Iran: Protests and Future Perspectives

A new president will be elected in Iran in June 2021. The country has seen periodic unrest ever since the mass protests of 2009, in particular in 2017/18, when tens of thousands took to the streets in protest against economic crisis and political stagnation. Current protests are largely staged online and in exile, particularly focusing on executions of political prisoners. Regarding foreign policy, the Iranian government is under pressure due to US sanctions and geo-strategic rivalries in the region. Iranian society is rife with tensions, but the outcome of power struggles between conservatives and reformists remains unclear. What are the chances for political change in Iran?

Panelists:
Dr. Azadeh Zamirirad – German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), Berlin
Dr. Ahmad Moradi – Academy in Exile, Freie Universität Berlin

Chair:
Dr. Sara Bazoobandi – GIGA Institut für Nahost-Studien, Hamburg

Venue:
The event will take place online on the platform zoom. Registered participants will receive the login data by E-Mail ahead of time.

Please register by sending an E-Mail to anmeldung@boell-hamburg.de

We work hard to make our offerings inclusive and easily accessible. Please don’t hesitate to contact us in case you need assistance!

About the lecture series
Ten years ago, popular uprisings challenged authoritarian systems across the Middle East and North Africa. The Arab Spring uprisings of 2011 and their aftermath, together with the Green Movement in Iran (2009) and the Gezi-protests in Turkey (2013), appeared to form part of a regional protest cycle. A decade later, these uprisings seem to have hardly left any traces, and their memory is eclipsed by other events.Over the course of this semester, we will look back at the events of the Arab Spring in its broader regional and international context. What were the root causes for the uprisings? What were the results? Why did they largely fail? To what degree are current protest movements in countries of the Middle East and North Africa related to the Arab uprisings of 2011?

The lecture series is jointly organized by Heinrich-Böll-Foundation Hamburg and the University of Hamburg, the Leibniz-Institute for Global and Regional Studies (GIGA) and Academy in Exile.

With financial support by Landeszentrale Politische Bildung Hamburg

10 Years After the Arab Spring: Protest Cycles in the Middle East and North Africa in Context: Complete Program