Thursday, Oct 30, 2025 | 2:00 – 3:00 PM EDT | Mortara Center Conference Room
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Since the 1979 revolution, Iranian leaders have pursued a foreign policy aimed at achieving regional prominence and countering U.S. efforts to limit Tehran’s influence. But how are Iran’s foreign policy decisions made, and what factors shape its strategic behavior? Drawing on a “strategic lens,” Harrison unpacks the dilemmas facing the Islamic Republic and argues that understanding Iran’s actions requires examining its perception of capabilities, its interpretation of the region and the international order, and its evolving conception of time, territory, and national interest.
Through this analysis, Harrison reveals an Iranian foreign policy that blends ideological conviction with realpolitik pragmatism, offering insights into the state’s enduring search for power, security, and influence in a changing regional landscape.
Ross Harrison is a senior fellow and book series editor at the Middle East Institute (MEI). He is also a faculty member in the Political Science Department at the University of Pittsburgh, where he teaches courses on Middle East politics and US foreign policy in the Middle East. From 2004 to 2020, he was the Professor in the Practice of International Affairs at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service.