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    "Karim Sadjadpour"
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Source: Getty

In The Media

Syria is a Zero-Sum Game for Iran

The perpetuation of the Assad regime is critical to Iran's efforts to maintain its regional influence, and Tehran has demonstrated it will do whatever it can to aid Assad and his regime.

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By Karim Sadjadpour
Published on Aug 19, 2012
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Middle East

The Middle East Program in Washington combines in-depth regional knowledge with incisive comparative analysis to provide deeply informed recommendations. With expertise in the Gulf, North Africa, Iran, and Israel/Palestine, we examine crosscutting themes of political, economic, and social change in both English and Arabic.

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Source: C-SPAN's Washington Journal

Speaking on CSPAN’s Washington Journal, Carnegie's Karim Sadjadpour explained that the alliance between Iran and Syria has been critical to the Assad regime’s efforts to maintain power during the on-going uprising in Syria. Although the alliance is not based on cultural, sectarian, or ethnic affinities, Iran and Syria have been stalwart strategic allies dating back to 1980. For Iran, “Syria has been its most consistent global ally and provides an important strategic geographic link to Hezbollah," noted Sadjadpour.  The Iranian regime also “has repression down to a science and is sharing their tactics in this regard with the Assad regime,” he added. For Iran, the perpetuation of the Assad regime is critical in maintaining its regional influence, and Iran has demonstrated it will do whatever it can to aid Assad and his repressive regime, Sadjadpour concluded.

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
    What’s Keeping the Iranian Regime in Power—for Now

      Aaron David Miller, Karim Sadjadpour, Robin Wright

  • Q&A
    How Washington and Tehran Are Assessing Their Next Steps

      Aaron David Miller, David Petraeus, Karim Sadjadpour

Karim Sadjadpour
Senior Fellow, Middle East Program
Karim Sadjadpour
Political ReformMiddle EastIranSyriaLevant

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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