A first of three events in “The World at a Tipping Point: Global Perspectives on U.S. Foreign Policy” — How do we make sense of the bewildering developments in recent global affairs in their full historical contexts? This series of teach-ins and roundtables brings together international experts to discuss where we have been, examine where we are, and think together about our collective future.

Iran, Explained: A Roundtable
A discussion examining current developments in Iran. This roundtable brings together experts to explore the social, political, and economic dynamics shaping Iran today, , offering context and insight into the country’s present moment.

Panelists:
Richard P. Mitchell Distinguished University Professor of History, University of Michigan
Juan Cole is a leading scholar of the Middle East and the Muslim world. He is the author or editor of more than 20 books, including Rethinking the Qur’an in Late Antiquity (2025), and the founder of the Informed Comment news and analysis site. His work focuses on the history, politics, and religious movements of the Middle East and South Asia, and he is a frequent commentator in national and international media.

Pedram Baldari - Assistant Professor of Art and Design, University of Michigan
Pedram Baldari is an interdisciplinary artist, architect, and scholar whose work spans social practice, installation, sound, video, and public art. His research and creative practice explore land, displacement, colonialism, and statelessness, drawing on lived experience and community-based approaches. His work has been exhibited internationally, and he has received multiple awards and fellowships, including a National Endowment for the Arts award.

Fatemeh Jamalpour - Journalist
Fatemeh Jamalpour is an Iranian journalist whose human rights reporting has resulted in interrogation, arrest, and imprisonment by Iranian authorities. Over the past two decades, she has worked as a BBC World Newsroom journalist in London, a freelance documentary filmmaker, and a correspondent for the Los Angeles Times in Tehran. She is also a contributor to TIME and The Sunday Times. Now living in exile in the United States, Jamalpour is co-authoring a book on Iran’s women-led uprisings. Her book, For the Sun After Long Nights, which recounts the 2022 “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests through the stories of two Iranian journalists, was longlisted for the National Book Award in 2025.

Register here to join the webinar: https://myumi.ch/pV5gZ

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Upcoming events:
Teach-in on Venezuela and U.S. Imperialism (virtual)
U.S. Foreign Policy Through a Global Lens (in person) - February 25, 2026, 12-1:30 PM, 1010 Weiser Hall