Iran at a Crossroads: Economic Protest Turned Political Crisis

Michael Rubin, Senior Fellow with AEI, examines the significance of Iran’s protest movements, the regime’s response, and the risks and opportunities.

2/26/2026
5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Location
Haldeman Hall 41 (Kreindler Conference Hall)
Sponsored by
Dickey Center
Audience
Public
Registration required
More information
Dickey Center

Dr. Rubin will be in conversation with Steven Simon, Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Davidson Institute for Global Security. 

Co-sponsored by the Alexander Hamilton Society, the Dickey Center for International Understanding, and the Davidson Institute for Global Security.

Click here to reserve your ticket for the in-person event, click here to register for the livestream.  

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Michael Rubin is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he specializes in Iran, Turkey, and the broader Middle East. A former Pentagon official, Dr. Rubin has lived in post-revolution Iran, Yemen, and both pre- and postwar Iraq. He also spent time with the Taliban before 9/11. For more than a decade, he taught classes at sea about the Horn of Africa and Middle East conflicts, culture, and terrorism, to deployed US Navy and Marine units.

Dr. Rubin is the author, coauthor, and coeditor of several books exploring diplomacy, Iranian history, Arab culture, Kurdish studies, and Shi’ite politics, including “Seven Pillars: What Really Causes Instability in the Middle East?” (AEI Press, 2019); “Kurdistan Rising” (AEI Press, 2016); “Dancing with the Devil: The Perils of Engaging Rogue Regimes” (Encounter Books, 2014); and “Eternal Iran: Continuity and Chaos” (Palgrave, 2005).

Dr. Rubin has a PhD and an MA in history from Yale University, where he also obtained a BS in biology.

Location
Haldeman Hall 41 (Kreindler Conference Hall)
Sponsored by
Dickey Center
Audience
Public
Registration required
More information
Dickey Center