This individual is a guest contributor. MEI is not able to assist with contact requests.
Dr. Amr Yossef is an independent scholar. His research focuses on Middle East politics and security. He is the author of The Arab Spring and the Geopolitics of the Middle East (Palgrave, 2015, with Joseph Cerami), of articles that appeared in Foreign Affairs, Journal of Strategic Studies, Res Militaris, and a contributor to two edited volumes: Egypt’s Tahrir Revolution (Lynne Rienner, 2013) and Military Exercises: Political Messaging and Strategic Impact (NATO Defense College, 2018).
Upgrading Iran’s Military Doctrine: An Offensive “Forward Defense”
Since the 2011 “Arab Spring” uprisings, there have been several indications that Iran is shifting to an offensive military doctrine through the adoption of hybrid warfare. This essay will demonstrate that Iran’s “forward defense” doctrine emphasis on the offensive is influenced not simply by the “window of opportunity” created by regional upheaval but by a dispute about the domestic politics of the Islamic Republic between the radical Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and the reform camp within the regime currently represented by President Hassan Rouhani. This development represents a marked setback for the “civilianization” of the Iranian state.
