Commonwealth Club Event: "Iran's Grand Strategy"

Join the Commonwealth Club of California on July 29, 2025 to hear Vali Nasr discuss his new book, Iran's Grand Strategy: A Political History.

HOW TO WATCH:
This event is $10 for online tickets, and you must register at the link below, at which point you'll be emailed a link to the online event - https://commonwealthclub.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket/#/instances/a0FVb0000048o0XMAQ

EVENT DESCRIPTION:
Iran has for decades been one of the most significant—and tricky—foreign policy challenges facing America and the West. Unfortunately, most people do not know much about the country’s true goals. Join us as Vali Nasr examines Iran’s political history to explain the actions and ambitions of the country’s leaders. He says behind the veneer of theocracy and Islamic ideology, modern Iran pursues a grand strategy with the twin goals of internal security and international activism.

Nasr, author of Iran’s Grand Strategy, draws on memoirs, oral histories, and original in-depth interviews with leading Iranians to uncover facts and events that have been previously overlooked. He examines the impact of its war with Iraq, the subsequent American actions against Iran and its invasion of Iraq in 2003, and ensuing events. He says these events have shaped the outlook in Tehran, creating a pervasive fear of the United States and its ambitions for the Middle East.

Want to understand Iran and how best to engage with it? Don’t miss this program.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER & MODERATOR:

• Vali Nasr is an Iranian-American political scientist, specializing in Middle Eastern studies and the history of Islam. He currently serves as Professor of International Affairs & Middle East Studies at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies. Nasr is also a Non-Resident Fellow in South Asia at the Atlantic Council and has been described by The Economist as "a leading world authority on Shia Islam." Nasr was a member of the State Department's Foreign Affairs Policy Board and served as senior advisor to the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, between 2009 and 2011. He's the author of many articles and books on developments within modern Islam and U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, most notably Democracy in Iran: History and the Quest for Liberty (2006), The Shia Revival: How Conflicts Within Islam will Shape the Future (2006), Forces of Fortune: The Rise of the New Muslim Middle Class and What It will Mean for Our World (2009), and Dispensable Nation: American Foreign Policy in Retreat (2013).
• (Moderator TBA)

ABOUT THE EVENT HOST:
The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. Every year, they present more than 450 forums on topics ranging across politics, culture, society and the economy. Their stated mission is to be the leading national forum open to all for the impartial discussion of public issues important to the membership, community and nation. To learn more, go to: https://www.commonwealthclub.org/who-we-are
.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................