Iran

By increasing attacks to the north, Israel may be aiming to provoke Hezbollah into a disproportionate response, justifying a harsher, more prolonged Israeli military response and in effect prolonging the war in Gaza.

The Guardian Council has again presented the Iranian public with presidential candidates who lack a political program, a social base, and the ability to mobilize voters.

Regardless of who becomes Iran’s next president or who succeeds Khamenei as head of state, there is little prospect for significant change in Iran's foreign and security policy.

Iran's recent experiences may bolster the influence of factions within the regime advocating for a shift in Iran's nuclear strategy.

The crisis between Iran and Israel may be contained for now, but the breakdown in decision making that led to the end of Iran’s “strategic patience” carries risks going forward.

Does a voter boycott matter in a country that is not a democracy, and is there a correlation between lack of electoral participation and political violence?

Should the Islamic Republic utilize the March 1 elections to end effective enforcement of the hijab law, it will remove a source of constant friction between state and society in Iran, but the regime will also lose an instrument of intimidating the urban middle class.

Recently leaked government polling underscores that since the 1979 revolution and establishment of the Islamic Republic, the regime in Tehran has tried and failed to impose its values on society.