Panel discussion: Where is Iran heading after the 2022 uprisings, a presidential transition and turmoil in the Middle East?

Where is Iran heading after the 2022 uprisings, a presidential transition and turmoil in the Middle East?

We invite you to a panel discussion at Blindern, 17. september. See fb event here: https://fb.me/e/41oYPSrSl

September 16, 2024, marks two years since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in the custody of Iran’s morality police, an event that sparked the months-long Iranian uprising known as the Woman-Life-Freedom movement. In a historic act of defiance, countless Iranians took to the streets, calling for regime change and igniting waves of solidarity around the world.

Against this backdrop, this panel discussion will explore Iran’s internal dynamics and the prospects for meaningful transformation, while examining how these developments intersect with the broader tensions in the Middle East. What does life in Iran look like two years later? How do Iran’s political shifts impact conflicts across the region? And what does the future hold for the Iranian people in the context of these regional and domestic changes? These are just some of the questions our panelists will address.

Introducing our panel:

Kristin Soraya Batmanghelichi is a feminist scholar and women’s activist with a PhD in Iranian studies from Columbia University in New York. Her research has focused on contemporary women’s movements, sexuality, and gendered public space in Iran and the modern Middle East. Batmanghelichi works at the University of Oslo as an associate professor in Middle East studies where she teaches Iranian politics, Persian and other Middle East subjects.

Sverre Lodgaard is a political scientist and senior research fellow at NUPI. He has specialized in international politics and peace research through his extensive work at NUPI and PRIO, and has been director of both research institutes. His expert fields are geopolitics, the Middle East, Iranian foreign policy, nuclear arms control and disarmament, and the nuclear programmes of Iran and North Korea.

Nasser Karami is an Iranian geographer and environmental expert, known for his work on climate change in the Middle East. After fleeing Iran, he now lives in Norway and is a key voice in Iran’s exiled opposition. He frequently appears on Iranian media abroad, where he gives critical analyses of the regime and advocates for political change.

Nima Salimi has a background as a journalist at the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK), where he focused on Iran and the Middle East. He is currently studying at the University of Oslo, where he is completing a master’s degree in political science while also studying the Persian language.

The event will take place at Blindern, Tuesday 16th of september from 18:00-19:30. We look forward to seeing you!