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Iran

March 20, 2026

India in a fix amid US-Israel war against Iran 

Sonia Sarkar India sits precariously in this US-Israel-led war against its old regional partner Iran. This, says Sonia Sarkar, is because of Hindu supremacist Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s proximity to Israel's leader Benjamin Netanyahu  Read more
March 20, 2026

The Iran crisis is deepening Britain’s anxiety over its international role

Ruairidh Brown Trump’s dismissal of Keir Starmer as 'no Churchill' cuts Britain deep, argues Ruairidh Brown. His open contempt strikes at the heart of Britain’s post-imperial anxiety Read more
March 19, 2026

Why Iran’s institutional design complicates regime change 

Williamkery Gaddam Predictions of regime collapse in Iran often misunderstand the Islamic Republic’s internal mechanics, says Williamkery Gaddam. Authority is not centralised but distributed among clerical bodies, security organisations, and political institutions. This enables the regime to manage elite competition and absorb external shocks, making externally driven transformation far harder than many observers assume Read more
March 19, 2026

The Iran-Israel-US war and the illusion of regime collapse

Cristian Pîrvulescu The attack on Iran by Israel and the US can be seen as an attempt to force regime change. Yet, says Cristian Pîrvulescu, authoritarian regimes rarely collapse when leaders fall. Systems built around institutions often survive because they reproduce power through structures that organise coercion and coordinate elites Read more
March 12, 2026

Why civilian harm is difficult to measure in short urban air campaigns

Narges Qadirli Following Israel’s 12-day air campaign in Iran in June 2025, casualty figures varied across media sources, official reports, and humanitarian organisations. Narges Qadirli examines how short urban air warfare exposes structural constraints in the recording, measurement, and verification of civilian harm across conflict datasets and casualty reporting systems Read more
March 11, 2026

Military escalation and diverging regional strategies in the Middle East

Nadeem Ahmed Moonakal The latest escalation of conflict in the Middle East reflects significant shifts in regional geopolitics. Nadeem Ahmed Moonakal explains how unfolding events carry serious global economic implications, as each actor pursues divergent goals Read more
February 19, 2026

Why Iran’s opposition is fracturing – and how to fix it

Hossein Kermani Hossein Kermani argues that the Islamic Republic’s staying power relies as much on fracturing its opposition as it does on repression. Here, he explains how depolarising rhetoric, institutional transparency, and durable organisation will sustain pressure, protect activists during crackdowns, and ensure the failure of the regime's divide-and-conquer tactics Read more
February 2, 2026

☢️ Nuclear euphemisms: how 'deterrence' masks escalation

Konstantin Schendzielorz Deterrence is back — but not as we knew it. Once a strategy of nuclear restraint, the term is now being stretched to justify aggressive military actions, at home and abroad. Konstantin Schendzielorz argues that, as meanings shift, so do red lines. The nuclear umbrella may be turning into a very real sword Read more

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THE EUROPEAN CONSORTIUM FOR POLITICAL RESEARCH
Advancing Political Science
Š 2026 European Consortium for Political Research. The ECPR is a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO) number 1167403 ECPR, Harbour House, 6-8 Hythe Quay, Colchester, CO2 8JF, United Kingdom.
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