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Hossein Aryan

Also by Hossein Aryan

October 24, 2011
How Might Saudi Arabia Retaliate Against Iran For Alleged Plot?

Iran's alleged plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States on U.S. soil brought swift vows of revenge from Riyadh. So what might Saudi Arabia do, especially given the continued turmoil across the Middle East?
September 27, 2011
The Biggest Hypocrite Of All

The flowery phrases that rang out at the UN General Assembly when Iran's president spoke might as well have ended with "except in Iran." The fact of the matter is, when Ahmadinejad talks about hypocrites, he's talking about himself.
September 20, 2011
Iran's Naval-Gazing More Political Than Military

Tehran is talking up its naval capabilities and vowing to deploy its ships far from home waters. Analysts say the real thrust of Iran's new strategy is more political than military.
August 19, 2011
Can Russian Plan Kick-Start Stalled Nuclear Talks With Iran?

It has been seven months since nuclear negotiations with Iran stalled over the issue of Tehran's right to produce fuel. Now, after initial skepticism, Iran is showing signs it might return to the table under a new Russian step-by-step plan.
August 12, 2011
Clerical Regime Looks To Impose Control Over Iran's Sunni Seminaries

While Iran's constitution calls for all schools of Islam to be given "full respect," the reality is different for minority religions, including Sunni Islam. Now there are signs that the country's clerical regime, in which Shi'ite Islam is the official and dominant religion, is asserting its control by reorganizing Sunni seminaries.
July 27, 2011
Caspian Sea States On Course For Naval Arms Race

For 20 years the five countries that border the Caspian Sea have been trying to agree on the sea's legal status in order to exploit its huge natural resources, but have so far come up short. Though there are some signs of progress, the build-up of naval forces does not bode well.
July 20, 2011
Iranian Incursion Into Iraqi Kurdistan Keeps Regional Players Guessing

Iranian troops have crossed over the border into Iraq, where they are conducting an assault against Kurdish guerrillas. The incursion has raised questions about Iran’s intentions as the U.S. prepares to withdraw the last of its combat troops by the end of this year.
June 16, 2011
Qaddafi's Options Narrow As Libyan Stalemate Continues

Four months after the uprising against Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi began, and three months after the first NATO air strikes, the situation on the ground has reached stalemate. Why have the NATO air raids failed to break the stalemate?
July 20, 2010
Blaming Outsiders Won’t Solve Iran's Baluchistan Problem

Problems in Iran's Sistan-Baluchistan Province have exposed three stark fault lines within the Iranian political system: national-ethnic, Shi’ite-Sunni, and center-periphery. Over the last three decades, the government has done little for the country’s ethnic and religious minorities.
May 27, 2010
How Schoolchildren Are Brainwashed In Iran

Acting on orders from the supreme leader to counter the "soft war" launched by Iran's enemies after last year's disputed election, the Basij militia have beefed up their ideological indoctrination of schoolchildren.
May 11, 2010
Iran’s Navies Flex Their Muscle

Despite official rhetoric about “the brotherhood of the two navies” and reports of their close cooperation and coordination in many fields, Iran's two naval forces are most definitely rivals.
April 26, 2010
Iran's Green Movement In The Doldrums?

The Green Movement is fragmented. It lacks the kind of structure that the anti-Shah opposition had in 1979. It is local, sporadic, and does not have a central nervous system or a coherent ideology. However, this should be little comfort to the regime, because the longer the movement survives and holds together, the more it is likely to produce its own leaders.
February 26, 2010
Iran's Hard-Liners Look To Justify A Nuclear Arsenal

Iran's supreme leader has repeatedly emphasized the peaceful nature of the nuclear program. Such official declarations appear to fall within an old tradition of dissimulation.
December 01, 2009
Understanding Iran's Defiant Nuclear Policy

The diplomatic standoff over Iran's nuclear ambitions has grown more intense since President Mahmud Ahmadinejad announced that his government intends to build 10 new sites to enrich uranium to supply future nuclear power plants. At the same time, other Iranian officials have suggested Iran is still open to talks. This is not the first time that top Iranian officials have sent such mixed signals, alternating blustery statements with conciliatory gestures.
October 22, 2009
Iran Offers Short-Term Solutions To Long-Term Problems

The conflict in Iran's southeast with Jundallah, an ethnic Baluch insurgent group, has arisen from a combination of ethnic, sectarian, economic, and political problems. But Iran's Islamic regime continues to offer only short-term solutions to the minority's complaints.
September 10, 2009
Supreme Leader's Authority Is Key To Divisions

In the view of the conservatives, Khamenei is above the law, a status he inherited from the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who said the supreme leader can suspend or set aside even basic tenets of Islam to protect the Islamic republic. The reformists, however, seek checks on the leader's vast authority, and some have even challenged the notion that the supreme leader's authority comes directly from God.
June 19, 2009
Dilemmas In The Midst Of A 'Coup'

In the recent election, former and current IRGC leaders who have benefited enormously during Ahmadinejad's rule, together with the supreme leader, foresaw the possible return of a reformist agenda and undertook brazen measures to "nip it in the bud."
June 05, 2009
Could Military Tip Iran's Electoral Balance?

Since President Mahmud Ahmadinejad came to power, the militarization of politics in Iran has gained momentum. What role might the Revolutionary Guard, which answers directly to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, play in the upcoming presidential vote?
January 12, 2009
Israel Won't Stop Until Military Objectives Achieved

Israel's declared objectives are to stop Hamas from firing rockets at southern Israel; to end the smuggling of arms to Gaza via the 200 or so tunnels linking southern Gaza with Egypt; and to weaken the military capabilities of Hamas. Hamas for its part hopes to take advantage of Israel's aversion to the prospect of significant casualties and force it to quickly terminate its offensive, rather than get bogged down in a war of attrition.
December 07, 2008
Pillar Of The State

With a nominal strength of over 13 million, the volunteer Basij militia plays a key role not only in coercing Iranians to observe strict norms of behavior, but in quelling crime, smuggling, and political unrest. Its support helped Mahmud Ahmadinejad capture the presidency once, will it be enough for a second term?

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