Archive for the scholarly Category

Sheehan to Present at 2014 International Studies Association Annual Conference

Posted in analysis, CIA, college of public affairs, counterterrorism, courses, data, delisting, democracy, diplomacy, dissident, education, evidence-based, foreign policy, foreign policy analysis, framing, freedom, global, intelligence, international relations, international security studies, international studies association, iran, ISA, media, MEK, MI6, middle east, NCRI, PMOI, policy, regime change, research, scholarly, security studies, sheehan, state department, teaching, terrorism, toronto, university of baltimore on March 17, 2014 by Professor Sheehan

International Studies Association’s 55th Annual Convention / Spaces and Places: Geopolitics in an Era of Globalization / March 26th – 29th, 2014, Toronto, Canada

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Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan has been invited to present in Toronto at the 2014 International Studies Association conference. Dr. Sheehan is presenting on a panel titled Terrorism: Tactics and Recruitment (International Security Studies Section). He is also chairing two panels Counterterrorism Strategies: Sources and Effectiveness (Foreign Policy Analysis Section) and Non-State Actors: Mercenaries, Pirates, and Death Squads (International Security Studies Section), as well as serving as a discussant.

The International Studies Association (ISA) has been the premier organization for connecting scholars and practitioners in fields of international studies since 1959… ISA was founded in 1959 to promote research and education in international affairs. With well over six thousand members in North America and around the world, ISA is the most respected and widely known scholarly association in this field. ISA cooperates with 57 international studies organizations in over 30 countries, is a member of the International Social Science Council, and enjoys nongovernmental consultative status with the United Nations.

Panel #1 / Panel #2 / Panel #3

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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 EastDr. 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 & ConflictGeorge 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 Deliver Keynote Address at Summit on Cross Continental Cooperation

Posted in analysis, college of public affairs, democracy, diplomacy, education, european union, foreign policy, foreign policy analysis, framing, global, human rights, human security, international relations, keynote, media, policy, politics, scholarly, security studies, sheehan, state department on October 31, 2013 by Professor Sheehan

The Washington D.C. Summit on Cross Continental Cooperation 2013 / “Future Prospects in Enhancing Continental Cooperation to Secure Political, Economic, and Social Progress”

Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan has been invited to deliver a keynote address at the The Washington D.C. Summit on Cross Continental Cooperation. The Summit, held between November 4-7, will address themes related to “Future Prospects in Enhancing Cross Continental Cooperation to Secure Political, Economic, and Social Progress.”

Issues to be examined at the Summit include:

  • The Promotion of Democracy & Human Rights
  • The UN Security Council & International Law
  • The Middle East Conflicts
  • International Trade & Global Economic Prosperity
  • Intercultural Relations to Strengthen International Relations

The Summit in Washington, D.C. is part of a larger series of meetings in Berlin, Skopje, Addis Ababa, Brussels, Moscow, and Beijing between September 2013 – March 2014 that address the topic of Unlocking Potential: Uniting the World’s Leading Powers.

Speakers and delegates during the conferences will include, among others, heads of state and leading politicians, chief diplomats, leading governmental officials, senior academics, renowned authors, journalists, and celebrated artists.

The Summit is operated under the Leadership of: The Hon. Bertie Ahern (Former Prime Minister of Ireland) and The Hon. Franco Frattini (Former Foreign Minister of Italy).

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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 –

SHEEHANChallenging 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.

Read more @ www.professorsheehan.com

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Time for Scholars to Examine Iranian Opposition – UPI.com – Commentary

Posted in analysis, briefing, CIA, clinton, congress, counterterrorism, covert, crimes against humanity, debate, delisting, democracy, diplomacy, dissident, foreign policy, foreign policy analysis, framing, freedom, gingrich, global, human rights, human security, intelligence, international relations, international security studies, iran, iraq, israel, maliki, media, MEK, MI6, middle east, military, mossad, NCRI, negotiation, nuclear, obama, paris, peace, PMOI, policy, politics, preemptive, protest, rajavi, regime change, republican, sanctions, scholarly, security studies, sheehan, state department, strike, syria, terrorism, threat, u.s. foundation for liberty, unrest, war on October 18, 2013 by Professor Sheehan

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

With the latest round of P5+1 nuclear negotiations in Geneva concluded, Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan is published through United Press International on the need for the academic community to consider the wisdom of existing Iran policy in light of recent violence directed at the Iranian opposition detained in Iraq.

Tehran’s negotiating style, which relies on the cyclical use of threat and accommodation, has frustrated the West and served the regime’s ultimate interest – buying time for nuclear armament… Attention to these matters in scholarly circles is needed to ensure that the false dichotomy of prolonged negotiations and tactical military strikes is rejected and other tools for averting an Iranian nuclear crisis considered…

…The slaughter of Iranian dissidents comes at a challenging time for the Obama White House. Condemning the act of Iraqi aggression, carried out on behalf of Iran, could jeopardize sensitive backroom negotiations on the nuclear issue and the policy of appeasement that the administration seems inclined to pursue. It also raises questions as to the legality of providing military assistance to Iraqi forces in view of the Leahy law and Arms Export Control Act.

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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 OrganizationOnline 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 AffairsGeorge 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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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

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.

Sheehan Speaks on U.S.-Iran Policy

Posted in akin gump, analysis, bloomfield, briefing, CIA, clinton, college of public affairs, congress, counterterrorism, covert, delisting, democracy, diplomacy, dissident, evidence-based, foreign policy, freedom, global, human rights, intelligence, international relations, iran, iraq, israel, media, MEK, middle east, military, NCRI, nuclear, obama, PMOI, policy, politics, preemptive, presidential election, protest, regime change, sanctions, scholarly, sheehan, state department, strike, terrorism, threat, u.s. foundation for liberty, university of baltimore, unrest, war on June 6, 2013 by Professor Sheehan

On June 7, Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan will speak at a book signing at the the international law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer and Feld LLP in Washington, DC. The event will feature remarks by Ambassador Lincoln P. Bloomfield, Jr., author of the new book titled The Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK)—Shackled by a Twisted History, and Hal S. Shapiro, former senior counselor to the director of the National Economic Council at the White House and Partner at Akin Gump. #Media #Contact #PDF