Talk of Presidential Run by Khatami Elicits Hope And Anger in Iran

by Yasaman Baji via IPS News With just over two months before the Jun. 14 presidential election, Iranians remain unclear about which candidates will be approved by the Guardian Council to compete, let alone who has the best chance of… Continue Reading

Iran Debates Direct Talks with the US

As the Iranian leadership prepares to engage in negotiations with the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany (P5+1), the conversation inside Iran has moved beyond the nuclear issue to include a debate about the utility… Continue Reading

Ahmadinejad’s Tumble and Iran’s Political Terrain

Sadeq Zibakalam, University of Tehran professor and the closest the Islamic Republic has to an intra-systemic gadfly, has written an interesting commentary in the new daily Arman regarding the current state of Iranian politics. The article’s title, “End of the Deviation current,”… Continue Reading

On the Politics of how well Sanctions are Working

The escalating sanctions regime that has been imposed on Iran by the United States and European Union has placed all parties involved in a rather strange position. On the US side, the palpable glee over the dropping value of the… Continue Reading

Is Romney Moving Left on Foreign Policy

As my story about the new Chicago Council on Global Affairs public-opinion survey notes, the neo-conservative and aggressive-nationalist coalition that dominated George W. Bush’s first term in office (and was responsible for the Iraq debacle) is pretty much rejected by… Continue Reading