Saeid Golkar

Saeid Golkar (Persian: سعید گلکار) is an Iranian-American political scientist, Associate Professor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Senior Fellow at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, and Senior Policy Advisor at United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI). Golkar holds a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Tehran and has held research and teaching positions at leading U.S. universities, including Stanford and Northwestern. Golkar is regarded as one of the foremost scholars on the Basij and mechanisms of social control in Iran.

Saeid Golkar was born in Iran, where he completed his academic studies, including a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Tehran. In 2010, he immigrated to the United States and began his academic career, serving as a researcher and lecturer at leading universities such as Stanford and Northwestern. Later, he was appointed Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.^[1] In addition, Golkar serves as a Senior Fellow at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change^[2] and as a Senior Policy Advisor at United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI).^[3]

Golkar previously served as a Visiting Fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. He published articles and analyses through the institute, primarily covering Iran’s internal politics, regional security, and the role of militias in the country.^[4]

Golkar specializes in the politics of authoritarian regimes, with a particular focus on Iran. His research examines the mechanisms of social control employed by the Iranian state, especially through paramilitary organizations such as the Basij. Golkar is widely recognized as a leading expert on the Basij and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Golkar’s central argument is that the Basij is not merely a military or security force, but a vast social and political network that penetrates all aspects of Iranian life. He contends that the Basij serves as a primary tool for political repression, social indoctrination, and the spread of fear, creating what he terms a “captive society.” According to Golkar, the Basij’s main function is to ensure regime stability by monitoring, intimidating, and enforcing ideological conformity throughout society.

In his groundbreaking book, Captive Society: The Basij Militia and Social Control in Post-revolutionary Iran (2015), Golkar provides the first comprehensive analysis of the Basij, the Islamic Republic’s main paramilitary organization. Drawing on a wide range of sources - including official Basij and IRGC publications, websites, blogs, as well as interviews and surveys conducted by Golkar himself - he explores the Basij’s history, structure, and pervasive influence on Iranian society, economy, and education.^[5]

Golkar argues that the Basij is a key instrument for suppressing dissent, mobilizing regime supporters, and disseminating propaganda. He highlights that many Iranians join the Basij for pragmatic reasons such as economic benefits, preferential access to education, and employment opportunities, rather than out of ideological commitment. Nevertheless, the regime intensifies indoctrination efforts to maintain loyalty, leading to radicalization among some members and alienation among the broader public.

His book received widespread acclaim, was selected as a notable human rights book of 2015 by Foreign Affairs,^[6] has been described as a “groundbreaking contribution to the understanding of Iranian politics”,^[7] and was honored with The Washington Institute’s Silver Medal Book Prize.^[8]

Golkar’s research is frequently cited in academic debates and international media coverage of Iran, authoritarian regimes, and civil society.

• Golkar, Saeid. Captive Society: The Basij Militia and Social Control in Post-revolutionary Iran. Woodrow Wilson Center Press/Columbia University Press, 2015.