Challenges and Opportunities Await Iran’s Rouhani

by Djavad Salehi-Isfahani via IPS News The transition team of Iran’s President-elect Hassan Rouhani was busy last week lowering expectations for a quick economic recovery, saying that things are far worse than they had thought. At the same time, the… Continue Reading

Indyk to be US Rep. to Israel-Palestinian Peace Talks

by Mitchell Plitnick Martin Indyk is about to be named the US representative for the resuscitated Israel-Palestinian talks, according to a report from Israel’s Channel 2. (Though it seems Channel 2’s Ehud Yaari was not first with the news. That was… Continue Reading

Iran’s Coup, Then and Now

by Reyhaneh Noshiravani  via IPS New Ervand Abrahamian, a leading historian of modern Iran, has recently explored the 1953 Anglo/American-sponsored coup that overthrew Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddeq. The 28 months under Abrahamian’s scrutiny in The Coup: 1953, The CIA, and the… Continue Reading

Advocates of Iran Engagement Get Unexpected Boost

by Jim Lobe via IPS News For the first time in many months, supporters of intensified diplomatic engagement with Iran appear to be gaining strength here. Following last month’s surprise election of Hassan Rouhani – widely considered the most moderate of… Continue Reading

Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood: Exclusion Breeds Radicalism

by Emile Nakhleh via IPS News The Egyptian military’s removal of the democratically-elected President Mohamed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood from power upended the MB’s 20-year old political participation programme. If the new regime aims to achieve genuine reconciliation and… Continue Reading