-Saud, vice-president for planning and development of the Saudi General Sports Authority. The conversation focused on Saudi Vision 2030 and socioeconomic transformation underway in the Kingdom. […]

US Should Offer Incentives for Iran Missile Testing Moratorium

By Sina Azodi

The Trump administration has been ratcheting up pressure on its European allies to agree to unspecified new measures against Iran’s ballistic missile program as the price for conserving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The US, referring to United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231, which codified the 2015 nuclear deal, has repeatedly called on […]

Iran and India Revive Economic Relations with New Chabahar Agreement

By Masoud Mostajabi

The development of the strategic Chabahar port is becoming a success story in the Iran-India relationship. The Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman is a key project for the two countries. Originally agreed to in 2003 during the presidency of Mohammad Khatami and the prime ministership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the project was suspended […]

Iraq’s Energy Potential: Opportunities and Challenges

By Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East

On February 13, 2018, the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center and the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East held a panel discussion on Iraq’s energy potential. Ambassador Richard L. Morningstar, chairman and founding director of the Council’s Global Energy Center, gave opening remarks. Ambassador Frederic C. Hof, the director of the Hariri Center, moderated […]

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 […]