Faced with an increase in strategic maneuvering by Moscow and Pyongyang, Beijing will not sit idly by and allow Putin and Kim to shape the security environment on its behalf.
Tong Zhao
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The IAEA announcement that Iran may be working towards a nuclear warhead plays into growing international concerns that Iran is becoming a military dictatorship, with the influence of the Revolutionary Guards eclipsing that of the clergy.
Source: PBS' Worldfocus
Secretary Clinton’s recent remark that Iran is moving towards becoming a “military dictatorship” has helped spotlight the role of the Revolutionary Guards in Iran. Karim Sadjadpour asserts that “the Revolutionary Guards has surpassed the clergy in Iran in terms of political and economic influence and are running Iranian foreign policy in Iraq, Lebanon and Afghanistan.”
Ayatollah Khamenei and President Ahmadinejad have spearheaded this transition to military dictatorship. The regime is facing increasing scrutiny on its nuclear program, after a recent International Atomic Energy Agency report stated that Iran has either resumed work on making a nuclear warhead or had never stopped. Although many actors in the international community have expressed concerns over this report, Sadjadpour suggests that it will not be a “game changer” nor affect the Obama administration’s efforts to sanction Iran.
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
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