Inside Iran: How the War May Shape the Country's Political Future
Richard Nephew, Dafna Rand, and Ariane Tabatabai examine what the war in Iran means for the country's people, its civil society, and its political future.
Jul
1
Vahid Salemi / AP
About This Event
For decades, Iranians have lived under a repressive government—now they find themselves caught between that regime and a military conflict reshaping their country and the broader region. What does that mean for ordinary Iranians and for the prospects of political change in a country where the relationship between the people and their government was already deeply fraught? How do the choices the United States makes now shape what Iran looks like when the fighting stops? And what might US policy toward Iran look like the day after the war? Join Richard Nephew and Dafna Rand, in conversation with Ariane Tabatabai, for a discussion on the human dimensions of the Iran conflict and what comes next.
About the Speakers
Richard Nephew
Senior Research Scholar, Center on Global Energy Policy, and Adjunct Professor, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University
Richard Nephew is a senior research scholar at Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy and adjunct professor at the School of International and Public Affairs. He previously served as the inaugural US coordinator on global anti-corruption at the Department of State and as deputy special envoy for Iran.
Dafna Rand
Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, The Brookings Institution
Dafna Rand serves as a senior fellow at The Brookings Institution and a Robert E. Wilhelm fellow at MIT’s Center for International Studies. Her research examines a range of international security and governance questions, focusing on the Middle East, the threat of rising authoritarianism, the future of US foreign aid, and the future configuration of multilateral organizations.
Vice President of Research, Security and Defense; Senior Fellow, Middle East
Dr. Ariane Tabatabai joined the Council in 2026 as the vice president of research, security and defense. She also serves as senior fellow for the Middle East, focusing on nuclear security and regional security dynamics in the Middle East.
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