On 22 August 2022, the Iranian Studies Unit at the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies launched its second annual conference on “Iran: The Raisi Presidency One Year On” in Doha. The two-day conference featured presentations by prominent Iran scholars. The conference focused on continuities and transformations in politics and policies under the first year of Ebrahim Raisi’s presidency. Open to the general public, the conference is being held in person and livestreamed through the Arab Center social media platforms.
The conference opened with remarks from Mehran Kamrava, Head of the Iranian Studies Unit at the Arab Center and Professor of Government at Georgetown University Qatar. Kamrava noted that the conference examines the first year of Raisi’s presidency, paying particular attention to Iran’s foreign policy, domestic politics, economy, and public policy. The conference’s keynote speaker, Dr Seyed Hossein Mousavian, former spokesman for Iran in its nuclear negotiations and currently a Middle East Security and Nuclear Policy Specialist at Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs, discussed President Raisi’s regional and nuclear policies, overall changes to Iran’s security and foreign policies, and Iran’s pivot to the East policy.
Moderated by Kamrava, the conference’s first panel, “Ebrahim Raisi’s Election,” provided an overview of the 2021 presidential elections in Iran by analysing changes in the Islamic Republic, the politicisation of ethnicity during elections, and the post-election future of the reformist faction. The University of Connecticut’s Amir Mahdavi examined the contextual elements that rendered the election of Raisi a departure from electoral authoritarianism to a hegemonic autocracy. He further discussed the characteristics of the post-2021 political situation with respect to the three forms of hegemonic autocracy — personalist, single-party, and military — that may shape the future of the Islamic Republic. Hamid Ahmadi, from the University of Tehran, contended that the politicisation of ethnicity in Iran is deeply rooted in elite-state relations following the emergence of a modern state in Iran. Ilkhom Mirzoev, currently at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, outlined the process of reformist faction’s marginalisation and highlighted the conflicting strategies within it.
Panel two, titled “Iran and the GCC” and moderated by the Arab Center’s Marwan Kabalan, focused on Iran’s relations with neighbouring Gulf states. Abdolrasool Divsallar, at the Università Cattolica in Milan, stated that while previously Iran viewed Saudi Arabia’s military power as an extension of the US regional power, Iranian elites have started to view Riyadh as an independent military threat. He addressed whether Saudi-Iran talks under Raisi and his deeper ties with security elites can alter this emerging trend. Mahjoob Zweiri, Director of the Gulf Studies Center and Professor of Contemporary History and Politics of the Middle East at Qatar University, and Leen Al-Rabbat, Research Assistant at the Gulf Studies Center at Qatar University, analysed how Raisi has been able to navigate his foreign policies amidst numerous unfolding crises during the first few months of his presidency, focusing specifically on the Saudi-Iranian relations amidst ongoing peace talks in Iraq.
The third panel, “Iran’s Relations with Africa and South Asia,” examined Iran-Africa and Iran-South Asia relations and was moderated by Mohammed Hemchi. Eric Lob, at Florida International University, examined Raisi’s foreign policy toward Africa in comparison with that of his predecessors. The session concluded with a presentation by Omair Anas, from Ankara’s Yildirim Beyazit University, who offered insights into Raisi’s South Asia policy, explaining the security, economy, and identity dilemmas faced by the Islamic Republic in the region.
The second and final day of the conference will take place on Tuesday, 23 August 2022, and will continue to feature experts on Iran who will analyse Iranian domestic and cyber politics, Iran’s relations with the US, Israel, and the Caucasus, as well as sanctions and their impact on the economy. Interested members of the public can attend the conference in person at the Cultural building of the Arab Center. Simultaneous translation is provided in English and Arabic.
