NS4315 Security and Politics in Iran

Iran has been one of the most important countries in the Middle East region. It is located strategically, connecting the Caucasus and Central Asia to the Persian Gulf on the one side, and South Asia to the Arab Middle East on the other. Iran is home to one of the principal languages and cultures of the region. It is also one of the most populous countries in the Middle East with one of the largest economies. Iran has been a politically and strategically significant country for most of the past century. It was a front-line state during the Cold War. It was the scene of a major revolution that changed the face of the Muslim world and the relations between the United States and regional powers. Since 1979, Iran has been an avowedly Islamic state that has been engaged in a protracted war with the West. However, Iran has also witnessed profound political, social, and cultural changes that can be consequential for the future of the region. This course provides an overview of Iranian politics, and how those developments in turn change our views on political change in the Muslim world and beyond. Prerequisite: None.

Lecture Hours

Lab Hours

Course Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course students will:

• Be familiar with the trajectory of contemporary Iranian political history since 1979

• Assess the major drivers in Iranian behavior, both over time, and in current events

• Analyze the role of Iran’s security forces, especially the IRGC, in both Iranian domestic politics and in regional affairs

• Assess the external and internal factors that shape Iran’s decision-making

• Be familiar with the major geo-political factors of the current conflicts in the Middle East and Iran’s role in those conflicts

• Assess the factors behind the expansion of Iranian influence in the Middle East since 2003

• Be familiar with Iran’s relations with China and Russia, and potential place in the era of Great Power Competition

• Be familiar with the challenges of red-teaming Iranian decision-making in game simulations

• Be familiar with a basic approach to critical reading and inquiry