ThinkTankWeekly

The Case for Exploiting Iran’s Internal Fractures

CFR | 2026-05-04 | middle_east

Topics: Middle East, Trade, United States

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English Summary

The publication argues that military pressure alone is insufficient to neutralize the Iranian regime's ideological grip, recommending instead that the West exploit the country's deep ethnic and political fractures. The reasoning centers on Iran's multi-ethnic composition—including the Kurds, Ahwazi Arabs, and Balochis—whose historical grievances and regional power bases can be leveraged. Policy implications suggest shifting from blanket sanctions to targeted diplomatic support for minority groups, thereby decentralizing power and forcing the regime to confront internal stability rather than external conflicts. This strategy aims to guide Iran toward a federated, post-clerical future.

中文摘要

該出版物主張,單純的軍事壓力不足以瓦解伊朗政權的意識形態控制,建議西方國家應轉而利用該國深層的族群和政治裂痕。其論點核心是伊朗的多民族組成——包括庫德族、阿瓦茲阿拉伯人和俾路支人——可以利用他們歷史上的不滿和區域權力基礎。政策意涵顯示,應從全面性制裁轉向對少數族群的目標性外交支持,從而實現權力分散化,迫使政權面對內部穩定而非外部衝突。此戰略旨在引導伊朗走向一個聯邦制、去神權化的未來。

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