To compete and thrive in the 21st century, democracies, and the United States in particular, must develop new national security and economic strategies that address the geopolitics of information. In the 20th century, market capitalist democracies geared infrastructure, energy, trade, and even social policy to protect and advance that era’s key source of power—manufacturing. In this century, democracies must better account for information geopolitics across all dimensions of domestic policy and national strategy.
While in recent decades Iran and Iraq faced off as fierce rivals, including fighting a brutal eight year war against one another (1980-88), the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 changed the equation completely. Following the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, successive Iraqi governments have developed strategic partnerships with Iran over shared domestic and regional interests. Simultaneously, the United States is heavily invested in Iraq and has also partnered closely with the Iraqi government. In this lecture, Iran Project Postdoctoral Research Fellow Hassan Ahmadian will discuss how Iran's Iraq policy has adapted over time throughout these different circumstances and will offer insights into future trajectories. This is the final lecture in a three part series on Iran's Middle East policy. Moderated by Iran Project Director Payam Mohseni. RSVP required: please RSVP here.