Iran & Its Neighbors
Post-Arab Uprising
Amid the instability of the Arab uprisings, Iran has found an opportunity to exert its influence in the region. In this Special Issue, produced with Inside Iran, our contributors look at Iran's future role in the Middle East and North Africa.
Special Issue: Iran and Its Neighbors Post-Arab Uprising
Muftah Editors | 13 Sep 2012
In 2011, an unprecedented wave of popular demonstrations shook the Middle East and the North Africa region. One by one, dictators in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya were toppled; Bahrain witnessed mass protests and Syria fell victim to a bloody struggle between the Assad regime and its people. Amid this instability, Iran has found an opportunity to exert its influence...An Eager Iran & Hesitant Egypt: Relations Before & After the Arab Spring
Ahmed Morsy* | 13 Sep 2012
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadineja (L) and Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi (R) (Source: Foreignpolicy.com) In the wake of the Egyptian revolution, Iran has sought to capitalize on the country’s new Islamist government to forge closer ties between the two nations. Egypt has, however, hesitated to embrace Iran. Indeed, any future alliance between the two...Iran Demonstrates Hypocrisy on Bahrain Policy
Jason Stern* | 13 Sep 2012
Bahraini opposition leaders Hamza al-Dairi, second left raising his fist, and Jalal Fairooz, right, holding a candle and Bahraini flag, both former opposition lawmakers from al-Wefaq society, participate in a rally in the eastern village of Sitra, January 2012 (Photo credit: AP) No regional power – including Iran – has escaped the charge of hypocrisy...Animosity Grows between Iran & Bahrain Post-Arab Spring
Jasim Husain* | 13 Sep 2012
Bahraini antigovernment protesters react Monday, March 14, 2011, at Pearl roundabout in Manama, Bahrain, when Shiite opposition leader Sheik Habib al-Muqdad (unseen) advised them Saudi forces were believed to be coming to the roundabout and that there were buses waiting to take them home. (Photo credit: Hasan Jamali/AP) The relationship between Iran and Bahrain...Iran, Syria, & the Arab Spring: Whither the Tehran-Damascus Nexus?
Jubin Goodarzi* | 13 Sep 2012
Pictures of (L-R) Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei are displayed during Iran's Hi-Tech Expo opening at the...Arab Spring Renews Suspicions between Iran & Bahrain
Hasan Tariq Alhasan* | 13 Sep 2012
The absurdity of the current state of Bahraini-Iranian relations played out to almost comical proportions recently when Iranian television and radio translators replaced “Syria” with “Bahrain” while translating...Entrenchment in Tehran: Arab Uprisings Reinforce Khamanei’s Worldview
Behnam Ben Taleblu* | 13 Sep 2012
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamanei Given how the Arab uprisings have changed the political landscape across the region, at age 73 Ayatollah Khamenei is the Middle East’s longest running (and still employed)...
