In an age of globalization, Iran struggles to control its frontier provinces where people, ideas, and technology transcend Iran’s national borders on a daily basis. With a population of approximately 70 million, only slightly more than 50 percent are seen as ethnic Persians. The remaining population considers itself Azeri, Arab, Kurd, Turkmen, Baloch or Lors. In recent years, these groups have consistently risen up and protested for greater cultural and political rights from Tehran only to be suppressed further. Iran is ethnically diverse and vulnerable to such rapid explosive global forces as the information revolution, forced migration, and the spread of instability from the two wars raging on its borders in Iraq and Afghanistan. The complexity and unpredictability of the relationship between Tehran and its frontier provinces is due in large part to the transborder populations that are shared between Iran and its seven neighbors: Iraq, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan—not to mention its close proximity to the United Arab Emirates and other Arabian Peninsula countries. As of late, and similar to the greater organization witnessed among ethnic minority groups in Iran’s frontier provinces, Iranian Diaspora, consisting of millions across the globe, have begun to organize on a much wider scale than ever before in an attempt to undermine the current regime. More specifically, this paper will examine how these trends of globalization and ethnonationalism are interacting to destabilize Iran’s northwest Azerbaijan province and subsequent relationship with the Republic of Azerbaijan. After looking at the global and regional levels, this paper will focus on the domestic security challenge Azerbaijani ethno-nationalism presents in Iran today. Iran is under tremendous pressure today due to forces of globalization and the rise of ethnonational sentiment since September 11th, not to mention the recent Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions. Though Iran has grown emboldened politically in recent years, Iran’s frontier provinces have become increasingly difficult to control. This is not to say that the Iranian regime will collapse tomorrow. However, this is some of greatest amount of stress the Iranian regime has experienced in quite some time. As a result, control of Iran’s periphery and frontier provinces will grow increasingly difficult in the years to come.