Current Analysis An Extraordinary Feat of Diplomacy The nuclear agreement with Iran is an extraordinary feat of diplomacy. First and foremost, non-proliferation experts agree that the deal blocks all of the routes to making an atomic bomb. There are provisions for rigorous inspections—so if Iran cheats, the world will know. Second, it isn’t just Wa Chris Toensing • 2 min read
MER Article Murray and Woods, The Iran-Iraq War Williamson Murray and Kevin M. Woods, The Iran-Iraq War: A Military and Strategic History (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014). Nida Alahmad • 3 min read
MER Article The Politics of Iran's Satellite Era “Once,” the Iranian comedian Mehran Modiri notes, “our marital relationships were formed over long distances. An Iranian man would explore the world abroad with his father’s money. When the money ran out, he would suddenly miss home-cooked qormeh sabzi and ask his family to send him a pure Iranian b (Author not identified) • 16 min read
Current Analysis Some Good News from the Middle East There’s not much good news coming out of the Middle East these days. But one reason to take heart is the progress of nuclear negotiations between Iran and the West. Even as new conflicts sprout up elsewhere, a three-decade standoff between Tehran and Washington could be heading for a breakthrough. Chris Toensing • 2 min read
Current Analysis Losing Hope in Iran and Egypt The decision to leave your country, especially when you leave for political or ideological reasons, can be gut-wrenching. My parents made that decision for me when they left Iran in my early adolescence. Unlike some Iranians forced to flee, my parents were not members of a persecuted religious minor Parastou Hassouri • 3 min read
Current Analysis Burying the Hatchet with Iran Don’t tell anyone, but the United States and Iran are getting closer -- perhaps closer than ever -- to letting go of 35 years of enmity. No, Washington and Tehran aren’t going to be BFFs or anything. But they do share a common interest in rolling back the so-called Islamic State, whose well-armed Chris Toensing • 2 min read
MER Article Debating the Iran-Iraq War on Film For supporters of the Islamic Republic, it is the Iran-Iraq war, and not the 1979 revolution, that evokes the true spirit of the Islamic Republic. In 1979, the plethora of political groups that poured into the streets was united in the desire to get rid of the US-backed Shah, but divided as to the s Narges Bajoghli • 10 min read
Current Analysis The Latest Iranian Distractions While senior Iranian and US officials are planning bilateral talks [http://backchannel.al-monitor.com/index.php/2014/06/8432/breaking-us-iran-to-hold-bilateral-nuclear-talks-in-geneva/] over Iran’s nuclear research program [http://www.merip.org/mero/mero041614], the Iranian and world media are distr Norma Claire Moruzzi • 3 min read
Current Analysis China's New Silk Road Strategy In the current issue [http://www.merip.org/mer/latest] of Middle East Report, we write about the strategic logic of China’s increasing investment in teaching Middle Eastern languages [http://www.merip.org/mer/mer270/chinas-strategic-middle-eastern-languages], particularly Arabic, Persian and Turkish I-wei Jennifer Chang, Haiyun Ma • 3 min read
Current Analysis Region, Race and Some Ironies of History In the forthcoming issue [http://www.merip.org/mer/latest] of Middle East Report, “China in the Middle East,” I write about the often forgotten history [http://www.merip.org/mer/mer270/changing-modes-political-dialogue-across-middle-east-east-asia-1880-2010] of political, intellectual and cultural t Cemil Aydin • 3 min read
MER Article The Sociologist Has Left the Building “Here in Iran, Professor Wallerstein, you are a dangerous man.” So an adviser of President Hassan Rouhani counseled the 83-year old sociologist, and he was correct. It was March, and Immanuel Wallerstein had just arrived for a three-city lecture tour. It was as if the Islamic Republic had granted a Kevan Harris • 9 min read
MER Article China's Strategic Middle Eastern Languages Though the People’s Republic of China has extensive commercial ties in the Middle East, its three strategic partners in the region are Saudi Arabia, Iran and Turkey. It is not surprising, therefore, that the major Middle Eastern language programs in China today are Arabic, Persian and Turkish. The g Haiyun Ma, I-wei Jennifer Chang • 5 min read
