“IDENTITY AND RESISTANCE”: BOOK FOCUSING ON THE SOUTH AZERBAIJAN NATIONAL MOVEMENT PUBLISHED
The book “Identity and Resistance: A Sociological Approach to the Azerbaijani National Movement in Iran” has been published with an analytical and interdisciplinary approach; the work examines nation-building policies, assimilation, and the civil resistance models of the Azerbaijani Turks in Iran.
This work analyzes the reaction and organization forms of marginalized identities, focusing on the centralized state structure, identity assimilation policies, and nation-building processes.
The book presents a sociological analysis of the South Azerbaijan national movement and particularly focuses on the civil resistance models of Azerbaijani Turks against the homogenization policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The author examines the dynamics of this movement within the broader framework of ethnic resistance and collective identity formation, utilizing field data, historical documents, discourse analysis, and his own decades of lived experience.
LEADERSHIP TRANSITION IN IRAN AND ITS GEOPOLITICAL CONSEQUENCESPolicy Report – 2026
Executive Summary
In 2026, the Islamic Republic of Iran faces a multidimensional and unprecedented crisis threatening the very existence of its political structure. The sudden death of Ali Khamenei on February 28, 2026, during US and Israeli airstrikes, has not only created a power vacuum at the apex of the political pyramid but has also acted as a catalyst for the eruption of long-suppressed economic, social, and ethnic crises. This report provides an in-depth analysis of the succession process, key actors, the economic collapse, and the geopolitical consequences of this development, with a special emphasis on peripheral regions, including South Azerbaijan.
The power structure in Iran, built upon the theory of Velayat-e Faqih and the absolute concentration of authority in the hands of the Supreme Leader, now faces a test it has experienced only once before, in 1989. The fundamental difference between the current transition and that of 1989 is that while the transfer of power in 1989 occurred within a context of consensus among the revolutionary elite, the current transition is taking place amidst a full-scale regional war, rampant hyperinflation, and a nationwide uprising. Evidence indicates that the exchange rate has reached the threshold of 1.5 million rials to the dollar, and food inflation has exceeded 75%. Meanwhile, the role of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has evolved into a “shadow government” aiming for the complete militarization of power. For the peripheral regions, this transition period presents a strategic opportunity to redefine their relationship with the center, particularly in South Azerbaijan, where the environmental catastrophe of Lake Urmia and the geopolitical equations of new international corridors are shifting centrifugal forces in their favor.
