Upcoming Webinar! Iran at a Historic Crossroads: Persian Legacy, Shiʿi Ideology, and Realpolitik

Join ASMEA and SPME for the webinar "Iran at a Historic Crossroads: Persian Legacy, Shiʿi Ideology, and Realpolitik" on Monday, May 18 at 12:00 PM (ET). This talk will be led by David Menashri, Professor Emeritus of Tel Aviv University, and the Founding Director of the Alliance Center for Iranian Studies.

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For nearly half a century, Iran has remained at the center of international political attention, yet it continues to resist simple interpretation. Analysts have variously explained Iranian behavior through Persian nationalism, Shiʿi revolutionary ideology, regime survival, anti-Westernism, deterrence strategy, or pragmatic state interest. Yet the central question remains unresolved: what exactly constitutes “Iranian interest,” and who defines it?

This lecture argues that Iran cannot be understood through the conventional dichotomy of ideology versus pragmatism. Rather, Iranian policy emerges from the interaction of multiple and often competing logics: Iranian-national legacy, Shiʿi political theology, revolutionary institutionalism, security doctrine, economic pressure, geopolitical adaptation and encounter with the West. Tensions between elected and unelected institutions, between ideological commitment and economic necessity, and between regional power projection and domestic fatigue have become increasingly visible, particularly under conditions of regional escalation and uncertainty surrounding political succession.

Iran today stands at a historic crossroads in which competing layers of identity, legitimacy, and strategic calculation no longer operate in stable equilibrium. Understanding these internal dynamics is essential not only for interpreting the future trajectory of the Islamic Republic, but also for assessing the broader political order of the Middle East.