Happy New Year, everyone! Welcome to the 1st episode of 2024.

For years, the nation of Iran has become the hot topic for international community, given the fact that youths today are tired of the human right violation, political suppression, and economic manipulation by the government. Owing to all those factors, Iran has been under stricter sanctions by the west and other major powerful nations. Meanwhile, we have not seen any retrieve from the Iranian government, we need to ask the question: Do sanctions still work today? If not, what are the alternatives? Is it time for us to come up with better strategies?

Vali Nasr is the Majid Khadduri Professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center. He served as the eighth Dean of Johns Hopkins SAIS between 2012 and 2019 and served as Senior Advisor to U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke between 2009 and 2011. His latest book is entitled "How Sanctions Work."