Part I—Country Profile Iran is a large country in the Middle East which borders Iraq on the west, Saudi Arabia on the southwest, and Afghanistan on the east. It was known as ‘Persia’ until 1935. It also borders the Gulf of Oman on the south, the Persian Gulf on the...

With a history of balancing pro-Western and anti-Western regimes, Iran is a country facing major internal and external threats (Axworthy, 2016). The country’s political history is riddled with revolutions and overthrows. Nonetheless, Iran still produces a wealth of scholars, maintains a relatively impressive economy, and continues to be a major...

Iran has been a center of controversy in the recent years. Particularly, the nation’s poor relations with the United States have dominated the international political arena. Apart from the United States, Iran is also not in good terms with its Gulf neighbors such as Saudi Arabia. The United States and...

Although each work has a different focus, there are great similarities between Faleh Abdul-Jabar’s Ayatollahs, Sufis and ideologues: state, religion and social movements in Iraq, Abbas Amanat’s Apocalyptic Islam and Iranian Shiism and Homa Katouzian’s, The Persians: ancient, medieval and modern Iran. Theology There are clear differences among the writings...

Recent political events in the United States and decisions made by new president have turned public attention to Muslim countries. While it is clear that American and Muslim cultures operate from different standpoints in terms of values, rationality, and priorities, a closer look reveals substantial similarities in key domains of...