Webinar
Organized by the UCLA Center for Middle East Development. Co-sponsored by UCLA International Institute and Luskin Department of Public Policy.
Last July, Iranian voters elected reformist candidate, Masoud Pezeshkian, as Iran's new President. Voter turnout was slightly below 50%, which some observers attributed to popular discontent with the Islamic regime and Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Although there were initial hopes for a more moderate Iranian stance, Iran's proxies in Yemen, Iraq, Lebanon and elsewhere continued firing rockets, drones, and missiles at Israel. In early October 2024 Iran launched its second direct attack against Israel this year, firing approximately 200 ballistic missiles in response to the assassinations of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. This webinar will provide an update from three experts regarding the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel, including their views whether we are heading toward an all-out regional war.
MEET THE SPEAKERS
Ms. Robin Wright is a senior fellow at the US Institute of Peace and the Woodrow Wilson Center. She has reported from more than 140 countries for The New Yorker, The Washington Post, TIME, The NYT Magazine, and the LA Times, among others. Wright has also been a fellow at the Brookings Institution, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Yale, Duke, Stanford, Dartmouth, and the University of California. She has received numerous awards for her work, including the UN Correspondents Association Gold Medal for international affairs and the National Magazine Award for Iran reportage, and the Overseas Press Club Award for her coverage of African wars. Wright has authored eight books.
Dr. Bijan Khajehpour is a managing partner at Eurasian Nexus Partners, a Vienna-based international consulting firm with a focus on West Asia, and has been recognized as a leading commentator on Iranian political and economic developments. His research work has focused on issues including Iran’s energy sector, the country’s rentier economy, and the impact of corruption and mismanagement on economic development. He is also a member of the Board of the European Middle East Research Group and a regular contributor to Amwaj and Al-Monitor. He has also contributed to a number of books on the region. Dr. Khajehpour completed his graduate studies in management and economy in Germany and the UK and his DBA at the International School of Management in Paris.
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Mr. Matthew McInnis is a senior fellow at the Institute for the Study of War. Mr. McInnis previously served as the deputy special representative for Iran and as a member of policy planning at the US Department of State. He was also a resident fellow at American Enterprise Institute in foreign and defense policy after serving for 15 years in the Department of Defense as an intelligence officer and advisor on Middle East, China, and non-proliferation issues.
MEET THE MODERATOR
Dr. Steven Spiegel is director of the UCLA Center for Middle East Development. He is also a research professor of political science, focusing on international relations and American foreign policy in the Middle East. He has written over 100 books, articles, and papers. He is the author of “The Other Arab-Israeli Conflict: Making America’s Middle East Policy from Truman to Reagan,” and “World Politics in a New Era,” as well as one of the authors of "The Peace Puzzle: America’s Quest for Arab-Israeli Peace, 1989-2011.”
Sponsor(s): Center for Middle East Development, UCLA International Institute, Department of Public Policy