The Profound Meaning of Iran’s Elections

by Farideh Farhi The countrywide official results of the parliamentary and Assembly of Experts elections are not yet finalized, and in any case a detailed analysis of the numbers requires more time. The Guardian has a good round-up of approximate… Continue Reading

Why Iran’s Parliament Matters

by Reza H. Akbari Iranians went to the polls on February 26 to vote for the new members of parliament as well as the Assembly of Experts, a clerical body in charge of electing and removing the country’s most powerful… Continue Reading

Turkey, Kurds, and the US

by Robert Olson There is no question that tensions between Turkey and the US have increased substantially as a result of differences over to what degree the US is supporting the Syrian Kurdish nationalist Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its armed affiliate, the People’s… Continue Reading

The Disappointments of War in a World of Unintended Consequences

by Tom Engelhardt It may be hard to believe now, but in 1970 the protest song “War,” sung by Edwin Starr, hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. That was at the height of the Vietnam antiwar movement and… Continue Reading