Kasra Aarabi is the Iran Program Lead at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, where he specializes in Iran and Shi’a Islamist extremism. He is also a non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute in Washington, DC. Kasra is a native Persian (Farsi) speaker and holds an MA (Hons) in international relations and a BA in international politics, both from King’s College London. He is also undertaking a PhD at the University of St Andrews, where his research focuses on Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. Follow him @KasraAarabi.

Education
B.A. in International Politics - King’s College London
M.A. in International Relations - King’s College London

Languages
Farsi, English

Countries of Expertise
Iran & Middle East

Issues of Expertise
Iran domestic and foreign affairs, Iranian military and security forces (with focus on the IRGC and Basij), ideology and propaganda, Shia militias and Shia Islamist extremism, Europe-US-Iran ties & Iran-UK affairs 

Research Publications
Beyond Borders: the Expansionist Ideology of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Kasra Aarabi (Tony Blair Institute for Global Change)
Ideology and Iran’s Revolution: How 1979 Changed the World, Kasra Aarabi & Ali Ansari (Tony Blair Institute for Global Change) 
The Fundamentals of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, Kasra Aarabi (Tony Blair Institute for Global Change) 

Recent Articles
Post-Pandemic, Iranian Regime Highlights Its Revolutionary Colors, Kasra Aarabi & Saeid Golkar (Newsweek)  
Will COVID-19 inhibit Iran’s ability to suppress protests?, Kasra Aarabi & Saeid Golkar (Middle East Institute) 
Iran Knows Who to Blame for the Virus: America & Israel, (Foreign Policy)
Suleimani’s Killing Could Change the Middle East for the better, (Foreign Policy)
• Iran’s Regional Influence Campaign is Starting to Flop, (Foreign Policy
 

Contact Information

Please contact media@mei.edu or call 202-785-1141 ext. 241 for assistance contacting this expert.

Twitter Handle: @KasraAarabi

Programs

Programs