Images of Iranian women burning their hijab in the last four weeks demonstrates the unraveling of the ideological foundations of the Islamic Republic. This discontent, however, extends beyond Iran’s borders, and has strained the relationship with its regional clients. We argue that the ongoing demonstrations in Iran may exacerbate Iran’s already-shifting regional position, as the ongoing protests both question the legitimacy of the regime within and outside the country, and further weaken Iran’s capacity to support its clients in the Middle East.
Author: Nahla El-Menshawy
Nahla El-Menshawy ist wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin an der Goethe-Universität Frankfurt und Doktorandin in der Clusterinitiative ConTrust. Sie ist außerdem assoziierte Forscherin an der HSFK im Programmbereich „Transnationale Politik“. Ihre Forschungsinteressen sind Autokratien und Legitimationsprozesse im Nahen Osten und Nordafrika (MENA) // Nahla El-Menshawy is a research associate at Goethe University Frankfurt and a doctoral candidate in the cluster initiative ConTrust. She is also is an associated researcher at PRIF's Research Department “Transnational Politics”. Her research interests are autocracies and legitimation processes in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
