
Professor, Politics and Government
Patrick O鈥橬eil鈥檚 research and teaching interests focus on the Middle East, especially Israel/Palestine and Iran. He has been researching the politics of Shia public rituals in the Islamic Middle East and South Asia, specifically the Ashura ritual among Muslims in Iran and India. O鈥橬eil is author of the successful textbooks Essentials of Comparative Politics (fifth edition); and Cases in Comparative Politics(with Don Share and Karl Fields; fifth edition); and editor of Essential Readings in Comparative Politics (with Ron Rogowski; fourth edition). O鈥橬eil鈥檚 previous emphasis was on European and Post-Soviet politics, including terrorism and political transitions in Iran, a country he studied and visited over several years. He has also studied terrorism in Israel, as a fellow with the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. Other publications by O鈥橬eil include the articles 鈥淎 Messianic State? Ideology, Rationality and Eschatology in Iranian Politics鈥 (2013); and 鈥淓verywhere is Karbala: Shia Ritual Politics in Iran and Beyond鈥 (2013); and the book A Revolution from Within: The Hungarian Socialist Workers鈥 Party and the Collapse of Communism (Edward Elgar, 1998). O鈥橬eil鈥檚 public talks include: "Iran: Reform of Retrenchment? Understanding the Politics of Iranian Authoritarianism and the Prospects for Change" (Olympia World Affairs Council, 2017) O鈥橬eil teaches courses in the areas of European politics, Iran and Israel, and terrorism.