Shows
Wikistrat InsiderThe Israel-Iran WarAs Israel’s military campaign against Iran’s nuclear program escalates, Tehran’s leadership is grappling with existential questions about survival, deterrence, and internal cohesion. Can the Islamic Republic navigate simultaneous military strikes, elite fractures, and growing public dissent—without conceding on the very ideological pillars that have sustained it for decades? On June 20, 2025, Wikistrat hosted a podcast with Dr. Saeid Golkar, a leading expert on Iran, to explore the regime’s strategic calculations, the shifting mood inside Iran, and the potential endgames now confronting one of the region’s most entrenched autocracies.Dr. Saeid Golkar is a senior fel...
2025-07-0859 min
Democracy IRLThe Islamic Republic and Protests in Iran, with Political Scientist Saeid GolkarSaeid Golkar has been writing and teaching about Iranian politics for the last decade since he was forced to leave the country. A 2009 alumnus of CDDRL's Draper Hills Summer Fellows Program, Saeid is an expert on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and their Basij auxiliaries. Last month he joined Francis Fukuyama to discuss the nature and implications of the anti-regime protests that have rocked Iran since the killing of Mahsa Amini in September 2022.Saeid Golkar is an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science & Public Service at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga. Previously an...
2022-11-2342 min
Verden kalderKan et tørklæde vælte Irans præstestyre?I Iran risikerer små skolepiger lige nu livet ved at smide det tørklæde, som landets lov påbyder dem at bære. Et tørklæde, der har antændt et omfattende oprør imod det iranske præstestyre. ’Verden Kalder’ undersøger, hvorfor tørklædet er så afgørende for præstestyret, at Irans ledere vil skyde demonstranter for at kvæle oprøret. Og så kan du få svar på, hvor tæt iranerne er på at gennemføre en succesfuld revolution. Medvirkende: Carolina Kamil, Berlingskes mellemøstkorrespondent med base i Istanbul. Sune Engel Rasmussen, Irankorrespondent for Wall St...
2022-10-0751 min
Stanford Iranian Studies ProgramThe Reconfiguration of Iran's Political Elite: Rising Indoctrinated Technocrats with Saeid GolkarMay 19, 2022Speaker: Saeid GolkarAyatollah Khamenei is replacing the Islamic Republic's old cohort of specialists with newly indoctrinated technocrats, preparing the regime for a swift succession. In addition, reconfiguration of political elites is shifting the power equilibrium in the Islamic Republic, facilitating greater coordination between deep and visible states.Saeid Golkar is an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Concurrently, he is a non-resident Senior Fellow on Middle East Policy at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs (CCGA) and The Tony Blair Institute for...
2022-05-2053 min
Deep Dish on Global AffairsWhat Happens After the Iran Deal?Iran's leaders may fear regime collapse enough to consider renegotiating the nuclear deal, but President Trump could walk away anyway. Expert Iran watchers Saeid Golkar and Ilan Goldenberg explore the ramifications of ending the Iran deal on this week's Deep Dish.
2018-05-0333 min
Deep Dish on Global AffairsWhat Just Happened in Iran?What began as Iranian protests about high food prices and inflation has turned into the largest anti-government outcry in nearly a decade. Iran experts Saeid Golkar and Nicola Pedde join guest host Stephen Anderson to unpack what this uprising could mean for the Islamic Republic.
2018-01-0437 min
Deep Dish on Global AffairsThe Syrian Civil War is Ending. What Happens Next?ISIS has been decimated and Bashar al-Assad sits secure atop the bloody streets of Syria. With Russia leading diplomatic efforts to close the books on the Syrian Civil War, this week's Deep Dish examines the state of play in Syria, how we get there, and the competing interests of those who hope to influence what happens next. Brian Hanson is joined by U.S. Ambassador (ret.) to Syria Robert S. Ford, senior fellow for global security and diplomacy Cecile Shea, and nonresident senior fellow for Iran policy Saeid Golkar.
2017-11-3046 min
Deep Dish on Global AffairsThe Most Important Election in Iran's History - May 18, 2017This is the most important election in the history of the Islamic Republic, says Saeid Golkar. Two main candidates, incumbent president Hassan Rouhani and conservative challenger Ebrahim Raisi, face off in tense two-round vote that will determine the future of Iran's interaction with the rest of the world. Will the moderate, reformist president responsible for the nuclear deal win out, or will Raisi bring Iran back into isolation? Golkar lays out the facts with guest host Cecile Shea in the latest episode of Deep Dish.
2017-05-1820 min
Deep Dish on Global AffairsHashemi Rafsanjani, Spiritual Father Of Iranian Reform - Jan. 12, 2017Millions of people attended the funeral procession for former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. In the latest Deep Dish podcast, the Council's visiting fellow for Iran policy, Saeid Golkar, explains why Rafsanjani was so beloved and how his death may position hardliners and "conflictualists" to seize the initiative in Iran's internal and external affairs.
2017-01-1225 min