Chicago Council on Global Affairs

Saeid Golkar

Saeid Golkar is an associate professor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s Department of Political Science and a senior advisor at United Against Nuclear Iran. He earned his PhD in political science from Tehran University in 2008 and moved to the U.S. in 2010. He has taught and conducted research at Stanford University and Northwestern University. His research focuses on the international and comparative politics of authoritarian regimes, with an emphasis on the Middle East. His first book, Captive Society: The Basij Militia and Social Control in Post-revolutionary Iran (Columbia University Press, 2015), received the Washington Institute for Near East Policy’s Silver Medal Prize. Furthermore, he has published numerous peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and journal papers on the political sociology of Islam and the Muslim world. His work has been featured in prestigious journals such as The Middle East Journal, Armed Forces & Society, Middle East Policy, Politics, Religion & Ideology, Journal of Contemporary Islam, and the Journal of Emerging Technologies & Society. Golkar has also contributed to, been interviewed by, and quoted in major media outlets, including Reuters, Al Jazeera, The New York Times, The Guardian, Deutsche Welle, and various television networks.

Articles by this Author
Regional Conflict Favors Extremists in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
Picking Ideological Fights Abroad May Not Bolster the Iranian Regime’s Standing at Home
Ongoing Debate Highlights the Clash Between the Regime’s Ideology and Economic Reality
Police Indoctrination Creates the Belief That Violence Contributes Directly to the Iranian Regime’s Survival