Arash Azizi is a writer and historian whose commentary has been published in The New York Times, New York Review of Books, The Washington Post, Newsweek, BBC, Haaretz, The Daily Beast, Guardian, Vanity Fair, The Nation, Al-Jazeera, and more.
He holds a PhD in history and Middle Eastern studies from NYU, where his dissertation examined the communist movement in the Middle East during the Cold War. He is a lecturer in political science and history at Clemson University, and a fellow at the Center for Middle East and Global Order (CMEG).
Arash’s work has been translated to 18 languages and he is the author of the 2020 book “The Shadow Commander: Soleimani, the US and Iran’s Global Ambitions” as well as the upcoming 2024 book “What Iranians Want: Women, Life, Freedom.”
In our conversation, we discuss the political situation in Iran, who will likely replace the aging Khamenei, the nation’s path to freedom, the role woman have played and continue to play in this story, and more.
This episode was recorded days after the October 7 massacre in Israel, and with events unfolding in the region it is more important than ever to educate ourselves on Iran, which is the major state sponsor of Hamas and the reason for its dominance in Gaza.
Arash Azizi on what Iranians want