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Following a report by Russian experts, Iran confirmed on May 28 that a new cyber virus codenamed “Flame” had penetrated Iran’s computer system. The new virus is unlike earlier worms because it was designed to steal information rather than to destroy systems, according to the first report issued by Russia’s Kaspersky Lab.
Daniel Brumberg looks at the outcomes of the April 14 "P5+1" talks with Iran in Istanbul.
Talks between Iran and a group known as the P5 plus 1 (the five United Nations Security Council permanent members plus Germany) on Iran’s nuclear programs are expected to begin on April 14 in Istanbul, Turkey. The resumption of negotiations might represent an important juncture in the long saga of international efforts to restrain and verify the nature of Iran’s nuclear efforts, which Tehran contends is intended to develop energy sources and conduct research but which the United States and other key international players suspect is a bid to develop the capability to produce nuclear weapons.
International economic sanctions designed to force the Iranian regime to prove that it is not seeking to develop militarized nuclear capacity by targeting the country’s oil exports will take some time to be fully effective. Meanwhile, compensatory tactics by Iran and some of its trading partners and allowances for geostrategic reality in the global oil market could affect the efficacy of the sanctions regime.
This report reviews the growing competition between Turkey and Iran for influence in Iraq as the U.S. troop withdrawal proceeds. In doing so, it finds an alignment of interests between Baghdad, Ankara, and Washington, D.C., in a strong and stable Iraq fueled by increased hydrocarbon production. Where possible, the United States should therefore encourage Turkish and Iraqi cooperation and economic integration as a key part of its post-2011 strategy for Iraq and the region. This analysis is based on the author’s experiences in Iraq and reviews of Turkish and Iranian press and foreign policy writing.
Facilitated by the U.S. Institute of Peace and the Stimson Center, "Engagement, Coercion, and Iran's Nuclear Challenge" is the culmination of recommendations from a distinguished group of more than 40 scholars and policy analysts, who met regularly over the past year to evaluate how the U.S. should proceed in its strategy with the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Latest from USIP on Iran
- September 3, 2012 | Publication
Read about USIP’s on-the-ground and region-specific work aimed at the prevention of conflict in North Africa, the Middle East, South and Northeast Asia, and our special project on atrocity prevention.
- July 27, 2012 | Publication
Although each revolution is different, each successful case of democratic breakthrough shares common domestic and international influences. This report examines 11 cases of past successes at removing autocratic regimes and establishing elections. It then applies its findings to the emerging revolutions of the Arab Spring.
- June 28, 2012 | Publication
A group of Iran analysts previewed their latest research findings in a discussion at the U.S. Institute of Peace co-sponsored by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars on June 27, 2012. Drawn from USIP’s Iran Internal Politics Study Group, six scholars looked at the recent dramatic changes in Iran’s political system and offered their take on what these changes mean for the country, its reform movement, and the United States.
- May 29, 2012 | Publication
Following a report by Russian experts, Iran confirmed on May 28 that a new cyber virus codenamed “Flame” had penetrated Iran’s computer system. The new virus is unlike earlier worms because it was designed to steal information rather than to destroy systems, according to the first report issued by Russia’s Kaspersky Lab.
USIP conducts ongoing research and policy analysis on major developments in Iran through the Iran Study Group and "The Iran Primer." USIP experts provide regular briefings for Congressional staffers and officials at the Department of State.
USIP Goals
- To increase the breadth and depth of knowledge about developments in Iran among the foreign policy community.
- To elucidate domestic and regional challenges in the Persian Gulf and identify non-violent political reform strategies.
- To assess opportunities for and obstacles against pursuing a negotiated solution to the conflict with Iran.
Read more about the U.S. Institute of Peace and its mission
The Iran Study Group
The Iran Study Group, co-chaired by USIP Senior Advisor Daniel Brumberg and Farideh Farhi, brings together a dozen scholars who are engaged in original research and analysis on the complex internal dynamics and developments in Iran, with a focus on factors and institutions that shape public policy making, government-opposition relations, and the evolution of Iran's judiciary. The Study Group papers will be completed in summer 2012 and USIP will host a series of public events to set out the findings. | Study Group Bios
- USIP and the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars will host six distinguished Iran analysts on June 27, 2012. Drawn from USIP’s Iran Study Group these scholars will consider a diverse range of political struggles now unfolding in Iran. To find out more about and to register for this public event, visit Change and Continuity in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
- On November 18, 2011, USIP hosted What's Parliament Got to do With It? Elections in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
- Q+A with USIP Expert Daniel Brumberg.
- USIP's January 2012 Prevention Newsletter examined the tensions between the U.S. and Iran.
The Iran Primer
"The Iran Primer" (December 2010), a new book published by USIP Press and edited by Senior Fellow Robin Wright, offers a comprehensive but concise overview of Iran’s politics, economy, military, foreign policy, and nuclear program. It chronicles U.S.-Iran relations under six American presidents and probes five options for dealing with Iran. Organized thematically, this book provides top-level briefings by fifty experts on Iran (both Iranian and Western authors) as well as a handful of rising talent. | Read more
- The Iran Primer
USIP Press | December 2010 - Q+A with USIP Expert Robin Wright.
Highlights
Engagement, Coercion, and Iran’s Nuclear Challenge (2010), a co-publication of the U.S. Institute of Peace and the Stimson Center, is a culmination of recommendations from a distinguished group of more than 40 scholars and policy analysts, who met regularly during the past year to evaluate how the United States should proceed in its strategy with the Islamic Republic of Iran. | Read the full report
- Read the executive summary
- Read "Strategic Engagement with Iran," co-authored by Daniel Brumberg, acting director of USIP's Muslim World Initiative.
- Read "Faint Progress in Geneva?" by Daniel Brumberg.
Grant-Funded Projects
U.S.- Iran Relations: An Analytic Compendium of U.S. Policies, Laws, and Regulations
Through a USIP funded grant, Kenneth Katzman of the Atlantic Council compiled a compendium of U.S. policies, laws and regulations on Iran as well as relevant U.N. resolutions focusing particularly on the post 9/11 period.
Iran's Heavenly Chorus: The Political Elite of a Theocratic State
With USIP funding, Mehrzad Boroujerdi, associate professor of political science at Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, is compiling a database with detailed information on nearly 2,000 members of Iran’s political elite to analyze important social and political dynamics in post-revolutionary Iran.
Read more about USIP Grant programs
Online Courses
Certificate Course in Conflict Analysis
Academics and professionals in the field of conflict management face extraordinary challenges when dealing with the three major phases of conflict: rebuilding in the aftermath, stopping conflict in progress, and preventing conflict before it begins.
USIP offers a free, online introductory course on the complexities of conflict analysis, illustrating analytical tools used by practitioners in the field. The conflict in Kosovo and the Rwandan genocide will be used as two case studies.
Learn more and take this course online.
The course is also offered in Farsi and Arabic.
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