Obama Has 'Accentuated Iran's Internal Rifts'

{
  "authors": [
    "Karim Sadjadpour"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "menaTransitions",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "MEP",
  "programs": [
    "Middle East"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "North America",
    "United States",
    "Middle East",
    "Iran"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Political Reform",
    "Foreign Policy"
  ]
}

In The Media

Obama Has 'Accentuated Iran's Internal Rifts'

Whereas the Bush administration united Iran's disparate political factions against a commmon threat, Obama's overtures have accentuated deep internal rifts amongst Iranian political elites.

By Karim Sadjadpour

Published on Jun 22, 2009

Source: BBC Radio 4 Today

In addition to debates that have arisen in Washington over how hard-hitting President Obama should be in response to the situation in Iran, there is also debate over whether the existence of these protests can be attributed to the election of Obama himself. Karim Sadjadpour comments, "I do think there is a real link between the election of Barack Obama and some of the fissures which we are seeing now in Tehran. The argument I would make is that whereas the Bush administration united Iran's disparate political factions against a common threat, Obama's overtures to Iran have really accentuated these deep internal rifts amongst Iranian political elites. Between a small minority faction that wants to continue this "death to America" culture of 1979 and the vast majority of the Iranian population, but I would also argue the vast majority of the Iranian political elite."

About the Author

Karim Sadjadpour

Senior Fellow, Middle East Program

Karim Sadjadpour is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he focuses on Iran and U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East.

Recent Work

Q&A
Iran Wanted to Survive the War. Now What?
- Suzanne Maloney, Aaron David Miller, Karim Sadjadpour
Q&A
What’s Keeping the Iranian Regime in Power—for Now
- Aaron David Miller, Karim Sadjadpour, Robin Wright

Political Reform Foreign Policy North America United States Middle East 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.

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Paper
Confronting the Barriers to AI Diffusion in the U.S. Military
The Pentagon is calling for a rapid AI transformation. Autonomous drones offer a case study in the eight bottlenecks the U.S. military must navigate to realize that vision.
Jake Steckler
Commentary
Emissary
The Migration Wave That Embarrassed Morocco and Rattled Europe
Most migrants may have left Ceuta, but the effects may linger.
Alejandro Martin Rodriguez, Sarah Yerkes
Paper
How Populist Middle Powers Are—and Are Not—Reshaping Global Politics
There is a transnational far-right populist movement that links middle powers in a global movement that extends well beyond Trump.
Christopher S. Chivvis, Rohan Mukherjee, Milan Vaishnav
Commentary
Carnegie Politika
Russia Is Exporting Its Fuel Crisis to Central Asia
When faced with fuel shortages in the past, Central Asian governments could always count on additional supplies from Moscow. That safety net no longer exists.
Galiya Ibragimova
Commentary
Emissary
Five Years After His Power Grab, Tunisia’s President Has Only Achieved Failure
Saied’s main accomplishment has been to destroy a decade’s worth of democratic progress.
Sarah Yerkes

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

An AS3 interceptor part of the Merops, an AI-powered anti-drone system is pictured during a NATO live-fire demonstration of a counter-UAS system on November 18, 2025 in Nowa Deba, Poland.

Paper

Confronting the Barriers to AI Diffusion in the U.S. Military

The Pentagon is calling for a rapid AI transformation. Autonomous drones offer a case study in the eight bottlenecks the U.S. military must navigate to realize that vision.

Jake Steckler

People standing on rocks in the ocean near the shore, with soldiers in the foreground

Commentary

Emissary

The Migration Wave That Embarrassed Morocco and Rattled Europe

Most migrants may have left Ceuta, but the effects may linger.

Alejandro Martin Rodriguez, Sarah Yerkes

Supporters wave VOX and Spanish flags at the start of Patriots for Europe rally at Marriott Auditorium Hotel on February 08, 2025 in Madrid, Spain

Paper

How Populist Middle Powers Are—and Are Not—Reshaping Global Politics

There is a transnational far-right populist movement that links middle powers in a global movement that extends well beyond Trump.

Christopher S. Chivvis, Rohan Mukherjee, Milan Vaishnav

Commentary

Carnegie Politika

Russia Is Exporting Its Fuel Crisis to Central Asia

When faced with fuel shortages in the past, Central Asian governments could always count on additional supplies from Moscow. That safety net no longer exists.

Galiya Ibragimova

Shadowed figure lighting grocery store shelves

Commentary

Emissary

Five Years After His Power Grab, Tunisia’s President Has Only Achieved Failure

Saied’s main accomplishment has been to destroy a decade’s worth of democratic progress.

Sarah Yerkes