The Lawless
Just a few months ago, Secretary of State John Kerry was praising “our Russian partners” for their role in making possible a second “Geneva peace conference” on Syria. Having spent ...
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Myths of Mossadegh
For decades, the debate on Iran in the United States has been dominated by a legend in which an elderly aristocrat plays the central role. The legend is that in ...
Still Needed: A Middle East Strategy
After months of hesitation during which his administration tried contradictory policy options, Pres. Barack Obama has put the United States on the side of those who are fighting for reform ...
In Uncertain Egypt, a Few Certainties
On its first day without Hosni Mubarak, Egypt is full of uncertainties. However, let us deal with the certainties. The first is that the uprising against Mubarak brought together Egyptians ...
The Coming Iran Showdown
For 30 years, the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution has been an occasion for Iran’s Khomeinist rulers to demonstrate their power with a mixture of military parades and mass ...
An Enriching Experience
The announcement comes ahead of next week’s talks in Geneva. Tehran is confident that the “5+1″ group (the five permanent U.N. Security Council members plus Germany) has accepted the Islamic ...
Re: How Tyrants Regain Control
These are not the largest mass executions in 30 years. The Iranian regime’s record remains the mass executions of 1988 when more than 3,000 people were executed in a weekend. At this ...
End of Discussion
No one knows how the current Iranian insurrection, triggered by last month’s disputed presidential election, will end. However, one thing is already clear: The doctrine of walayat faqih (“government of ...
Repression and Resistance
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is an excerpt from The Persian Night: Iran under the Khomeinist Revolution.
Regime change becomes possible when at least the outline of a political alternative becomes visible. Like nature, society ...
Ahmadinejad’s Last Stand?
At first glance, a presidential election in the Islamic Republic of Iran might not arouse much interest. With all candidates pre-approved by the authorities, and the entire electoral process controlled ...