All Policy Analysis by Brenda Shaffer

As ethnic minorities and poverty-stricken provincial communities assume a greater role in nationwide unrest, the regime will likely try to pit them against each other.

As Moscow continues its pattern of fomenting conflict and carving up countries in its near-abroad, the United States and regional players such as Iran, Israel, and Turkey will once again feel the ripples.

To reap the benefits and avert the dangers of Moscow's latest developments with Iran, Washington and Europe should adopt a strategy that allows them to cooperate on Syria and antiterrorism efforts, while continuing pressure on issues such as the Ukraine conflict and S-300 deliveries to Tehran.

Potential military action against Iran would be much more risky if the regime does in fact acquire the advanced S-300 antiaircraft missiles, but Moscow and Tehran have significant obstacles to overcome before that occurs.

Most immediately, lifted sanctions on Iran's oil and gas industry could spur tensions with other energy producers, such as Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.

Institute Baker fellow and energy expert Simon Henderson led a conversation at the 2013 Soref Symposium on May 9, 2013, on the rapidly evolving energy landscape in the Middle East within the context of Israel's emergence as a regional energy producer. Sir Michael Leigh is consultant and senior advisor to

Azerbaijan has ample, independent strategic reasons for its cooperation with Israel and poor relations with Tehran, notwithstanding the recent spike in Iranian tensions.

The Republic of Azerbaijan, a secular, predominately Shii-populated state, will hold presidential elections on October 15, 2003. The state borders Iran, produces significant quantities of oil and gas, and conducts a pro-American foreign policy. The capital, Baku, maintains extremely close ties with Turkey, including military cooperation, and is friendly to

In April 2001, Brenda Shaffer, research director of Harvard University's Caspian Studies Program and a 2000 visiting fellow at The Washington Institute, addressed the Institute's Special Policy Forum to mark the publication of her Policy Paper, Partners in Need: The Stategic Relationship of Russia and Iran. The following is a

Russia and Iran are neighboring states. As such, the status of their bilateral relationship is a perpetually important facet of their respective foreign policies. In the post-Soviet period, Tehran and Moscow began to view and term their cooperation as "strategic"—each side viewing the other as integral to its own national

Iranian president Mohammed Khatami will conduct an official visit to Russia on March 11 through March 15. This constitutes the highest-level visit of an Iranian official to Russia since 1989. There could be an intensification of cooperation between Russia and Iran during Khatami's visit — including on arms sales. In

The Chechen crisis is the result of confluence of long-term and recent political, economic and military trends in Russia. Chief among them is the decline of the Russian state, the weakness of its institutions and their inability to address the consequences of the protracted socio-economic decline in the North Caucasus--one