Tehran sees the rise of ISIS in Afghanistan as a serious threat. Not only does the terrorist group’s anti-Iranian and anti-Shia position threaten Iran’s interests in Afghanistan, but officials in Tehran are concerned about ISIS’ ability to recruit among Iranian Sunnis. What are Iran’s key worries about ISIS in Afghanistan? How is ISIS today different from the challenge posed by al-Qaeda in Afghanistan in the 1980s and 1990s? And what can Iran and other regional and international actors do to push back against the rise of ISIS in the region?
Tehran sees the rise of ISIS in Afghanistan as a serious threat. Not only does the terrorist group’s anti-Iranian and anti-Shia position threaten Iran’s interests in Afghanistan, but officials in Tehran are concerned about ISIS’ ability to recruit among Iranian Sunnis. What are Iran’s key worries about ISIS in Afghanistan? How is ISIS today different from the challenge posed by al-Qaeda in Afghanistan in the 1980s and 1990s? And what can Iran and other regional and international actors do to push back against the rise of ISIS in the region?
President Joe Biden makes a four-day trip to the Middle East this coming week where he will meet leaders of the region to discuss a long list of issues including regional security, Iran, Israeli-Palestinian relations and global economic and energy dynamics, among other issues. What can we expect from this visit, and how might it impact trends within the region and the impact the Middle East has on broader geopolitical dynamics.
Please join this online panel discussion with leading Middle East Institute experts analyzing what to anticipate from this trip.
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In western - and especially American - media, Iran is depicted as a monolith often conflated with nuclear weapons, proxy warfare, and strict theocracy. Even if the average person has more in depth knowledge, accurate depictions of daily life in the country are few and far between. In her new book
The Heartbeat of Iran, award-winning journalist Tara Kangarlou takes a deep and nuanced dive into a cross section of Iranian society to interview everyday people and document their diverse and surprising stories. Tara Kangarlou will be joined in conversation by Alex Vatanka, director of the Iran program at the Middle East Institute.