On Monday March 30th, we will organize our next monthly lecture! Every month we touch upon another, often hot, topic with interesting speakers. We have been able to welcome ministers and professors, politicians and scientists and many more. These lectures are often visited by both members and non-members as they are accessible to all.

This time, we are organising our lecture around the topic of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the background of the recent events involving this country. On January 3rd, the world woke up in what was then perceived as the possible start of a new World War. The United States had assassinated the Iranian general Qasem Soleimani by firing three missiles at Baghdad Airport. Then, on January 8th, shortly after a missile strike, a Ukranian airplane crashed after taking off from Tehran and all 176 people on board were killed. Iran admitted later that this was a ‘human mistake’. In the meantime, hundreds of protesters have taken to the streets in Iran, mad at both the American and their own government. This escalation concerns a way broader scope than only the drone strike and missiles launched between the U.S. and Iran. The Iranian people are namely faced with the renewed economic sanctions posed by the U.S. after the latter withdrew from the Nuclear Deal. This, while on the other hand Europe is trying to safeguard it.

During this lecture we are going to look into the background of these events and the relationship between Iran and the West. We will also take a look at what influence the economic sanctions on Iran and the nuclear deal have had on this. What factors contributed to this confrontation and how did we get here? What is Europe’s position regarding Iran and will the nuclear deal be salvaged? And how likely is it that these events will result in a new World War? These, more and of course your own questions will be answered during this lecture.

After the lecture, there is a Q&A session with the speakers. The speakers will be announced in the Facebook event later.

Access is free if you have a valid student card. If you're not a student anymore, you can visit the lecture for only 5 euros! You can pick up your ticket at the CREA desk.

Afterwards, we'll have drinks together and invite you to join us in the CREA café!