Tag Archives: Iran

Scholars’ Circle – Insights on US and Israel Bombing Iran and Its Wider Effects on the Middle East and the World – March 8, 2026

March 9, 2026 host

The attack on Iran by the US and Israel will have devastating consequences for Iran and the region. Is the intent to foment ethnic conflicts as a means to weaken Iran? What are the greater implications of this war, for Iran, the region, and the globe? What are the possibilities of successful resistance to American and Israeli aggression for an unpopular war, domestically and around the world? [ dur: 58mins. ]

Stephen Zunes is a Professor of Politics at the University of San Francisco. He is the author of numerous publications including Tinderbox: U.S. Middle East Policy and the Roots of Terrorism, Western Sahara: War, Nationalism and Conflict Irresolution co-authored with Jacob Mundy.
Ervand Abrahamian is Professor Emeritus at City University of New York. He is the author of A History of Modern Iran and Inventing the Axis of Evil: The Truth About North Korea, Iran and Syria.
Hawzhin Azeez taught at the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (AUIS). She was Co-Director of The Kurdish Center for Studies. She has worked closely with refugees and Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in Rojava while a member of the Kobane Reconstruction Board after its liberation from ISIS. Her articles can be found on The Kurdish Center for Studies website.

This program is produced by Doug Becker, Ankine Aghassian, Maria Armoudian, Anna Lapin and Sudd Dongre.

Politics and Activism, War / Weapons, Middle East, Iran, Israel. USA

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Scholars’ Circle – State and Nature, the effects of climate change on security; Insights on street protests in Iran – February 8, 2026

February 8, 2026 host

Under what circumstances might climate change lead to negative security outcomes? Over the past fifteen years, a rapidly growing applied field and research community on climate security has emerged. While much progress has been made, we still don’t have a clear understanding of why climate change might lead to violent conflict or humanitarian emergencies in some places and not others.

book cover showing dry landscape with one person walking through it. Book title is State and Nature, the effects of climate change on security.

Busby develops a novel argument – based on the combination of state capacity, political exclusion, and international assistance – to explain why climate leads to especially bad security outcomes in some places but not others. This argument is then demonstrated through application to case studies from sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. This book will provide an informative resource for students and scholars of international relations and environmental studies, especially those working on security, conflict and climate change, on the emergent practice and study of this topic, and identifies where policy and research should be headed. [ dur: 38mins. ]

Joshua Busby is a Professor of Public Affairs and a Distinguished Scholar at the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law. He is the author of State and Nature the effects of climate change on security ( The 2026 winner of the Grawemeyer Prize for Ideas Advancing World Order ) and many other publications.

With protests rocking Iran, how much are these protests historically consistent with the long history of protests in Iran. We explore this history in light of the new round of protests How much more violent has the Iran state been against protesters? [ dur: 20mins. ]

Ervand Abrahamian is Professor Emeritus at City University of New York. He is the author of A History of Modern Iran and Inventing the Axis of Evil: The Truth About North Korea, Iran and Syria.

This program is produced by Doug Becker, Ankine Aghassian, Maria Armoudian, Anna Lapin and Sudd Dongre.

Climate Change, Human Rights, War / Weapons, Refugees, Bangladesh, India, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Security

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Scholars’ Circle – Israel and Iran War – June 22, 2025

June 25, 2025 host

We look at the history of conflict and outcome in the past to understand the attacks between Israel and Iran to control Nuclear capabilities of Iran. What is the humanitarian and political impact of this war? On both Iran and on Israel. What is the impact on the region? Is this war legal, based on the laws of war? Principle of JUS AD BELLUM. And how would American intervention on behalf of Israel escalate the war, and complicate the war. [ dur: 58mins. ]

Note: This recording was made before US bombing of Iran’s Nuclear Facility on June 22, 2025.

Ervand Abrahamian is Professor Emeritus at City University of New York. He is the author of A History of Modern Iran and Inventing the Axis of Evil: The Truth About North Korea, Iran and Syria.
Christian Henderson is Professor of International Law in the School of Law, Politics, and Sociology at the University of Sussex. He’s the author of U.S. And UK Military Strikes in Yemen and the Use Adbellum and The Use of Force in International Law.
Hamoud Salhi is Professor of Political Science at California State University, Dominguez Hills. He is commentator for Arabic media.

This program is produced by Doug Becker, Maria Armoudian, Ankine Aghassian, and Sudd Dongre.

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Scholars’ Circle – Iran Presidential election, for whom does it matter. – June 2, 2024

June 3, 2024 host

What challenges and crises are the sudden death of Iran’s president and his succession revealing? What’s happening inside the country? What’s happening with Iran internationally?
We speak with four Iranian scholars on Iran’s political system, internal politics, social and political repression and alienation between state and society. How much of Iran’s foreign policy is driven by domestic issues and how much of it is a reaction to external actors, most notably the United States? [ dur: 58mins. ]

Saeid Golkar is Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He is the author of Captive Society: The Basij Mobilization and Social Control in Post-Revolutionary Iran” (Columbia University Press, 2015) and Personalization of Power in Iran: Regime Incompetency and Protests in Iran.
Siavush Randjbar-Daemi is Lecturer in Modern Middle Eastern History in the School of History at the University of St. Andrews. He is the author of The Tudeh Party of Iran and the peasant question and The quest for authority in Iran: a history of the presidency from revolution to Rouhani.
Nayereh Tohidi is Professor Emerita in the Department of Gender & Women’s Studies and Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at California State University, Northridge. She is the author of Women’s Rights and Feminist Movements in Iran.
Ervand Abrahamian is Professor Emeritus at City University of New York. He is the author of A History of Modern Iran and Inventing the Axis of Evil: The Truth About North Korea, Iran and Syria.

This program is produced by Doug Becker, Ankine Aghassian, Maria Armoudian and Sudd Dongre.

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Scholars’ Circle – Women protest in Iran, a persistent struggle – April 2, 2023

April 2, 2023 host

After the murder of Mahsa Amini by morality police Iran has seen protests, demonstrations, and an ongoing resistance movement against its regime. What best explains the origins and persistence of this movement? What has influenced Iran’s resistant movement? We will explore the status of women and the history of women’s rights movement in Iran. [ dur: 58mins. ]

Also, Iran has a substantial number of diaspora around the world. They help frame the issues that are occurring inside its borders. What is the interaction between Iranians abroad and Iranians in Iran and the resistance movement going on right now in the nation?

Persis Karim is the Neda Nobari Chair of the Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies and a professor in the Comparative and World Literature department at SF State. She is the author of Let Me Tell You Where I’ve Been: New Writing by Women of the Iranian Diaspora.
Nayereh Tohidi is Professor Emerita in the Department of Gender & Women’s Studies and Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at California State University, Northridge. She is the author of Women’s Rights and Feminist Movements in Iran.

This program is produced by Ankine Aghassian, Doug Becker, Melissa Chiprin, Mihika Chechi, and Sudd Dongre.

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Scholars’ Circle – Will the Biden Administration Re-Join the Iran Nuclear Deal? – December 5, 2020

December 5, 2020 host

President Elected Joe Biden campaigned on a promise to return to normalcy. He has promised to return to the Iran Nuclear Deal. But what complications does he face to fulfill this promise? [ dur: 58mins. ]

Ervand Abrahamian is Distinguished Professor at Baruch College at City University of New York. He is the author of A History of Modern Iran and Inventing the Axis of Evil: The Truth About North Korea, Iran and Syria.
Nader Hashemi is Director of the Center for Middle East Studies and Associate Professor in Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver, Colorado. He is the author of Islam, Secularism and Liberal Democracy: Toward a Democratic Theory for Muslim Societies and the co-editor of The People Reloaded: The Green Movement and Iran’s Struggle for Democracy.
Wayne Glass is Professor Emeritus in the School of International Relations at the University of Southern California. He is the former Senior Defense Policy Advisor to Senator Jeff Bingaman on the Senate Armed Services Committee. He has worked extensively with nuclear weapons policies.
Joseph Cirincione is the Director for Non-Proliferation at the Carnegie Institute and the past president of the Ploughsharers Fund. He is the co-author of Deadly Arsenals: Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Threats and co-author of Repairing the Regime: Preventing the Spread of Weapons of Mass Destruction.

This program is produced by the following team members: Ankine Aghassian, Melissa Chiprin, Tim Page, Mike Hurst and Sudd Dongre.

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Scholars’ Circle – Current state of affairs in Iran, Iraq, Mideast, US after death of Iranian General Suleiman -/- Australian wild Fires and Mitigation – January 19, 2020

January 18, 2020 host

Following the US drone strike killing General Suleiman in Iraq, Iran shot down a Ukrainian passenger airliner. As tensions rose, international concerns over security as well as legality rose as well. And in Iran, protests against the government’s response to the attack on the airliner arose and have been intensifying. On today’s show, we will examine both the international and the local responses to the tensions and the military strikes that have led to this crisis. [ dur: 31 mins ]

Nader Hashemi is Director of the Center for Middle East Studies and Associate Professor in Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver, Colorado. He is the author of Islam, Secularism and Liberal Democracy: Toward a Democratic Theory for Muslim Societies and the co-editor of The People Reloaded: The Green Movement and Iran’s Struggle for Democracy.
Asli Ü. Bâli is Professor of Law at UCLA School of Law. She is the co-editor of Constitution Writing, Religion and Democracy and author of the research paper Negotiating Non-Proliferation: International Law and Delegation in the Iranian Nuclear Crisis.
Nayereh Tohidi is Director of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, and Professor and former Chair of the Department of Gender & Women Studies at California State University, Northridge. She is the co-editor and contributor to Globalization, Gender and Religion: The Politics of Women’s Rights in Catholic and Muslim Contexts and Women in Muslim Societies: Diversity within Unity.

What is the relationship between climate change and wildfires? The intensity and breadth of the wildfires in Australia has drawn attention to the effects of climate change and the need for a greater commitment to countering the globe’s increasing tensions. We explore the scientific and political linkages between these fires and climate change. [ dur: 27mins. ]

Wenju Cai is Director of the Centre for Southern Hemisphere Oceans Research (CSHOR) and a Chief Research Scientist and Office of the Chief Executive Science Leader at CSIRO. He is a contributor to The Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change. He is the co-author of Granger causal predictors for maximum rainfall in Australia.
LeRoy Westerling is Co-Director of the Center for Climate Communication at the University of California, Merced. He is the co-author of Greater Temperature and Precipitation Extremes Intensify Western U.S. Droughts, Wildfire Severity, and Sierra Nevada Tree Mortality.

This program is produced with generous contribution from Ankine Aghassian, Melissa Chiprin, Tim Page, Mike Hurst and Sudd Dongre.

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Scholars’ Circle – Targeted assassination and international law – January 12, 2020

January 11, 2020 host

Are targeted assassinations of state representatives legal? Does the targets past support for terrorism or military aggression action matter in this determination? What might be legitimate targets of air campaigns or other uses of military power? Does the legality of the use of military and the types of other actions matter in 21st century?
Hosted by Doug Becker. [ dur: 58 mins. ]

Mark Drumbl is a Professor at Washington and Lee University, School of Law and the Director of the University’s Transnational Law Institute. He is the author of numerous books including the award winning , Atrocity, Punishment, and International Law, and Reimagining Child Soldiers in International Law and Policy.
Hannah Garry is a Professor of law at the University of Southern California’s Gould School of Law and Director of the International Human Rights Clinic. She specializes in international human rights law, international criminal law, international humanitarian law and international refugee law, USC
Hamoud Salhi is a Professor of Political Science and Middle East, and Associate Dean of the College of Social and Natural Sciences at California State University, Dominguez Hills.

This program is produced with generous contribution from Ankine Aghassian, Melissa Chiprin, Tim Page, Mike Hurst and Sudd Dongre.

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Scholars’ Circle- Middle East Politics-July 12th, 2015

July 12, 2015 host

We spend the hour trying to untangle the politics of the Middle East. What does the rise of extreme violence with shifting and sometimes conflicting loyalties mean to the region and the world? What has happened to all the gains through democratization and human rights?

Fred H. Lawson is a Professor and Department Head of Government at Mills College; Author of Global Security Watch – Syria, Demystifying Syria, Why Syria Goes to War: Thirty Years of Confrontation and Constructing International Relations in the Arab World
Laurie A. Brand, Professor of International Relations and Director of Middle East Studies, USC; Author of Official Stories: Politics and National Narratives in Egypt and Algeria and Palestinians in the Arab World: Institution Building and the Search for State
Hamoud Salhi, Professor of Political Science and Associate Dean, CSU Dominguez Hills. Host of SWANA Region Radio on KPFK – Los Angeles.

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The Scholars’ Circle Radio- April 6th, 2014

April 5, 2014 host

First, in remembrance of the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide (April 7), we revisit the tragedy with Senator Romeo Dallaire who witnessed the atrocities first-hand. [ dur: 25 mins. ]

Senator Romeo Dallaire is the author of, Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda and They Fight Like Soldiers, They Die Like Children: The Global Quest to Eradicate the Use of Child Soldiers.

Finally, the Syrian conflict has now taken more than 150,000 lives and displaced more than 4 million people. We ll discuss the latest developments and possible solutions to the crisis. [ dur: 34 mins. ]

Fred Lawson is professor of Government , Mills College; He is the author of Global Security Watch – Syria and Why Syria Goes to War: Thirty Years of Confrontation (Cornell Studies in Political Economy)
Nader Hashemi is professor of Middle East and Islamic Politics, University of Denver; He is the editor of The Syria Dilemma (Boston Review Books) and author of Islam, Secularism, and Liberal Democracy: Toward a Democratic Theory for Muslim Societies.
Dr. Marcie J. Patton is a Professor of Politics at Fairfield University. Her publications include, ”Turkey,” “AKP Reform Fatigue in Turkey: What’s happened to the EU process?” and “The Economic Policies of the AKP Government: Rabbits from a Hat?”

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Tag Archives: Iran

Scholars’ Circle – Insights on US and Israel Bombing Iran and Its Wider Effects on the Middle East and the World – March 8, 2026

Scholars’ Circle – State and Nature, the effects of climate change on security; Insights on street protests in Iran – February 8, 2026

Scholars’ Circle – Israel and Iran War – June 22, 2025

Scholars’ Circle – Iran Presidential election, for whom does it matter. – June 2, 2024

Scholars’ Circle – Women protest in Iran, a persistent struggle – April 2, 2023

Scholars’ Circle – Will the Biden Administration Re-Join the Iran Nuclear Deal? – December 5, 2020

Scholars’ Circle – Current state of affairs in Iran, Iraq, Mideast, US after death of Iranian General Suleiman -/- Australian wild Fires and Mitigation – January 19, 2020

Scholars’ Circle – Targeted assassination and international law – January 12, 2020

Scholars’ Circle- Middle East Politics-July 12th, 2015

The Scholars’ Circle Radio- April 6th, 2014

By Maria Armoudian