Iran

Netanyahu Hell-Bent on a Wider War – Trita Parsi

Netanyahu Hell-Bent on a Wider War – Trita Parsi

ByTalia Baroncelli

The assassination of Hamas’ top political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, on Iranian soil was an embarrassment to the Iranian regime and its new president, Masoud Pezeshkian. Trita Parsi, Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, lays out how Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking to corner Kamala Harris – should she win the presidency – into steering U.S. policy in the direction of an all-out war in the Middle East. Yet neither is her bearhug of Netanyahu, nor a war, inevitable.

Someone Else’s Empire: British Illusions and American Hegemony – Tom Stevenson part 1/2
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Someone Else’s Empire: British Illusions and American Hegemony – Tom Stevenson part 1/2

ByTalia Baroncelli

The post-World War II era was characterized by decolonization in Asia and Africa, with resistance movements leading to the unraveling of the British empire in colonies such as former British Kenya, where the Mau Mau launched a lengthy uprising between 1952-1960, as well as in former British India, with the dissolution of the British Raj and creation of an independent India and Pakistan in 1947. Journalist Tom Stevenson provides historical examples illustrating how the rise of American hegemony following the decline of Britain’s imperial power was bolstered by British foreign policy at every juncture. 

Should the U.S. Withdraw Its Troops from Iraq and Syria? – Joshua Landis (part 1/2)
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Should the U.S. Withdraw Its Troops from Iraq and Syria? – Joshua Landis (part 1/2)

ByTalia Baroncelli

Joshua Landis is a historian and Sandra Mackey Chair and Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, as well as a Non-Resident Fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. Landis presents the case for an immediate U.S. troop withdrawal in the Middle East, arguing that many civil society groups as well as militant groups in Iraq are strongly opposed to the U.S.’ military presence there. This is Part 1 of 2.

U.S.-Iran: An Unwritten Agreement on the Horizon? – Trita Parsi

U.S.-Iran: An Unwritten Agreement on the Horizon? – Trita Parsi

ByTalia Baroncelli

Trita Parsi, Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, discusses reported negotiations between the U.S. and Iran to agree to an unwritten deal. The JCPOA, or Iran nuclear deal, which was a legacy of the Obama administration, seems to be a thing of the past; yet de-escalation and an agreement on a smaller range of issues would be advantageous to both the U.S. and Iranian administrations. As in the case of Saudi-Iranian rapprochement, the role of China, Oman, and Iraq in facilitating these discussions is politically noteworthy. While the U.S. and Iran are nowhere near signing a comprehensive written deal which could be legally enforced and regulated internationally, a more limited unwritten deal would unfreeze at least 7 billion US dollars’ worth of Iranian assets, which would go towards purchasing food and medicine for Iranians.

Modern Iran: National Identity as a Tool of Resistance or Coercion?

Modern Iran: National Identity as a Tool of Resistance or Coercion?

ByTalia Baroncelli

Historian, Assal Rad, explores identity formation in modern Iran, both under the Pahlavi dynasty as well as after the 1979 Revolution under the Islamic Republic. Her book “State of Resistance: Politics, Culture, and Identity in Modern Iran” examines top-down and bottom-up manifestations of national identity as narrated by state structures and popular culture, respectively. Her fascinating analysis is based on a historical assessment of how modern state-building in Iran inculcated a sense of national belonging in the population, as well as on interviews with people in Tehran and examples taken from popular music and film. Can national identity play a positive role in liberation struggles?

U.S. Interference in the Middle East – 20 Years Since the U.S. Invasion of Iraq – Col. Larry Wilkerson
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U.S. Interference in the Middle East – 20 Years Since the U.S. Invasion of Iraq – Col. Larry Wilkerson

ByTalia Baroncelli

Col. Larry Wilkerson speaks about how the media’s portrayal of the U.S. invasion of Iraq barely encapsulates the damage wrought by the U.S.-led “coalition of the willing.” He also addresses recent developments in the Middle East, including Israel’s increasingly belligerent policy on Iran, how the Saudi-Iran deal might end the Saudi blockade of Yemen, and the military significance of Israel being moved from U.S. European Command to U.S. Central Command.

Significance of China-Brokered Iran-Saudi Agreement – Trita Parsi
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Significance of China-Brokered Iran-Saudi Agreement – Trita Parsi

ByTalia Baroncelli

Saudi Arabia and Iran have agreed to re-establish diplomatic ties, with China showing itself to be a neutral and effective negotiator in the region. Talia Baroncelli speaks to Trita Parsi, the Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, on how this shift in Saudi-Iran relations affects Israel’s posture toward achieving normalization with Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, the United States’ recent departure from its usual condemnation of Israeli drone strikes on Iran and its open support for Israeli belligerence signals a new dangerous policy that increases the likelihood of war with Iran.

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