EP23: Is Iran shifting away from Persian and Shia dominance mindset to Pan Arabism?

Summary:

In this episode we explore the concept of Pan-Arabism, a political movement seeking to unify all Arab people into a single nation-state. We detail its origins, goals, and its connection to Arab nationalism, highlighting the movement's historical significance and its impact on regional politics. We also address the question of whether Iran, historically associated with not being an Arabs state but rather Persian and with Shia dominance, has shifted its focus towards Pan-Arabism in an attempt to exert greater influence across the region. The article from Mandate Brief analyzes the possible shift in Iranian policy, prompting reflection on their support for Sunni groups such as Hamas in Gaza.

Questions to consider as you read/listen:

1. How does Iran's recent foreign policy shift towards pan-Arabism compare to its historical focus on Shia dominance?
2. What evidence suggests a move away from Shia dominance and towards a pan-Arabist strategy in Iranian foreign policy?
3. How does Iran's support of Sunni groups, such as Hamas, fit into its current foreign policy goals?

Long format:

Iran shifts form Shia dominance theory to Pan Arabism

Pan-Arabism is a political movement that seeks to unite all Arab people into a single nation-state. The movement originated in the late 19th century in the Arab regions of the Ottoman Empire and was most popular in the 1950s and 1960s.

Pan-Arabism is based on the idea that Arabs are a single nation with a shared language, history, and destiny. The movement's goals include:

• Abolishing the artificial boundaries between Arab states
• Empowering Arab states against outside forces
• Opposing Western political involvement in the Arab world

Pan-Arabism is closely linked to Arab nationalism, which is the idea that Arabs are a people with special bonds that justify political unification. The movement was driven by middle-class and bourgeois urban actors, and was sometimes used by the military to gain political control.

In short, we have to understand that Iranians are not Arabs in the classic sense. Arabs trace their ancestry to the original inhabitants of tribes of Arabia from the Syrian Desert and Arabian Peninsula; Persians are a part of the Iranian inhabitants. Arabs speak Arabic; Persians speak Iranian languages such as Farsi and other dialects.

As measured in the last year, has there been a shift of Iranian policy from a Shia dominance mindset to a pan Arabism (including I guess Persians) mindset in order to assert influence over the entire region? Does their very support of Sunni groups such as Hamas in Gaza signal this shift?

This article attempts to parse it out and is a very interesting read:

https://www.mandatebrief.com/article/from-pan-arabism-to-pan-islamism

Sources:

https://www.us-iran.org/resources/2016/10/21/myth-vs-fact-persians-and-arabs

https://www.graduateinstitute.ch/communications/news/rise-and-fall-pan-arabism#:~:text=Pan%2DArabism%20is%20a%20political,Egypt%20and%20Algeria%20in%20particular

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13569317.2024.2339356#:~:text=Pan%2DArabism%20is%20the%20belief,form%20in%20the%2020th%20century