Empowering Iranians is key to a new era for the Islamic Republic
In a July 18, 2025, article for E-International Relations, Indiana University’s Jamsheed K. Choksy, distinguished professor at the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, argues that the Islamic Republic of Iran is ripe for transformation—without the need for foreign invasion.
The article, How the Islamic Republic of Iran Can Be Transformed, was co-authored with Carol E. B. Choksy, a senior lecturer at the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering, and a faculty affiliate in the HLS Center for the Study of the Middle East. In the piece, they contend that decades of diplomatic and economic pressure have failed to curb Iran’s theocratic regime. Instead, the authors propose a more assertive strategy: weakening the regime’s internal enforcement mechanisms through targeted external support, thereby empowering Iranians to initiate change from within.
Drawing on deep expertise in Iranian history and governance, Jamsheed Choksy and his coauthor outline how Iran’s secular institutions—many with roots in ancient Persian bureaucracy—could support a post-theocratic government. They emphasize that regime change, if carefully supported, could lead to a more representative, secular, and stable Iran, benefiting both its citizens and global security.
The article arrives in the wake of the June 2025 Israel-Iran conflict and renewed international debate over Iran’s nuclear ambitions and regional influence.
See also “Iran’s Nuclear Tipping Point: Regional Conflict Has Sharpened Tehran’s Incentives to Develop Atomic Weapons,” by Carol E. B. Choksy and Jamsheed K. Choksy, Foreign Affairs, October 14, 2024.