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SHEEHAN: The Ivory Tower and the Iranian Regime | Townhall.com | Commentary

Posted in analysis, arak, ashraf, assad, baghdad, ballistic missiles, CIA, clinton, congress, counterterrorism, covert, crimes against humanity, data, delisting, democracy, digest of middle east studies, diplomacy, dissident, DOMES, education, evidence-based, fordow, foreign policy, foreign policy analysis, freedom, geneva, global, hostages, human rights, human security, IAEA, intelligence, international relations, iran, iraq, israel, ivory tower, kerry, kristoff, maliki, media, MEK, MI6, middle east, military, mossad, natanz, NCRI, negotiation, netanyahu, nuclear, nyt, obama, P5+1, paris, PMOI, policy, politics, preemptive, protest, rajavi, regime change, research, sanctions, security studies, senate, senate foreign relations committee, sheehan, state department, strike, tehran, terrorism, threat, u.s. foundation for liberty, unrest, war, weapons, white house, zarif on March 4, 2014 by Professor Sheehan

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SHEEHAN: The Ivory Tower and the Iranian Regime | Townhall.com | Commentary

In response to Nicholas Kristof’s recent column in The New York Times, Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan weighs in at Townhall.com on why scholars should examine policy issues and inform the public discourse.

As Washington looks for fresh ideas on Iran policy in the lead up to the next round of nuclear discussions in March, policymakers would be wise to examine some of the sharpest thinkers on Iran and adopt policy prescriptions informed by scholarly analyses.

The unfortunate decision to investigate banality may be the characteristic that distinguishes the contemporary ivory tower from the public forum.

But not every intellectual suffers from the affliction and some have ideas that could inform policy decisions.

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Sheehan to Present at 2014 Middle East Dialogue

Posted in analysis, assad, baghdad, CIA, clinton, college of public affairs, congress, counterterrorism, covert, delisting, democracy, deterrence, digest of middle east studies, diplomacy, dissident, DOMES, education, european union, evidence-based, foreign policy, foreign policy analysis, freedom, global, intelligence, international relations, international security studies, iran, iraq, kerry, maliki, media, MEK, MI6, middle east, middle east dialogue, military, NCRI, nuclear, obama, P5+1, paris, peace, PMOI, policy, policy studies organization, politics, preemptive, protest, rajavi, regime change, research, sanctions, scholarly, security studies, senate, senate foreign relations committee, sheehan, state department, strike, tehran, terrorism, think-tank, threat, u.s. foundation for liberty, university of baltimore, unrest, war, weapons, white house on February 20, 2014 by Professor Sheehan

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Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan has been invited to deliver a talk at the 2014 Middle East Dialogue hosted by the Policy Studies Organization on February 27. Dr. Sheehan’s talk titled Clarifying a Contested Concept: Regime Change from Within will trace the evolution of the concept of regime change from within and argue that meaningful policy demands more precise articulation of the term. The conference, held at the Whittemore House in Washington, D.C. will feature scholars and policy analysts that address the event’s 2014 theme of Strategies for Change in the Middle East. Dr. Sheehan’s remarks at the 2013 Middle East Dialogue resulted in the publication of an article in the peer-reviewed journal, Digest of Middle East Studies.

Clarifying a Contested Concept: Regime Change from Within

The term “regime change from within” has become increasingly popular in opposition and policy discourse, especially in relation to the Islamic Republic of Iran. It has also begun entering the academic literature. But what does it mean? Despite its increasing use “regime change from within” is rarely defined and scant scholarly attention to date has been paid to defining it. This is problematic since, as an “umbrella concept,” the term can be stretched to include a wide variety of discrepant processes. In fact, “regime change from within” has been used as a holder for democracy promotion efforts within a country that start both inside and outside a country, as well as indigenous efforts that exclude outside support, to highlight the need for radical change, and more vaguely to call for “continuous” change or reform. This paper argues that coherent strategic policy demands better articulation of the meaning of the term. As a first step, the paper traces the evolution of use of the term “regime change from within,” tries to unpack its components, and develops a preliminary framework that partitions the concept into ends (vision) and means (strategy) to assess its utility for policy.

PSO/MED / Speaker Bios / Invitation

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Upcoming Sheehan Speaking Engagements

Posted in analysis, college of public affairs, contact, counterterrorism, courses, data, education, evidence-based, foreign policy, foreign policy analysis, international relations, international security studies, media, pedagogy, policy, research, scholarly, security studies, sheehan, teaching, terrorism, university of baltimore on January 7, 2014 by Professor Sheehan

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Between January and April 2014, Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan will be delivering invited talks at international conferences in New Orleans, Washington DC, Toronto, and the United Kingdom. Stay tuned for details!

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Sheehan to Speak at 2014 Southern Political Science Association Conference

Posted in analysis, APSA, college of public affairs, counterterrorism, courses, data, databases, education, evidence-based, foreign policy, foreign policy analysis, framing, global, international relations, international security studies, mapping, media, middle east, peace, pedagogy, research, scholarly, security studies, sheehan, SPSA, teaching, terrorism, university of baltimore on January 7, 2014 by Professor Sheehan

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Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan was invited to present in New Orleans at the 85th Annual Meeting of the Southern Political Science Association between January 9–11, 2014. Dr. Sheehan presented on a panel titled Terrorism and its Consequences where he discussed the results of a paper he published in the journal Perspectives on Terrorism, an empirical study that involved a systematic analysis of contemporary terrorism courses at 106 top-ranked universities and colleges in the United States.

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Sheehan Speaking at GMU on U.S. – Iran Conflict

Posted in analysis, ashraf, assad, baghdad, CIA, clinton, congress, counterterrorism, courses, covert, crimes against humanity, data, delisting, democracy, deterrence, diplomacy, dissident, DOMES, education, european union, evidence-based, foreign policy, foreign policy analysis, framing, global, gmu, hostages, human rights, human security, intelligence, international relations, international security studies, iran, iraq, maliki, media, MEK, MI6, middle east, military, mossad, NCRI, negotiation, nuclear, obama, PMOI, policy, politics, preemptive, protest, regime change, research, S-CAR, sanctions, scholarly, security studies, sheehan, state department, strike, syria, teaching, tehran, terrorism, threat, u.s. foundation for liberty, unrest, war, weapons, white house on November 15, 2013 by Professor Sheehan

U.S. – Iran Conflict: Beyond the Current Discourse / School for Conflict Analysis & Resolution / Center for the Study of Gender & Conflict/ George Mason University

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Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan will participate in a conference on U.S.-Iran policy at George Mason University on November 23. Also speaking at the event will be:

Dr. Walid Phares, Adviser to Anti-Terrorism Caucus in U.S. House of Representatives and Co‐Secretary General of Transatlantic Euro-American Caucus Legislative Group on Counter Terrorism
Dr. Donna Hughes, Eleanor M. and Oscar M. Carlson Endowed Chair in Women’s Studies at the University of Rhode Island
Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan, Director of Graduate Programs in Negotiations and Conflict Management and Global Affairs and Human Security at the University of Baltimore
Dr. Ramesh Sepehrrad, Scholar and Practitioner at the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University

Conflict Management in the Iranian Context: Diplomatic Engagement vs. Democratic Change from Within

Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan

Presentation Abstract: Washington policymakers concerned with the Iranian regime’s human rights violations, proxy violence, and pursuit of weapons of mass destruction have grown accustomed to the false dichotomy of prolonged negotiations and tactical military strikes. Such framing treats the Iranian regime as a fixture of the Middle East landscape and forecloses any potential for democratic change from within. This discussion will challenge conventional assumptions about conflict management in the Iranian context by exploring the unintended consequences of the U.S. policy of engagement as well as the military option. The discussion will also explore the prospect of regime change from within via the organized Iranian opposition.

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Sheehan to Participate in Twitter Q&A

Posted in analysis, ashraf, assad, baghdad, briefing, brussels, chemical weapons, CIA, clinton, congress, counterterrorism, covert, crimes against humanity, delisting, democracy, diplomacy, dissident, european union, foreign policy, foreign policy analysis, freedom, global, hostages, human rights, human security, intelligence, international relations, international security studies, iran, iran policy committee, iraq, killing, maliki, media, MEK, MI6, middle east, military, mossad, murder, NCRI, negotiation, nuclear, obama, paris, peace, PMOI, policy, politics, preemptive, protest, rajavi, regime change, research, sanctions, scholarly, security studies, sheehan, state department, strike, syria, tehran, terrorism, the hill, threat, twitter, u.s. foundation for liberty, war, weapons, white house on October 31, 2013 by Professor Sheehan

TWITTER Q&A – DR. IVAN SASCHA SHEEHAN (@ProfSheehan)

– OCTOBER 31 @ 12:00 – 1:00 PM (USA EST)

On the eve of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki’s visit with U.S. President Barack Obama, Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan will participate in a Twitter Q&A hosted by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) Foreign Affairs Committee. You can participate in the live discussion by tweeting questions and comments to @iran_policy using the #FreeThe7.

Dr. Sheehan will address questions related to US-Iran policy, Iraqi complicity in recent violence directed at the Iranian opposition, and measures that must be taken in the U.S. Congress and by the White House to curtail Tehran’s pursuit of weapons of mass destruction.

Background Readings –

SHEEHAN: Challenging a Terrorist Tag in the Media: Framing the Politics of Resistance and an Iranian Opposition Group – Digest of Middle East Studies – Fall 2013 – Vol. 22, Issue 2

SHEEHAN: Use al-Maliki Visit to Send Iran a Clear Message – The Hill

SHEEHAN: Time for Scholars to Examine Iranian Opposition – UPI.com

SHEEHAN: During Debate on Syria, U.S. Officials Must Also Protect Iranian Opposition – Diplomatic Courier

Dr. Sheehan will also remark on recent appearances where he addressed matters related to Iran policy in the U.S. Congress as well as in the academic community.

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Sheehan Study on Iranian Opposition Published in Digest of Middle East Studies

Posted in analysis, APSA, CIA, clinton, college of public affairs, congress, council on foreign relations, counterterrorism, courses, covert, crimes against humanity, data, databases, debate, delisting, democracy, deterrence, digest of middle east studies, diplomacy, dissident, DOMES, education, european union, evidence-based, faculty fellow, foreign policy, foreign policy analysis, framing, freedom, global, human rights, human security, intelligence, international relations, international security studies, international studies association, iran, iran policy committee, iraq, ISA, maliki, media, MEK, MI6, middle east, middle east dialogue, military, NCRI, negotiation, nuclear, obama, paris, peace, PMOI, policy, policy studies organization, politics, preemptive, protest, rajavi, regime change, research, rhetoric, scholarly, security studies, sheehan, state department, syria, teaching, terrorism, think-tank, threat, toronto, u.s. foundation for liberty, university of baltimore, unrest, war on October 11, 2013 by Professor Sheehan

Digest of Middle East Studies (DOMES) / Wiley-Blackwell / Policy Studies Organization / Online ISSN: 1949-3606 / Fall 2013, Vol. 22, Issue 2

Challenging a Terrorist Tag in the Media: Framing the Politics of Resistance and an Iranian Opposition Group – Digest of Middle East Studies – Fall 2013 – Vol. 22, Issue 2

Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan is published in the latest edition of the Digest of Middle East Studies, a peer reviewed journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Policy Studies Organization. The journal is edited by Middle East scholar Professor Mohammed M. Aman of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Study Abstract:

Scholars have shown that media framing has a powerful effect on citizen perception and policy debates. Research has provided less insight into the ability of marginalized actors to promote their preferred frames in the media in a dynamic political context. The efforts of an exiled Iranian opposition group to get its name removed from official terror lists in the US, UK and EU provides a valuable platform to examine this problem. Using content analysis, I explore how the group promoted its frames in the opinion sections of major world news publications over nine years (2003–2012). I then examine the extent to which journalists aligned to its frames, as opposed to rival official frames, over time in the larger arena of news. The results support research showing that by nurturing small opportunities, marginalized political actors can expand media capacity and influence, but these effects are mediated at least in part by critical or focusing events that make rival frames less salient. The study sheds light on the complex relationship between activists, the government and the media. It has implications for the ability of marginalized political actors to get their frames into public discourse. It also has implications for terror tagging and media coverage of other controversial issues.

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Sheehan Invited to Address University of Nebraska Omaha’s Global Studies Conference

Posted in analysis, assad, bloomfield, CIA, clinton, college of public affairs, congress, counterterrorism, covert, crimes against humanity, debate, delisting, democracy, deterrence, diplomacy, dissident, european union, evidence-based, fordow, foreign policy, foreign policy analysis, freedom, global, human rights, human security, intelligence, international relations, international security studies, iran, iraq, maliki, media, MEK, MI6, middle east, military, NCRI, negotiation, nuclear, obama, paris, peace, PMOI, policy, politics, preemptive, protest, rajavi, regime change, research, sanctions, scholarly, security studies, sheehan, soldier, state department, strike, syria, teaching, terrorism, threat, u.s. foundation for liberty, university of baltimore, unrest, war, weapons on October 1, 2013 by Professor Sheehan

Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan will speak at the 36th Annual Global Studies Conference at the University of Nebraska Omaha on October 3-4, 2013. The theme for the conference is Regime Change and Civil Society after the Arab Spring. Dr. Sheehan will discuss recent violence directed at the primary opposition to clerical rule in Iran, the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK/PMOI), and the increasing recognition among policy officials that the Paris-based de-facto Parliament-in-Exile, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), is best positioned to promote democratic change from within through a soft revolution.

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Sheehan to Speak at 2013 ISA ISSS-ISAC Joint Annual Conference

Posted in afghanistan, analysis, APSA, college of public affairs, counterterrorism, data, elliot school of international affairs, evidence-based, foreign policy, george washington university, international relations, international studies association, iraq, ISA, middle east, military, peace, policy, research, scholarly, security studies, sheehan, teaching, terrorism, university of baltimore on August 19, 2013 by Professor Sheehan

Bridging the Academic/Policy Divide / Elliot School of International Affairs / George Washington University / Washington D.C. / October 4 – 6, 2013

Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan will deliver a presentation titled Conflict Resolution in the Context of Counterinsurgency: When Academic and Policy Discussions Collide at the 2013 International Studies Association’s joint International Security Studies/ International Security and Arms Control Section Conference in Washington, D.C. The presentation is part of a panel titled Conflict Management in Theory and Practice. Dr. Sheehan is also serving as the chair and discussant for a panel titled Security in a Post-Conflict Environment.

The 2013 meeting of the International Security Studies Section of the International Studies Association and the International Security and Arms Control Section of the American Political Science Association will be hosted by the Elliott School for International Affairs at the George Washington University in Washington D.C. between October 4-6, 2013.

The conference theme is Bridging the Academic/Policy Divide. The location of this year’s conference – in the U.S. capital, across the street from the State Department and a few short blocks from the White House – creates a unique opportunity to cultivate a discussion among security scholars and practitioners…We believe that much can be gained from an interchange between academic researchers who study deterrence, arms control, military intervention, terrorism, civil conflict, counterinsurgency, peace-building, interstate war, non-traditional threats, and human security and those in the policy world who seek the intellectual tools to help protect national interests, ameliorate conflict and lower its costs and risks, and improve human conditions…

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Sheehan Appointed as Faculty Fellow at Schaefer Center for Public Policy

Posted in analysis, college of public affairs, education, evidence-based, faculty fellow, policy, research, schaefer center, scholarly, sheehan, think-tank, university of baltimore on August 17, 2013 by Professor Sheehan

Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan, Director of the graduate programs in Negotiation and Conflict Management and Global Affairs and Human Security in the School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Baltimore, has been appointed as a Faculty Fellow at the William Donald Schaefer Center for Public Policy. The Schaefer Center is Maryland’s preeminent applied research and policy analysis center. Dr. Sheehan’s term will run through June of 2015.

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Sheehan Invited to Paris to Attend Annual Conference for Democratic Change in Iran

Posted in analysis, brussels, CIA, clinton, congress, counterterrorism, covert, delisting, democracy, diplomacy, dissident, foreign policy, freedom, gingrich, global, human rights, human security, intelligence, international relations, iran, iraq, israel, media, MEK, MI6, middle east, mossad, NCRI, nuclear, obama, paris, PMOI, policy, politics, preemptive, presidential election, protest, rajavi, regime change, research, sanctions, sheehan, state department, strike, terrorism, threat, u.s. foundation for liberty, unrest, war on June 17, 2013 by Professor Sheehan

On June 22, Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan will travel to Paris as a guest of the Organizing Committee for the Convention of Democracy in Iran to serve as an academic observer at an international gathering of expatriate Iranians. The event will feature remarks from leaders from more than fifty countries, a bipartisan delegation of U.S. policymakers, and distinguished academics from around the world. Democracy, human rights, the rule of law, and prospects for an Iranian Spring will be discussed in the wake of the tightly controlled presidential elections held on June 14th. UPDATE: #PHOTOS

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The Opposition on the Eve of the Iranian Elections – Commentary

Posted in analysis, CIA, congress, counterterrorism, covert, databases, delisting, democracy, democrat, deterrence, diplomacy, dissident, european union, evidence-based, foreign policy, global, human rights, intelligence, international relations, iran, iran policy committee, iraq, israel, MEK, MI6, middle east, military, mossad, NCRI, negotiation, nuclear, obama, paris, PMOI, policy, politics, preemptive, presidential election, protest, rajavi, regime change, republican, research, sanctions, scholarly, sheehan, state department, strike, tanter, terrorism, threat, u.s. foundation for liberty, unrest, war on June 13, 2013 by Professor Sheehan

SHEEHAN & TANTER: The Opposition on the Eve of the Iranian Elections – Commentary

Professors Ivan Sascha Sheehan and Raymond Tanter at United Press International on the need for the U.S. officials to make an evidence-based assessment of the Iranian regime and their opposition in the wake of the tightly controlled presidential elections on June 14.

Challenging the regime by acknowledging the facts is the first step toward providing ordinary Iranians what they will be denied at the ballot box on Friday: An opportunity to exercise self determination armed with credible information.

–Sheehan & Tanter

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Sheehan Participates in Think-Tank Roundtable

Posted in analysis, bloomfield, briefing, CIA, clinton, college of public affairs, congress, counterterrorism, covert, delisting, democracy, deterrence, diplomacy, dissident, evidence-based, foreign policy, framing, freedom, global, human rights, human security, intelligence, international relations, iran, iraq, israel, MEK, MI6, middle east, military, NCRI, nuclear, obama, PMOI, policy, politics, preemptive, presidential election, protest, rajavi, regime change, research, scholarly, sheehan, state department, stimson center, terrorism, think-tank, threat, u.s. foundation for liberty, university of baltimore on June 11, 2013 by Professor Sheehan

Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan will participate in a roundtable discussion with Ambassador Lincoln P. Bloomfield, Jr. at The Stimson Center in Washington, DC on June 13 to examine findings from a new study titled The Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK): Shackled by a Twisted History. The invitation only discussion will include a group of former government officials and Iran experts who will look at how information and intelligence about the Iranian opposition led to assumptions and judgments that may have constrained policy formulation over time. The roundtable will also address how evolving policy doctrines on terrorism and human rights affect the case.

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Sheehan Delivers Talk on Suicide Terrorism

Posted in afghanistan, analysis, counterterrorism, data, evidence-based, foreign policy, framing, homicidality scale, international relations, middle east, research, scholarly, sheehan, suicide terrorism, terrorism, threat on May 15, 2013 by Professor Sheehan

Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan delivered a talk titled Suicide Terrorism: A Critical Assessment of the Evidence at an international meeting of medical professionals in San Francisco on May 21, 2013. The talk examined the social, political, cultural, and economic factors that are sometimes implicated as sources of suicide terrorism from an interdisciplinary perspective. The talk was part of a symposium titled The Changing Face of Suicide: Assessment, Treatment, Epidemiology, Cultural Issues, and the Emerging Problem of Suicide Terrorism and featured scholars from around the world.

@: Sheehan Homicidality Tracking Scale

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NOW AVAILABLE: New Book on US-Iran Policy by Amb. Lincoln P. Bloomfield, Jr. Featuring Foreword by Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan

Posted in analysis, bloomfield, briefing, CIA, clinton, college of public affairs, congress, counterterrorism, delisting, democracy, diplomacy, dissident, european union, evidence-based, foreign policy, global, human rights, intelligence, international relations, iran, iraq, israel, media, MEK, MI6, middle east, military, mossad, NCRI, negotiation, nuclear, obama, paris, PMOI, policy, politics, preemptive, protest, rajavi, regime change, research, sanctions, scholarly, sheehan, state department, strike, terrorism, threat, university of baltimore, unrest, war on March 31, 2013 by Professor Sheehan

Ambassador Lincoln P. Bloomfield, Jr. has published a new book titled The Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) – Shackled by a Twisted History through the University of Baltimore College of Public Affairs. More than two thousand advance copies have been provided to members of Congress and White House Officials and additional copies are being sent to EU representatives. The book features a Foreword by Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan and supporting comments from senior former US officials, including:

General George W. Casey, Jr.
Lieutenant General Dell L. Dailey
General James L. Jones
Judge Michael B. Mukasey
Dr. Mitchell B. Reiss
Governor Bill Richardson

Read advance praise for the study issued by senior US officials.

#PDF #Amazon.com #CPA

UPDATE 7-17-13: Governor Tom Ridge, former Secretary of Homeland Security, authored a book review titled The Friends Left in the Shadow of War in The Washington Times.

UPDATE 6-3-13: Dr. Mitchell Reiss, President of Washington College and former director of policy planning staff at the U.S. State Department under Secretary Colin Powell, penned a book review in The Baltimore Sun titled How the U.S. Hung a Potential Iranian Ally Out to Dry.

Purchase your copy at Amazon.com and stay tuned for media and policy events on this important new study.