IRANIAN "THINK TANKS"
Sevak Sarukhanyan

"Noravank" Foundation
17 December 2009

The general number of the "think tanks" functioning in Iran is about
200. Most of them work in the form of non-governmental organizations
or institutions affiliated to the universities. Their number is
about 100; their activity is boosted by the state which is concerned
with the development of the analytical or, as the Iranians call it,
"philosophical" thought.

But there are not too many serious and influential "think tanks"
which directly work for the needs of the state bodies. They
either function under the state structures or have a status of
non-governmental organizations but, as a rule, they are managed by
the former high-ranking state officials and directly or indirectly
are financed by the state. At the same time many of the experts of
those "think tanks", as a rule, after some period get a job in the
state governing system which provides the creation of the successful
"think tank – state system" connection and has a positive effect on
the efficiency of the decision making by the state.

One of the peculiarities of Iran is that the "think tanks" functioning
on its territory are not financed from abroad; meanwhile the research
and scientific institutions in the sphere of the natural sciences
carry out many international programmes including those supported
from abroad.

The institutions presented below are the most influential "think
tanks" which serve different segments of the state governing system,
carry out many functions deriving from national security and among
them functions of the information character.

"Centre for Strategic Research" It was established in 1989 and was
affiliated to the office of the president of the Islamic Republic of
Iran. In 1997 when A.A.

Hashemi-Rafsanjani left the post of the president the centre was
separated from the President Office and was annexed to the Expediency
Council which has been directed since 1997 by the former president
A.A. Hashemi-Rafsanjani.

The stuff of the centre (including technical stuff) is 25 persons. All
the 10 experts working there are former Ministry of Foreign Affairs
or intelligence employees. In 1997-2009 the centre had been headed
by the former deputy minister of Foreign Affairs Mahmud Vaezi who
in 1989-1997 while working in the Foreign Ministry was responsible
for the policy carried out in Central Asia and South Caucasus, and in
1992-1993 he was a negotiator during the negotiations between Armenia
and Azerbaijan on armistice. Since January 2009 the Centre has been
headed by the former secretary of National Security Supreme Council
of Iran Hassan Ruhani.

The centre is financed within the framework of the Expediency Council
activity which, in its turn, under special clause is financed from
the Iranian budget.

The centre is situated in the north of Tehran, in the neigbourhood
of Niavaran Park – one of the most expensive districts – and it
occupies rather big and well-equipped territory. The Internet address
is

The centre arranges workshops and conferences and most of them are
not international. They are mainly devoted to the developments in the
Persian Gulf and the invited experts are mainly from Arab countries.

Most of the conferences arranged by the centre in recent years have
been devoted to the Iranian issues. Among the participants there are
Shiite political and religious figures.

Most of the publications of the centre are also devoted to the issues
of the Persian Gulf but they, mostly, are of propagandistic character.

Institute for Political and International Studies Unlike Centre for
Strategic Research, the Institute for Political and International
Studies is a more open structure but its impact on political decision
making is incomparably smaller.

As an independent department the institute was established in 1990
under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran and in 1992 it acquired
the status of the Institute which activity is directly managed by the
deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran on Research and Educational
Programmes. The institute and its stuff work on the needs of Diplomatic
Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran.

The number of the employees of the institute is 50 persons and only
half of them are occupied with the research activities. The rest are
the translators, editors, employees dealing with the organizational
and publishing issues. Most of the researchers are lecturers at the
Iranian universities or they work in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The institute is fully financed by the government from the means
assigned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The average salary of
the researchers there is $3000.

The institute is situated in the northern part of Tehran, in Tadjrish
district, approximately 1km from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The
Internet address is

One of the main directions of the activity of the institute is the
arrangement of the international conferences. The most well-known
among them are "The Persian Gulf" and "South Caucasus and Central Asia"
conferences arranged in March and October annually and devoted to the
regional developments. The experts dealing with the regional issues
from different parts of the world, including Armenia, are invited to
those conferences.

Most of the materials published are about the results and the
presentations at the conferences and part of them are the academic
books for the students and doctoral candidates of the Diplomatic
Academy.

Let us mention that activity of the institute is mainly of
propagandistic character. Most of the conferences arranged there
become a tribune for the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran to make
statements regarding foreign policy; connections which, according
to reliable sources, very often have a financial component, are
established with the foreign specialists.

"National Studies Institute" The "National Studies Institute" (NSI) was
established in Iran in 1997 in order to implement researches connected
with the national identity, religious and national minorities. The NSI
is a non-governmental and non-beneficial institution but, according
to reliable information, it is financed by the Ministry of Internal
Affairs of Iran, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Information
(National Security Ministry).

15 employees work in NSI and most of them are involved in the works
of technical character. The activity of the institute is provided
by the researchers and specialists from other institutions who carry
out researches concerning the national identity and minorities.

The NSI is actively involved in drafting educational programmes for
the educational institution in the places of residence of national
minorities. The main purpose of those educational programmes is the
discussion and the presentation of the issues of national identity in
the form which provides the reduction of separatism and nationalist
manifestations and cultivates general Iranian self-identity. Those
works are carried out rather competently because from formal point
of view they are directed to raising the self-identity and not to
its decrease.

The director of the institute is the Professor of the University of
Tehran Ali Karimi.

The institute has its web-site:

The NSI actively cooperates with the foreign specialist on Iranian
studies, arranges their visits to Iran and finances their studies
regarding issues of national identity. The most active contacts are
established with German and Dutch specialists on Iranian studies and
it is partially conditioned by the big Iranian communities in Germany
and the Netherlands.

"International Institute for Caspian studies" "International
Institute for Caspian Studies" (IICS) is one of the biggest and most
influential "think tanks" in Iran. From structural point of view it is
non-governmental and consulting organization which carries out studies
regarding political, legal and energy issues of the Caspian Sea. But
the activity of the IICS is not simply confined to that because the
general energy policy and strategy principles are elaborated there;
the functions which proceed from the foreign policy line of Iran
are implemented.

The institute was established in 1998. Most of the experts either
work or used to work in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or they are
specialists who simultaneously work for the Expediency council.

The institute is directed by the Academic Council 12 members of which
are highly qualified specialists and diplomats. The total number of
the people working there is 20.

IICS is financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of
Oil of Iran. There are also non-governmental sources of financing.

According to some information the IICS defends the interests of
Iranian companies which make investments in Central Asia and Russia and
provides them consulting. The efficiency of the institute’s activity
is also provided by the fact that it works out the postulates and
directions of the foreign policy of Iran in Central Asia. Some of
the employees and the experts of the institute received rather good
western education. Among them are the founder and the director of
the institute Abbas Maleki who studied at the Harvard University and
works in absentia at the Harvard J. Kennedy School of Government.

One of the peculiarities of the IICS is that the institute collaborates
with the leading American analytical centers and experts and the
specialists of the IICS, and, first of all, its director A.Maleki,
very often publish their papers in American analytical journals and
newspapers. The IICS is entrusted with the very important functions of
"public diplomacy". On the assumption of that the experts of the IICS
often express the views which contradict at some extent to the state
policy of Iran and due to that reason the wrong impression that the
institute is of semi-oppositional character may arise.

The official site of the IICS is

All the aforementioned centers play active part in the sphere
of Iranian political elaborations. At the same time they have
some scientific and research significance because they carry out
elaborations in the applied sphere.

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