What Iranians Want, From Trump and Their Future
Virtual, Members-only
Tuesday, February 3, 2026 | 6:00 PM – 7:15 PM ET
The recent wave of protests and the subsequent crackdown in Iran have left a new round of scars on the beleaguered Islamic Republic. The broad-based upheaval has not only challenged the government’s grip on power but also raised critical questions about the stability of its system, the viability of alternatives, and the wishes of a population of a complex country. An energy superpower, Iran has tremendous potential that has been curbed by stifling sanctions. It has also seen its proxy networks in the region decimated since the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023. What is the way forward for the relatively isolated country? How might an unpredictable United States impact the fragile situation? And what are some of the scenarios for a region that has been destabilized by Iranian policies?
Join us on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, from 6:00 to 7:15 PM ET to explore the recent protests in Iran and how this upheaval might impact the future of Iran. Our speaker for this briefing will be Dr. Arash Azizi, Postdoctoral Associate and Lecturer at Yale University, Contributing Writer at the Atlantic, and a leading expert on Iranian history and political movements.
*This event is exclusive for Network 20/20’s members and donors
THIS SESSION IS FREE FOR NETWORK 20/20’s MEMBERS
NOT YET A NETWORK 20/20 MEMBER?
Apply today to enjoy all exclusive briefings with high-profile speakers
SPEAKER:
Dr. Arash Azizi
Dr. Arash Azizi, Postdoctoral Associate and Lecturer at Yale University, Contributing Writer at the Atlantic, and a leading expert on Iranian history and political movements.
Arash Azizi is a writer and historian. He is a Postdoctoral Associate and lecturer at Yale University and a contributing writer at the Atlantic. He is the author of “The Shadow Commander: Soleimani, the US and Iran’s Global Ambitions” (Oneworld, 2020) and “What Iranians Want: Women, Life, Freedom” (Oneworld, 2024.) He is writing a book on Iran and Israel to be published by Public Affairs (a division of Basic Books). He is represented by Aevitas.
His writings and commentary on politics, history and cinema have appeared in numerous other outlets including New York Times, New York Review of Books, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Liberties, Newsweek, New Lines, Haaretz, Daily Beast, Jacobin, Foreign Policy and the Toronto Star.
He holds a PhD in history and Middle Eastern studies from NYU. His dissertation was about the communist movement in the Middle East during the global Cold War. His peer-reviewed articles have appeared in scholarly journals such as Middle Eastern Studies and International Journal of Middle Eastern Studies. He has held academic appointments and taught classes at NYU, Boston University, Yale University, and Clemson University.
He is a board member at the Nonviolent Initiative for Democracy. He used to co-host a popular news show for Iranian audiences and his broadcasting and radio and television appearances have been aired from BBC World, CNN, i24, Iran International, DW, CTV, CBC, ABC Australia, amongst other channels.
About a dozen of his book-length translations have appeared in Iran and abroad.
Arash’s work has been translated to 18 languages including Spanish, Arabic, Kurdish, Russian, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Urdu, Bengali, Turkish, Greek, Japanese, Malagasy, Azerbaijani, Dutch, Indonesian and Chinese.
He has also written and produced movies which can be found on his IMDB profile. “Into Schrodinger’s Box,” a film he co-wrote and co-produced, is available to watch on Fandor via Amazon. He has served on film festival juries in Spain, Portugal, UK and the United States.
THIS SESSION IS FREE FOR NETWORK 20/20’s MEMBERS
NOT YET A NETWORK 20/20 MEMBER?
Apply today to enjoy all exclusive briefings with high-profile speakers
Image credit: Photo by Ollie Barker-Jones on Unsplash
We are trying our best to keep our community informed about foreign affairs, and we would appreciate if you can support us to keep this virtual briefing series going. No amount is too small.
