SAIS Rethinking Iran

In this new Book Forum episode, we’re joined by Golnar Nikpour to discuss her illuminating book The Incarcerated Modern: Prisons and Public Life in Iran. Nikpour traces the transformation of Iran from a decentralized empire with few prisoners into a modern nation-state with one of the largest prison populations in the world. She explores how Iran's carceral system has not only policed citizens but also reshaped concepts of citizenship, freedom, and political belonging. By examining the writings, art, and activism that emerged from prison walls, Nikpour reveals how carceral confinement has profoundly influenced Iran’s political movements and public cultures.

In this new Book Forum episode, we’re joined by Beeta Baghoolizadeh to discuss her book "The Color Black: Enslavement and Erasure in Iran." Baghoolizadeh challenges the prevailing narratives about Iran's history, uncovering the complex and often overlooked story of Black people in the country. Through meticulous research and analysis, she sheds light on the centuries-long practice of enslavement and the subsequent erasure of Black Iranians. Join us as we delve into the fascinating world of Baghoolizadeh's book, exploring the intersection of race, slavery, and identity in Iranian history.

In this timely and critical episode, we explore our own recent release: "How Sanctions Work: Iran and the Impact of Economic Warfare." We're joined by esteemed authors Narges Bajoghli, Vali Nasr, Djavad Salehi-Isfahani, and Ali Vaez for an in-depth discussion on the real impact of U.S. sanctions on Iran. As the specter of a region-wide conflict looms over the Middle East, the role of sanctions in shaping the current geopolitical landscape becomes increasingly vital to scrutinize. Moderated by the Quincy Institute's Bill Hartung, this conversation challenges common assumptions and explores the nuanced realities behind the U.S. sanctions regime.

In this new Book Forum episode, we’re joined by Giorgia Perletta to discuss her book "Political Radicalism in Iran and Ahmadinejad's Presidencies." Perletta challenges the oversimplifications often made in the West about Iran's political landscape, particularly the widespread use of the term "radical." Through her analysis, she provides a deeper understanding of Ahmadinejad's presidencies and the complexities of Iranian politics. Join us as we delve into these critical insights and rethink common Western narratives.

Sanctions have become the go-to foreign policy tool for the United States. Coercive economic measures such as trade tariffs, financial penalties, and export controls affect large numbers of companies and states across the globe. Some of these penalties target nonstate actors, such as Colombian drug cartels and Islamist terror groups; others apply to entire countries, including North Korea, Iran, and Russia. U.S. policy makers see sanctions as a low-cost tactic, but in reality these measures often fail to achieve their intended goals—and their potent side effects can even harm American interests. Backfire explores the surprising ways sanctions affect multinational companies, governments, and ultimately millions of people around the world. Drawing on interviews with experts, policy makers, and people in sanctioned countries, Agathe Demarais examines the unintended consequences of the use of sanctions as a diplomatic weapon. The proliferation of sanctions spurs efforts to evade them, as states and firms seek ways to circumvent U.S. penalties. This is only part of the story. Sanctions also reshape relations between countries, pushing governments that are at odds with the U.S. closer to each other—or, increasingly, to Russia and China. Full of counterintuitive insights spanning a wide range of topics, from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to Iran’s COVID response and China’s cryptocurrency ambitions, Backfire reveals how sanctions are transforming geopolitics and the global economy—as well as diminishing U.S. influence. This insider’s account is an eye-opening, accessible, and timely book that sheds light on the future of sanctions in an increasingly multipolar world. AGATHE DEMARAIS is the global forecasting director of the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). She was previously a senior policy adviser for the French Treasury in Russia and Lebanon, working directly on sanctions and other economic and financial issues. For more information on SAIS Rethinking Iran and future events, please visit our website: https://www.rethinkingiran.com/events

In This Flame Within MANIJEH MORADIAN recounts the experiences of Iranian foreign students who joined a global movement against US imperialism during the 1960s and 1970s. Drawing on archival evidence and in-depth interviews with members of the Iranian Students Association, Moradian traces what she calls “revolutionary affects”—the embodied force of affect generated by experiences of repression and resistance—from encounters with empire and dictatorship in Iran to joint organizing with other student activists in the United States. Moradian theorizes “affects of solidarity” that facilitated Iranian student participation in a wide range of antiracist and anticolonial movements and analyzes gendered manifestations of revolutionary affects within the emergence of Third World feminism. Arguing for a transnational feminist interpretation of the Iranian Student Association’s legacy, Moradian demonstrates how the recognition of multiple sources of oppression in the West and in Iran can reorient Iranian diasporic politics today.   MANIJEH MORADIAN received her PhD in American Studies from NYU and her MFA in creative nonfiction from Hunter College, City University of New York. She is the former co-director of the Association of Iranian American Writers. Her book, This Flame Within: Iranian Revolutionaries in the United States, is forthcoming from Duke University Press in Fall 2022. Her essays and articles have appeared in Routledge Handbook of the Global Sixties, Scholar & Feminist Online, Women’s Studies Quarterly, Comparative Studies of South Asian, Africa, and the Middle East, Social Text online,  jadaliyya.com, tehranbureau.com, Bi Taarof, and Callaloo. She is a member of Jadaliyya’s Iran Page editorial board and a founding member of Raha Iranian Feminist Collective.   For more information on SAIS Rethinking Iran and future events, please visit our website: https://www.rethinkingiran.com/events

What can we learn about the current era of youth-led radical uprisings when we look across the Middle East? Massive protests—captured on social media—have spilled forth on the streets of major countries in the region for over a decade. Join us for a conversation with renowned sociologist and scholar Dr. Asef Bayat to explore the Iran uprisings and Arab Spring, and what they reveal to us about the profound global shifts in protests and power.  DR. ASEF BAYAT is Professor of Sociology, and Catherine & Bruce Bastian Professor of Global and Transnational Studies at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Before joining Illinois, he taught at the American University in Cairo for many years; and served as the director of the International Institute for the Study of Islam in the Modern World (ISIM) holding the Chair of Society and Culture of the Modern Middle East at Leiden University, The Netherlands. His research areas range from social movements and social change, to religion and public life, urban space and politics, and contemporary Middle East.

Sanctions, Politics, and Everyday Life in Iran

Bilateral relations between Riyadh and Tehran have been strained over several geopolitical issues. The two regional rivals broke diplomatic ties in 2016 but have recently engaged in four rounds of direct negotiations to resolve regional disputes. Yemen remains a battleground between the two countries who are seen as supporting opposing sides. However, recent diplomatic developments reflect the potential for improving ties and a possible exchange of diplomats between the two countries. What is the future of Iran and Saudi’s shared leadership of the region and what conditions might need to be met for normalcy in Saudi–Iran relations?   HESHAM ALGHANNAM is a Saudi political scientist and Fulbright scholar. He is a senior research fellow at the Gulf Research Centre (GRC), Cambridge, and a geopolitical expert and strategy adviser to senior executives operating globally. He has written on the political economy of GCC States, Iran’s nuclear program, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and on political conflict between the GCC States and Iran.   MARIA FANTAPPIE is Special Adviser for the Middle East and North Africa region at The Center for Humanitarian Dialogue. Previously, she served as Senior Adviser for the International Crisis Group, engaging with policymakers on Iraq, Syria and the Kurdish issue at some of the highest levels of government in the US, Europe and the Middle East. In 2018, she was seconded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the EU mission in Iraq.   ADNAN TABATABAI is co-founder and CEO of the Germany-based Middle East think tank Center for Applied Research in Partnership with the Orient (CARPO). As an Iran analyst he is consulted by European policymakers and businesses on Iran’s domestic and international affairs. Through his work at CARPO, Tabatabai has designed and facilitated track 2 and civil-society dialogue formats between Iran and Saudi Arabia since 2015.

Drying rivers, vanishing lakes, shrinking wetlands, declining groundwater levels, land subsidence, sinkholes, desertification, soil erosion, dust storms, water pollution, biodiversity loss, deforestation and wildfires are among some of the very familiar signs of Iran’s water bankruptcy. With water bankruptcy comes the migration and displacement of people, conflicts, and social and political instability throughout the country. In this seminar, Kaveh Madani will discuss the role of development policies, politics and mismanagement in Iran’s water bankruptcy challenges, exacerbated by droughts, climate change, sanctions, and regional tensions.   KAVEH MADANI is an environmental scientist, educator, and activist with expertise in environmental security and analyzing complex human-nature systems. He has previously served as the Deputy Head of Iran’s Department of Environment, Vice President of the UN Environment Assembly Bureau, and Chief of Iran’s Department of Environment’s International Affairs and Conventions Center.