NS4315 Iran: Geopolitics and Security
Iran is one of the most powerful countries in the Middle East. Beginning with the 1979 Islamic revolution, Iran began pursuing an oppositional foreign policy, wherein it sought to expand its influence across the region and undermine Western influence both within the region and globally. That approach led it to a break with the United States, fueled an eight-year war with neighboring Iraq, spurred interventions into Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, started an enduring conflict with Israel, and brought Iran into increasing alignment with Russia and China on opposing the Western global order. Intensifying the challenge to the United States and its regional allies has been Iran’s grand strategy, which has focused on the development of missile technology, drones, cyberwarfare, and nuclear enrichment at home, and on the cultivation of militant proxies abroad. This course examines those topics through an exploration of the Islamic Republic’s development, from its pre-revolutionary period through the current day. The course focuses on the politics fueling Iranian decision making and how its foreign policy reverberates across the region and beyond. Prerequisite: None.
Lecture Hours
4
Lab Hours
0