Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: The American invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, the rise in Lebanon of Hezbollah’s influence, and Iran’s growing ambition toward regional supremacy,have culminated in bringing to surface—in a manner and intensity perhaps not seen for centuries—one of the great historical tensions underlying the Muslim world, i.e., the Shia-Sunni divide. The roots of the current antagonism between the two groups are indeed very complex, based on various historical, theological, ideological, socioeconomic, cultural, and political factors created by a 1400 year-old civilizational dynamics. As a result, the Shia-Sunni “battle” is being fought under different guises, inspired by various dynamics, and with unequal intensity across the greater Middle East. However, despite the apparent heterogeneity of causes and factors involved, as this paper will demonstrate, one of the central premises upon which the Shia-Sunni divide was historically based, and which constitutes today one of the great challenges facing the Middle East, is the divergent views that each community holds with respect to the nature and form of government. This paper will argue that in spite of the many differences that exist within the broader Shia and Sunni communities, the overall set of conflicting beliefs with respect to the form of government and state constitutes a transcending factor. Therefore, changes that have been brought about by post-9/11 events, and the ways in which they have offset the balance of power and power relations within the greater Middle East, have once more given rise to a clash of these two distinct visions.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: The regional ambitions of Iran received considerable coverage in the regional and pan-Arab press during 2006. Outside of the discussion about Iran and the United States, Arab editorialists in these media outlets largely focused their coverage on three issues - Iran's role in the 2006 war in Lebanon, the controversy over Iranian development of nuclear technology, and concern over the spread of Shia "evangelism" in Sunni states. This paper explores how the subject of Iran was reconstructed and disseminated in Arab media framing. Particular attention is paid to how the issue of Iranian hegemony was debated in the Pan-Arab public sphere in editorials and news commentary across satellite television, newspaper, and online news outlets. The paper also presents how Arab media messages were responsive to Iranian media framing. The paper presents the course of Arab media framing about Iran as a significant process of mediated public diplomacy, domestic political posturing, and a discursive construction of regional strategic relations.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This presentation will deal with the following key question: Is it possible to explain the Shia Crescent as a geopolitical force in terms of Realist theory? Or is a combination of different approaches including Pluralist and Constructivist theories necessary to understand this phenomenon? The critical role played by the Iranian government and its close cooperation with regional non-state actors like Hezbollah in a context of American hegemony in Middle East point to the necessity of theoretical synthesis. Key concepts of contending approaches must be integrated in order to understand the nature of balance of power, cultural linkages and transnational actors. These interdependent variables can help us to understand the Shia Crescent as both a homogenous and evolving force. The sophisticated interaction between ideological similarities and dominant political interests determine the force and the weaknesses of shia movements.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: The paper presents findings from a recent study sponsored by the Shia Ideology Project of the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. Titled the Shia Ideology Atlas, the study examines the identities, location, constituencies, and connections between th