Thursday, October 17, 2024, 10:00 AM - 11:15 AM EDT
Online
Iran’s Foreign Policy Agenda — What Do Iranians Really Think?
Since the revolution of 1979, the Islamist ruling class in Tehran has maintained that Iran’s foreign policy is anti-status quo and militant if necessary. Its agenda has notably included positions that are anti-American and anti-Israel, alongside a strong commitment to aiding militant groups, particularly in the Arab World in countries like Lebanon and among the Palestinian people. From the outset, the United States, Israel, and other regional states have confronted Tehran’s foreign policy course, while many Iranians inside the country have opposed it as well.
But what do Iranians today really think about the country’s foreign policy agenda? How do they view key issues like Tehran’s support for militant groups abroad, ideological opposition to Israel’s right to exist, and the costly commitment to challenge the United States in the Middle East?
As the region teeters on the brink of a larger war, this panel of diverse voices will highlight and discuss key findings from an opinion survey conducted inside of Iran in late September and early October 2024.
Speakers
Arash Ghafouri - CEO, Stasis Consulting
Marjan Keypour - Non-Resident Scholar, Iran Program, Middle East Institute
Yousof Azizi - PhD candidate, Public Administration and Public Affairs, Virginia Tech School of Public and International Affairs
Saeid Golkar - Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Alex Vatanka (Moderator) - Director, Iran Program, Middle East Institute