Name: Understanding the War in Iran (Part 1/3): How Did We Get Here?
Start: 2026-04-30T19:30:00-07:00
End: 2026-04-30T20:30:00-07:00
Location: Manny's

$Understanding the War in Iran (Part 1\/3): How Did We Get Here?$

Join historian and public policy professor Daniel Sargent to understand the history of the U.S.-Iran relations that led us to the present.
About this Event

We are so grateful to bring you this three part series on the War in Iran. This war is happening, whether we like it or not. We know there is complexity in this issue. It is not black or white, so the best way to lean into the grey is to truly learn about the the past, present, and future of the situation.

In the first event, Professor Daniel Sargent (UC Berkeley) will help us understand the history of U.S.-Iran relations that got us to this point. We'll focus on the history of the American world order and how it has interacted with Iran up through the present. How did the US and Iran end up as adversaries? How has American foreign policy toward the Middle East shifted over time?

In the second event, Professor Stephen Zunes (USF) will help us connect that history to the present. What is going on now? As one of the few American academics that has been allowed into Iran since 2017, Prof. Zunes will speak to what Middle East policy has meant on the ground for Iranians. What is the interplay between U.S. policy and the freedom struggle? We will review the history of civil resistance in Iran, connect to how the U.S. has interfered with and affected those Iranian efforts, and ultimately understand what the Iranian people are feeling right now. Where is there hope?

Finally, in our last event, Professor Scott Sagan (Stanford) will show us what is next. As a military and foreign affairs expert, Prof. Sagan will guide us through the decisions being made by the U.S. and Iran in the present day and help us understand what we can expect next in this crazy war. We will discuss the nuclear program, military actions, and the desired outcomes of the U.S. and Iran.

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