After his election, Obama promised to bring the US soldiers back from Iraq and Afghanistan. His promise has been largely fulfilled now, but this development is also sign of another important change: the end of high-intensity warfare. If high-intensity warfare has reached its end, what strategy will be possibly adopted by the United States and its Western allies toward future developments which require military engagement?

The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) has recently launched a project dubbed “Iran Primer.” The institute’s website claims that it is taking a scientific approach to study various issues related to Iran. Of course, anti-Iranian policy of the website which clearly shows up from the very outset of the research, casts serious doubt on scientific and research-based nature of its study. However, such an extensive focus on Iran-related issues can, at least, provide a good opportunity for discussion and exchange of scientific views in order to shed more light on political, economic and cultural realities of Iran. As such, I have analyzed an article entitled “The Supreme Leader” which has been written by Mr. Karim Sajjadpour and published on the website of the institute.

As goals and approaches in Iran, US and Chinese foreign policies changed, Iran’s relations with the United States have been marked with harsher rhetoric and increased possibility of military confrontation. On the other hand, Washington and Beijing have started their political honeymoon. Naturally, under such conditions, there is more way for the United States and China to become harmonized in their reactions to international issues.

Despite Obama’s claims about helping democratic trends in the world to thrive, realities on the ground show that the United States is no more the country which pursued Jeffersonian ideas which would wait for emerging nations to yearn for “democracy” before rushing to their help.

Iraq’s imposed war against the Islamic Republic of Iran which started with a large-scale invasion by the Iraqi forces on September 22, 1980, and lasted eight years had important legal and international dimensions. The support accorded to Iraq by Western and Eastern power during its war with Iran covered all political, diplomatic, economic, financial, military, and propaganda areas.

Just imagine what would happen if, along with all small and big institutes and organizations that now exist in the country, there was a small institute with a small staff just focusing on Islam’s commands on food and translating them into a language comprehensible for the modern world? What would have happened if that institute studied Islam’s approach to concurrent health of body and soul and explained impact of special foods on people’s bodies and souls according to teachings of Islam?

Today coincides with the 31st anniversary of the Eight Year Sacred Defense which is an annual commemoration of the Iraqi-imposed war to the newly established Islamic Republic on September 22, 1980.

Russia’s role in Iran’s nuclear activities has been explained in different ways. Those explanations are usually based on diplomatic positions, proclaimed policies and bilateral contracts between Iran and Russia on the nuclear case and other strategic matters. Although Iran has shown no direct reaction to Russia’s practical policies, there are many signs to prove that public opinion and Iranian executives are growing suspicious of the Russian policies.

Depending on type of geographical region and the force of developments, there is always possibility of changes in political, strategic and security equations. The present paper looks into geopolitical changes in the Middle East as a result of recent political developments.

The existing international system, which is based on interdependence among the states as well as military and economic dominance of the United States, governs all international political and economic equations, including international oil markets. As a result, Iran’s policy of looking to the East in order to replace Eastern countries for Western and European ones and find new oil and political partners has proven futile because the United States and its Western allies dominate the world energy market.