Understanding Rouhani’s UNGA Speech

by Jasmin Ramsey Yesterday Princeton’s Kevan Harris explained to me that Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani tried to “expand to the international sphere his domestic election rhetoric about hope and moderation versus fear and extremism” with his speech at this years United Nations General… Continue Reading

Rouhani Faces Tests at Home and Abroad

by Jasmin Ramsey via IPS News The successful campaign of Iran’s President-elect Hassan Rouhani may have been built on the persistence of hope among Iranian voters for a better future. It remains to be seen how effectively the moderate cleric… Continue Reading

Expect the Unexpected for Iran’s 2013 Presidential Election

by Kevan Harris Sociologists sometimes get lucky. In June 2009 I arrived in Tehran for a routine research trip. Over the next several months I witnessed the largest political demonstrations in Iran since 1979. Arising from protests against the results… Continue Reading

The Drama of Iran’s Erratic Rial

By Kevan Harris via the United States Institute of Peace What are the primary reasons that the Iranian rial has lost half of its value against the U.S. dollar in just one year? Iran’s currency was valued at about 10,000 rials… Continue Reading