Military Journals Indicate Iran is Bracing Itself for Social Unrest

If the latest editions of academic journals published by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Imam Hussein University and Iran’s National Defense University are any indication, Iran is bracing itself for social unrest. It is unclear if this heavy focus represents the actual level of projected unrest or merely indicates how much these journals focus on the topic. What is more clear is that rather than looking into domestic sources of discontent, the authors in these journals exclusively assume discontent is likely to be fueled by the alleged hybrid warfare of the United States against Iran. While such ideologically conformist papers may advance the careers of the authors, they are not likely to help the regime address the domestic sources of discontent.

• May: The IRGC’s Imam Hussein University Afaq-e Amniat (Security Horizon) dedicated two of its eight articles to the theme of alleged U.S. hybrid warfare against Iran:
  • Seyyede Hanieh Momeni, Maghsood Ranjbar Khachak, and Gholamreza Khajesarvi, “Analysis of the Concept and Pattern of Power in Virtual Space; Studying the Formation of Social Movements”
  • Hamid Soltanian, Alireza Golshani, and Ebrahim Mottaghi, “Investigation of Soft Threats Against the I.R.I. Emphasizing the New Alcove of America’s Psychological Operations Against Iran’s Nuclear Program”
• July: National Defense University’s Amniat-e Melli (National Security) journal features eight articles, four of which focus on alleged U.S. hybrid warfare against Iran:
  • Aziz Nasirzadeh, Abdollah Jalali-Nasab, and Amir-Houshang Khadem Daqiq, “Hybrid Warfare Against the Regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran”
  • Ali Ehteshami, Ahmad-Reza Radan, and Esmaeel Karamzadeh, “Future Threats Against Internal Security of the Islamic Republic of Iran”
  • Marjan Karami, Garineh Keshishian Siraki, and Mohammad Towhid-Fam, “The Threat of Social Media Against Vital National Security Infrastructure”
  • Maryam Bostan-Pira, Abd al-Reza Sobhani, and Seyyed Mohsen Bani-Hashemi, “Review of the Theoretical Literature on Developing Media Resilience to Counter New Threats”

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