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Alex Vatanka

Civil Society Jan 8, 2018 Snapshot

Why Iran's Protesters Are So Angry With Rouhani

Rouhani's record in office since winning reelection has been an enormous disappointment to Iranian voters.

Alex Vatanka

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani exits the room after addressing the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, September 2017.

Post-Conflict Reconstruction Nov 29, 2017 Snapshot

Iran and Russia, Growing Apart

The IRGC wishes not only to secure Iranian influence in post-war Syria, but also to transform its allied Syrian militias into an institutionalized military-political...

Alex Vatanka

(L to R) Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Russian President Vladmir Putin, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi, November 2017.

Political Economy Nov 1, 2017 Snapshot

China Courts Iran

As the Trump administration works out the specifics of its strategy to contain Iran, China is looking for ways to bring Iran into the global system.

Alex Vatanka

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif (left) greets his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Beijing, December 2016.

Trump Administration Sep 4, 2017 Snapshot

Turkey's New Alliances

In a new move, Turkey is distancing itself from the United States and seeking to form a closer alliance with Iran and Russia.

Gonul Tol and Alex Vatanka

Iran Aug 14, 2017 Snapshot

Iraq's Shiites Test Iran

Iran is concerned that it will be shut out of Iraq's post-ISIS national dialogue about power-sharing.

Alex Vatanka

Iran July/August 2017 Response

How Deep Is Iran's State?

The Iranian deep state is hardly invincible, and those in the regime who are aching for reform, including President Hassan Rouhani and his circle, are hardly impotent.

Alex Vatanka, Sanam Vakil, and Hossein Rassam

Rouhani during a news conference in Tehran, Iran, May 2017.

Trump Administration Feb 28, 2017 Snapshot

Iran's Trump Cards

Iran knows that it isn’t completely bereft of bargaining leverage over the United States in the Middle East and beyond. And if the Trump administration takes a...

Ross Harrison and Alex Vatanka

Politics & Society Jan 10, 2017 Snapshot

After Rafsanjani

Despite Rafsanjani’s controversial and mixed political record, he is leaving behind a vacuum. For good or bad, he had become the face of hope for moderation and...

Alex Vatanka

Former Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani at an Assembly of Experts meeting in Tehran, March 2011.

Campaign 2016 Nov 29, 2016 Snapshot

Iran and Assad in the Age of Trump

Top IRGC commanders have so far been amenable to the idea of a Donald Trump presidency. It appears that they are following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s lead and...

Alex Vatanka

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during an interview with Danish television, October 2016.

Civil & Military Relations Oct 17, 2016 Snapshot

The Iranian Industrial Complex

Iran has a military-industrial complex problem that stands in the way of any attempt toward policy moderation.

Alex Vatanka

An Iranian military truck carries a missile and a picture of Ayatollah Khameini, September 2015.

Terrorism & Counterterrorism Aug 11, 2016 Snapshot

Baku's Choice

Despite the rising threat of Islamism, Azerbaijan should be wary of entering Iran or Russia's orbit.

Alex Vatanka

Construction work in Baku, Azerbaijan, June 2016

Iran May 8, 2016 Snapshot

Iran's Supreme Politics

Khamenei and Rafsanjani each see the Supreme Leader succession process as a both a pivotal juncture for their country and their individual legacies.

Alex Vatanka

A government supporter holds a poster with images of Iran's late leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (R) and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a protest in Tehran, December 30, 2009.

Energy Mar 13, 2016 Snapshot

Hit the Gas in Iran

Oil Minister Bijan Zangeneh has ambitious plans to attract $200 billion in foreign investment to expand Iran’s enormous oil and gas export potential. Following the...

Alex Vatanka

The SPQ1 gas platform is seen on the southern edge of Iran's South Pars gas field in the Gulf, January 26, 2011.

Pakistan Jan 17, 2016 Snapshot

Pakistan's Game

As it has done so many times before, Islamabad will seek to mollify the concerns of both Tehran and Riyadh, but without falling victim to their cold war for regional...

Alex Vatanka

Shiite Muslims chant slogans as they hold flags and signs for Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, who was executed along with others in Saudi Arabia, during a protest in Karachi, Pakistan, January 3, 2016.

Civil & Military Relations Nov 25, 2015 Snapshot

Pulling the Strings

The three centers of power in Iran—the Supreme Leader, the president, and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)—are embroiled in a historic contest to shape the...

Alex Vatanka

Iraqi women walk past a poster depicting images of Shi'ite Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at al-Firdous Square in Baghdad February 12, 2014.

Trade May 5, 2015 Snapshot

Central Sultanate

Few countries have as much at stake in the outcome of the Iran negotiations as Oman. For this state on the horn of the Arabian Peninsula, the diplomatic and economic...

Sigurd Neubauer and Alex Vatanka

Strategy & Conflict Mar 4, 2015 Snapshot

Iran's Yemen Play

Iran may have been happy to see Yemen's pro-Western government ousted last January, but Tehran's influence there is far more limited than many assume.

Alex Vatanka

Arms Control & Disarmament Jan 15, 2013 Snapshot

Tangle in the Caucasus

The standoff between Iran and the West has moved into the Caucasus, where both the Islamic Republic and Israel are trying to woo Azerbaijan -- a country with firm...

Alex Vatanka

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