A State Within the State: Lessons from Iran and Beyond
In this special-series podcast with Saeid Golkar, we discuss his latest essay “Why IRGC is the war’s Biggest Winner” published in the Jully issue of the Journal of Democracy. Professor Golkar argues that Iran’s wars, security crises, and political upheavals have gradually transformed the IRGC from a revolutionary militia into a powerful institution that increasingly functions as a “state within the state.”
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Book Reviews
All Reviews
1.09.2026
History of Political Conflict: How Economy and Geography Shape the Political Field
Elia Stebach reviews Julia Cagé and Thomas Piketty’s A History of Political Conflict: Elections and Social Inequalities in France, 1789-2022 (Belknap Press – Harvard [...]
14.07.2026
Who Governs After the Experts? Reading Clara Mattei’s Escape from Capitalism
In Washington, the president has spent the winter browbeating the Federal Reserve: demanding rate cuts by decree, musing aloud about removing its chair, treating monetary [...]
Podcasts and interviews
All Interviews and Podcasts3.09.2026
A State Within the State: Lessons from Iran and Beyond
In this special-series podcast with Saeid Golkar, we discuss his latest essay “Why IRGC is the war’s Biggest Winner” published in the Jully issue of the Journal of Democracy. Professor Golkar [...]
31.08.2026
Can Unjust Laws Be Legitimate? A Conversation with Jonathan Quong
Can a law be unjust and still be legitimate? And if we believe a law is unjust, does that mean the state has no right to enforce it? He explains why disagreement about justice is an unavoidable [...]