Iran’s (Nov. 9) Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)

The course examines the context surrounding the rise of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) following the 1979 Iranian Revolution. It then traces the IRGC’s evolution from a force subordinate to Iran’s theocratic leadership into a powerful political and military organization. In light of Operation “Epic Fury” in 2026 and the resulting weakening of Iran’s clerical leadership, the course will consider how the IRGC’s power and influence may have changed.

The presentation will include the IRGC’s leadership, size, and organization, as well as its strategic alliances and relationships with forces in Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq, and Yemen, along with its former important role in Syria. Finally, when the course meets in November, it will bring the discussion up to date by examining the IRGC’s current status, power, and role in Iran and the broader region.

Richard Lobban, Ph.D., professor emeritus of anthropology and African studies at Rhode Island College, serves as adjunct professor of African studies at the Naval War College. He has a master’s degree from Temple University and a Ph.D. from Northwestern University and has taught at the American University in Cairo, Tufts University and Dartmouth College, among others. He has conducted field research in Tunis and Egypt and has been excavating a temple in Sudan for ten years. Richard is widely published in urban and complex societies, informal sector economy, gender, ethnicity, race and class, especially in the Middle East. He often serves as a subject matter expert and court-appointed expert witness in political asylum cases for refugees from Africa and the Middle East.