Iran and the Impact of the Arab Spring Uprisings

GPoT Center hosted Dr. Peter Jones, Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs of University of Ottawa, Canada, to speak about Iran and its position amid recent regional challenges and impact of the "Arab Spring" uprisings, on the 8th of November, 2012.

During a plenary roundtable discussion entitled “Iran and the Impact of the Arab Spring Uprisings”, Dr. Jones delivered his valuable opinions on the opportunities and challenges for the region at-large and the position of Iran in particular, focusing on the post-Arab Spring climate. He touched upon topics such as the changing relationship with long-term ally Syria in the face of the continuous Syrian uprising, Western perspectives on the Arab world, possible future scenarios in Iran-United States relations following the fresh re-election of President Obama, and potential regional cooperation between other countries in the near Arab region, including Turkey. On the question of what model may work for transitions under way in the Middle East, and the often-mentioned inspirational role of Turkey as a model for combining Islamic and secular democratic values, Dr. Jones noted: “The Arab region has to have its own security model; copying other security models would not work”. 

Present at the event were academicians, journalists, and media representatives based in Istanbul.