Iran in the International System

Stanford Iranian Studies Program

Heinz Gärtner and Mitra Shahmoradi discuss their recent book Iran in the International System: Iran between Great Powers and Great Ideas (Routledge, January 2020). They are joined by Abbas Milani who will speak about his chapter in the book. Drawing on Iran’s history and its relations with great powers and its regional neighbors, this book addresses the question of how much continuity and/or change there is in Iranian international relations since the Iranian revolution. The conversation will be in English. Iran has often been at the center of the political debate on both the Gulf region and the transatlantic relations. Following the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the Viennese nuclear agreement in May 2018 signed by the five permanent members of the UN-Security Council in 2015, the relationship between Iran and the world entered a new phase. With high expectations within Iran for improved relations with Europe, the authors of this book call for a new and innovative approach to be undertaken by the Iranian leadership towards the U.S. and Europe if Iran is to find a role for itself within regional and international structures.