As U.S. policymakers and other governments around the world search for an approach that will convince Iran to stop short of crossing the nuclear weapons threshold, Iran continues to send very mixed signals, and shows no signs of abandoning progress toward producing weapons-grade nuclear material. Meanwhile, Iran is in the midst of an internal political struggle that is often opaque from the outside, but could have major consequences for the country’s position in the region and the world. This World Politics Review special report examines “The Iran Enigma.”
This report is a compilation of 25 articles on Iran published in World Politics Review from September 2009 to February 2010. The report looks at Iran’s domestic situation, its foreign relations, and U.S. policy toward Iran.
Below are links to each article, which subscribers can read in full. Subscribers can also download a pdf version of the report. Not a subscriber? Subscribe now, or try our subscription service for free.
By Cyrus Farivar
September 1, 2009
Ahmadinejad’s Newfound Independence
By Jamsheed K. Choksy
September 3, 2009
Iran’s Revolution Grows Up
By Jon B. Alterman
September 15, 2009
Ethnic Divisions are Iran’s Other Achilles Heel
By Frida Ghitis
October 22, 2009
The Iranian Nuclear Crisis: Iran’s Greens Join the Fray
By Masoud Shafaee
November 16, 2009
Confronting History, and the IRGC, in Iran
By Babak Yektafar
December 9, 2009
Iran’s 30-Year War on Drugs
By Matthew C. Dupee
February 10. 2010
In iran, Whose Revolution is it, Anyway?
BY Babak Yektafar
February 22, 2010
Iran’s New Nuclear Diplomacy
By Kaveh Afrasiabi
September 9, 2009
Iran Naval Patrols Mystify Pirate-Hunting Coalition
By David Axe
October 7, 2009
Iran’s Growing Fear of Al-Qaida and the Taliban
By Jamsheed Choksy and Carol B. Choksy
December 3, 2009
India-Iran Relations: Sometimes, Maybe
By Saurav Jha
December 8, 2009
Why Iran Launched a Raid in Iraq
By Frida Ghitis
December 24, 2009
Mideast Countries Shoot Down Washington’s Trial Balloon
By Frida Ghitis
September 3, 2009
Interfering in Iran: Obama’s Dilemma
By Masoud Shafaee
September 3. 2009
Engaging Iran: An Interview with R. Nicholas Burns
By Seth McLaughlin
September 4, 2009
Obama’s Missile Defense Decision and the Iran Nuclear Talks
By Kaveh Afrasiabi
September 22, 2009
Iran Buys Time for Nuclear Program at Little Cost
By Jamsheed Choksy
October 2, 2009
Engaging the Arab World on the Nuclear Crisis
By Elizabeth Iskander
October 5, 2009
Steps Toward Crafting a Nuclear Deal with Iran
By Kaveh Afrasiabi
October 16, 2009
Playing the Clock on Iran’s Regime
By Nikolas Gvosdev
January 29, 2010
Finding a Workable Iran Policy
By Nikolas Gvosdev
February 5, 2010
After Iran Failure, Obama Moves to Plan B
By Frida Ghitis
February 11, 2010
A Week of Shock and Awe on Iran
By Frida Ghitis
February 18, 2010
Testing Our Iran Policy Assumptions
By Nikolas Gvosdev
February 19, 2010