Prospects for Iran's New Direction

This monograph, completed ahead of the November 2014 deadline, examines some of the underlying factors which will be constant in dealing with a nuclear capable Iran under President Hassan Rouhani, and which will help determine the success or failure of talks in 2015. It analyzes Rouhani's eventful first year in office in order to provide pointers to what may be possible--and to some key limiting factors--for Iran under his leadership. During that time, Rouhani has been forced to balance his own progressive instincts with the instinctual caution of more conservative elements of the Iranian ruling elite. As a result, foreign hopes for his influence on Iran's place in the world have moved from initial optimism to a more sober assessment of the options available to him. This text provides an essential backdrop to the forthcoming renewed negotiations with Iran by providing an introduction to the complex interplay of issues and interests which constrain the Iranian leadership. Mingled with the authors' reseach on negotiations under Rouhani's leadership with Western countries' leadership, this book includes primary source excerpts from speeches of world leaders pertaining to their views on the progress for the agreement talks beginning in year 2013 through part of the year 2014.

This text is not only for researchers and policymakers with an interest in Iran, but also can also provide insights to those working with the Middle East more broadly in areas of security issues. This paper is recommended for high school, 2-year and 4-year colleges/universities for student research on topics relating to U.S.-Iran relations, foreign diplomacy, nuclear power and weapons negotiations, arms control, and political science, international relations, and global studies collections.

Iran resources collection can be found here: https: //bookstore.gpo.gov/catalog/international-foreign-affairs/middle-east/iran