03/17/2006

Institute to Launch Iran Program
Project Will Provide Much-Needed Information and Analysis on Regime

WASHINGTON, March 17 -- Institute on Religion and Public Policy President Joseph K. Grieboski today announced the establishment of its Iran Project and the appointment of Dr. Bijan Sepasy as the Program’s Founding Director.

With a newly elected president who is more hostile toward the West than any of his predecessors and a resumption of nuclear development activities, Iran poses a great threat to global security and interests. These recent developments have made the need for timely and accurate information on Iran a critical necessity for global policy analysts and makers.

The Iran Project of the Institute on Religion and Public Policy will fulfill the vital need for information on Iran, including specific reporting on the Islamist militant government. The project will provide in-depth analysis of Iran’s actions and the implications for United States and international policy using a subscription service with briefing reports and analysis synthesizing various sources.

The main objective of this project is to enhance the understanding of Iran’s policy-making process and politico-Islamist system. By conducting a thorough analysis of the regime’s behavior, the Project will develop a series of recommendations that can assist policy makers when strategizing on ways to counter the regime’s disinformation campaign and enhance the practical support to the Iranian people in organizing and demanding their basic civil rights.

The project does not lend itself to statistical analysis but does support identifying trends and tabulating of events. The project will provide a weekly survey of developments together with an analysis of the following:

Iranian government and Majlis: Analysis of sessions and measures adopted. Analytical review of Iranian local media reporting on day-to-day activities of the government and parliament; Domestic Political Events: Assessment of student movements, labor unrest, and the activities of major political factions; Iran Geopolitical Interference: Iran’s activities in Iraq and Afghanistan, including the monitoring of Iranian regime-owned television channels, radios and newspapers in Farsi, Arabic and Dari languages; Key Military, Revolutionary Guards and Basij activities: Intentions and moves made by the all branches of the military; Commercial activities: Tracking business activities, both military and oil related, with European countries as well as Russia, China, Iraq.

Dr. Bijan Sepasy, Founding Director of the Iran Project, has thirty years of experience in international geopolitical development and monitoring of US foreign policy, specifically toward Iran, the Middle East and Central Asia. Dr. Sepasy has a deep institutional knowledge of pre-and post-revolutionary Iran.

“I am very pleased to announce that the Iran Project will launch on April 1, 2006,” Mr. Grieboski declared. “This program will provide a much needed source of information on Iran at this critical time. Under the leadership of Dr. Bijan Sepasy, the Iran Project of the Institute on Religion and Public Policy will provide the United States and the worlds with unique options and information on the regime in Iran.”

More information on the Iran Project of the Institute on Religion and Public Policy can found at the Institute’s website at www.religionandpolicy.org.