Gulf Study Group on Iranian Regional Foreign Policy

Director: Richard W. Murphy
December 1, 1997 - March 1, 1998

Following up on last year's Task Force Report, Differentiated Containment, the group will monitor the first 100 days of President Khatemi's leadership. American policymakers have generally focused on Iran's relations with the Arab world and its hostility toward the state of Israel. This Study Group will review the full range of Iranian foreign relations with particular emphasis given to its immediate neighbors: Turkey, Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. The Study Group will also examine the domestic context of Iranian foreign policy. Almost 20 years after the revolution, it is clear that while the clerical regime has stabilized its control of the country, it has not resolved the mounting social, economic and political problems that lead to the revolution in the first place.

Meetings

Study Group Meeting

Iranian Defense Capabilities: A Rogue State or a Rational Player?

Presider: Richard W. Murphy
Speakers: Anoushiravan Ehteshami, Durham University
Michael Eisenstadt, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
February 10, 1998
Study Group Meeting

Iran's Regional Strategy: Who Is the Enemy Befriending?

Presider: Richard W. Murphy
Speakers: Shahram Chubin, Geneva Center for Security Policy
Moheiddin Mesbahi, Florida International University
January 27, 1998
Study Group Meeting

Domestic Situation: Power over Policy

Presider: Robert L. Gallucci
Speakers: Bijan Khajehpour, Iran Focus (journal)
Mahmood Sariolghalam, Ohio State University
December 2, 1997