Upgrading Iran’s Military Doctrine: An Offensive “Forward Defense”

Upgrading Iran’s Military Doctrine: An Offensive “Forward Defense” by Amr Yossef

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.

-- From the Middle East-Asia Project (MAP) series on “Civilianzing the State ...” --