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Iran

Rising Power and Deepening Internal Repression

Featuring

Reza Kahlili

Ex-CIA spy and author of A Time to Betray

Dr. Kenneth Katzman

Specialist in Middle East Affairs, Congressional Research Service

Dr. Walid Phares

Author of The Coming Revolution: Struggle for Freedom in the Middle East

Kenneth Timmerman

President and CEO, Foundation for Democracy in Iran

Hosted by

James Phillips

Senior Research Fellow for Middle Eastern Affairs,

Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy Studies, The Heritage Foundation

Iran’s defiant regime has continued to advance its nuclear program and military buildup despite UN sanctions and growing international isolation.  Tehran has welcomed the popular uprisings sweeping the Arab countries of the Middle East as an “Islamic awakening” while vigorously repressing democratic opposition forces at home.  But the regime’s systematic repression has failed to destroy the opposition Green Movement, which continues to be a thorn in its side.  

In recent weeks, the regime has suffered from rising internal tensions amid signs of a rift between President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.  Ahmadinejad’s power has been undermined by political infighting and the arrests of some of his allies.  How will intensifying political friction within the regime and widespread opposition to it among Iran’s long-suffering people affect Iran’s future?  What can the United States do to encourage a democratic transition in Iran?  Our panel of experts will examine these and other questions. 

Wednesday, May 25, 2011 at 12:00 p.m.

The Heritage Foundation’s Allison Auditorium

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