Current Economic Unrest Unlikely to Alter Iran’s Nuclear Calculus

via IPS News As Iran faces economic unrest, discussion is intensifying over the impact sanctions are having on Iran’s economy. But experts doubt that the current situation portends the end of the Iranian regime or Iranian capitulation to Israeli and… Continue Reading

Panic in Tehran

The Iranian rial has been in free fall for the last few days. Inflation has been ramping up for the last few months as the rial has lost more than 50 percent of its value over the last year. Unemployment… Continue Reading

Arab Democracies and the West

via IPS News Anti-Western protests across the Arab Islamic world denouncing the anti-Islam video, reportedly produced in the United States, is a serious test for the new democratic governments in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Yemen, and elsewhere. It is time for… Continue Reading

Bahraini Repression Amidst a Failing Strategy

via IPS News This week’s decision by the Bahraini court of appeals to uphold the prison terms against Bahraini opposition activists is a travesty of justice and an indication that Bahraini repression continues unabated. Bahraini officials, when confronted with angry… Continue Reading

Heated Israeli Suez Rhetoric Burden On U.S.?

The earth reportedly shook as two Iranian naval boats approached the Suez Canal on Monday morning. For the U.S., though, the building tension over the (delayed, for now) passage could result in diplomatic, not literal, earthquakes. When the news was… Continue Reading