The 13th Battalion of the Golani Brigade during a drill held in the Golan Heights in northern Israel. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

Issue Brief

Sep 27, 2018

The evolving Iranian strategy in Syria: A looming conflict with Israel

By Nader Uskowi

Iran began its military involvement in Syria in 2011, at the outbreak of the civil war. Tehran’s immediate objective was to defeat the Syrian opposition militarily to save Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The maintenance of the Shia-Alawi-dominated regime in Damascus was key to the Islamic Republic’s long-term regional strategy, the creation of a contiguous Shia […]

Iran Security & Defense

Event Recap

Jul 19, 2018

Oil and Iran: How renewed sanctions will affect Iran and world markets

By Global Business & Economics Program

On July 18, the Atlantic Council’s Future of Iran Initiative in the South Asia Center, Global Energy Center, and Global Business & Economics Program co-hosted a panel discussion on the likelihood and effect of renewed US sanctions on Iran.

Economic Sanctions Economy & Business

Event Recap

Jun 27, 2018

Iran’s Environmental Impasse

By Masoud Mostajabi

Iran’s environmental challenges are reaching a crisis point. Severe water and air pollution, deforestation, land degradation, desertification, climate change, and biodiversity loss are only a few of the increasing number of major environmental issues faced by Iran. These calamities have become a source of social and economic hardship, a threat to public health and a […]

Climate Change & Climate Action Energy & Environment

Issue Brief

Jun 26, 2018

Environmental and wildlife degradation in Iran

By David Laylin

Environmental degradation has become a major issue in Iran. It is a source of economic hardship, ill health, social disruption, and recent political protests.

Energy & Environment Iran

Issue Brief

Jun 26, 2018

Environmental and wildlife degradation in Iran

By David Laylin

Environmental degradation has become a major issue in Iran. It is a source of economic hardship, ill health, social disruption, and recent political protests. Climate change has been a factor in this deterioration but so has mismanagement of the country’s once ample natural resources. Our latest issue brief, Environmental and Wildlife Degradation in Iran, authored […]

Energy & Environment Iran

Issue Brief

May 7, 2018

The United States-Lebanese armed forces partnership: Challenges, risks, and rewards

By Nicholas Blanford

Over the past year, many have questioned the extent to which the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) are an arm of the Lebanese state or beholden to Hezbollah. Pointing to the LAF’s complicated relationship with Hezbollah, congressional and other voices in the United States have criticized US security assistance to Lebanon and threatened to withhold assistance. […]

Iran Middle East

Issue Brief

Apr 6, 2018

Iran’s Sunnis resist extremism, but for how long?

By Scheherezade Faramarzi

Veteran journalist Scheherezade Faramarzi lays bare Iran’s religious makeup, the history of the Sunni population, the influence of regional actors like Saudi Arabia, and efforts by the Iranian government to support Iranian Sunni leaders who advocate peaceful coexistence with Tehran.

Extremism Iran

Issue Brief

Apr 6, 2018

Iran’s Sunnis resist extremism, but for how long?

By Scheherezade Faramarzi

A predominantly Shia nation, the Islamic Republic of Iran has a substantial Sunni population that receives little attention compared to the country’s other minorities. Last year’s attacks by the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) in the capital Tehran have raised fears that disgruntled Iranian Sunnis, who have until now largely escaped extremist influences, […]

Extremism Iran

Event Recap

Mar 12, 2018

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 […]

Iran

Event Recap

Feb 2, 2018

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 […]

Iran
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