U.S.-Iran -- Missed Opportunities

The U.S.-Iran Relations Project brings scholars and policymakers from both countries together to explore the period following the Islamic revolution in Iran and consider why improvements in bilateral relations did not occur. “We are undertaking research that can lead to a deeper and more productive understanding between the two countries,” says John Tirman, executive director of the Center for International Studies (CIS) and an organizer of the project. “Innovative engagement with Iran, rather than posing it as an object of hostility or attack, is not only normatively preferable but vastly more interesting as an intellectual endeavor.” In support of this project, the HyperStudio is creating a collaborative, multilingual research environment that allows scholars and policymakers to explore thousands of original documents from Mohammed Khatemi’s presidency in Iran and to compare and contrast views of events.

Hyperstudio created an integrated, modular online platform where scholars can search, browse, and use visualizations such as timelines to collect and compare documents, events, and people. Hyperstudio also provided tools scholars can use to develop an argument and share it with other researchers for critique.