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Upcoming Iranian Elections Pose New Questions about Country’s Press Freedoms Part 1

February 20, 2012 by 4 Comments
By Milad Avazbeigi (DSC_6986_resize) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

SOPA. PIPA. ACTA. PCIP. In the United States, any piece of legislation designed to restrict first amendment rights is certain to be met with the cries of enraged protesters pouring down crowded city streets. Public demonstrations in response to such acts, such as those staged by Wikipedia and Google in the past month, have raised awareness and concern about America’s increasingly draconian Internet regulations. Do these bills indeed violate American press freedoms or do they truly serve “to promote prosperity, creativity, entrepreneurship, and … [Read more...]

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Iran and the Bomb – Nearing the Point of No Return

December 10, 2009 by

With the December 6 news that it plans to build twenty new uranium enrichment facilities, Iran has dealt a serious blow to hopes of peacefully resolving its nuclear standoff with the West. After months of courtship by the international community, Iran’s announcement appears to be both a rejection of the West’s advances and a signal of its intent to step up its pursuit of a nuclear program. With the US running out of cards to play, many fear that the two countries are on a collision course to military confrontation. Much like North Korea, the … [Read more...]

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To meddle or not to meddle…

June 29, 2009 by

Americans are having trouble believing it—their president is not making regrettable statements about the Iranian election.  Millions of facebook networkers, twitter users, and bloggers responded to what was immediately called an unfair election and its brutal aftermath.  Politicians and political junkies on both sides of the aisle chastised the great Obama for not taking a stand on the contested outcome and sequential outcome.  President Obama responded appropriately and thoughtfully. As a huge Obama fan, I’m unapt to begin criticizing our … [Read more...]

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Iranian Presidential Candidates Prepare for Election

May 10, 2009 by

With just over a month to go until the Iranian Presidential election the election process is heating up.  475 people have registered as official candidates, including 42 women.  Here are two of the most interesting contenders: Rafat Bayat is the most well-known women to have submitted her candidacy.  She is a former member of the Majlis, the Iranian Parliament who had attempted to run in the last presidential election in 2005.  She has been a critic of the Ahmadinejahd administration's economic policies and has stated that if elected her first … [Read more...]

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Roxana Saberi's "Trial" is A Political Statement, But What Does It Say?

April 19, 2009 by

The case of Roxana Saberi, which I discussed briefly two weeks ago, has experienced some swift and worrying developments in the last couple of days.  Yesterday Saberi was found guilty of espionage by a Revolutionary Court and sentenced to eight years in prison.  The case has created some serious complications for the already complicated budding relationship between the United States and Iran. Saberi was arrested three months ago, originally charged with buying alcohol.  She was then accused of continuing to work as a journalist after her press … [Read more...]

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With Khatami Gone Mousavi and Karroubi Will Continue to Challenge Ahmadinejahd

March 23, 2009 by

Mohammad Khatami's decision to withdraw from the upcoming Iranian presidential election, announced this past week, has shaken up the field for the June 12th poll.  The announcement was not entirely unexpected- Khatami had previously implied that he would drop from the race if another strong reformist candidate decided to run- and Khatami even went so far as to endorse another reformist, Mirhossein Mousavi, as he announced his own withdrawal. Mousavi is relatively unknown outside of Iran but has some strong reformist credentials.  He served as Iran's … [Read more...]

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Khatami Already Faces Obstacles

February 24, 2009 by

Iran's presidential election is already heating up.  Only weeks after the announcement that reformist candidate and former President Mohammed Khatami would be challenging incumbent President Mahmood Ahmadinejahd, Ahmadinejahd's hard-liner allies have made it clear that they will be making Khatami's life difficult. Only two days after announcing his candidacy Khatami was attacked by members of a mob wielding sticks and chanting "Death to Khatami".  According to Khatami's organization, the Baran Foundation, he was immediately surrounded by supporters … [Read more...]

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Opening Dialogue with Iran-A Citizen's Account

February 17, 2009 by

The current rift between the US and Iran is argued to be based on false perceptions and speculated intentions of the other.  For the last four years, the Iranian government has chosen to pursue uranium enrichment without international inspectors overseeing its production and ensuring that it is for peaceful purposes of producing energy.  The reason for the Iranian government to refuse the IAEA to enter its nuclear facilities is where the speculation begins and political inferences and agendas are crafted.  Clearly, communication is the first step to … [Read more...]

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Legacy of Iranian Revoluion is Debated

February 15, 2009 by

Over the past two weeks there have been a number of celebrations throughout Iran commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution and the establishment of the Islamic Republic.  Here's a round-up of how some groups are marking the occasion: Iranian President Mahmood Ahmadinejahd spoke at a large rally commemorating the surrender of the Shah's army on February 10th, 1979 at Azadi Square in Tehran.  His speech was full of the usual rhetoric and verbal posturing as he declared that Iran has achieved superpower status and as he announced that … [Read more...]

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Khatami Needs to Try Something New

February 8, 2009 by

There has been a lot of buzz about Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami's recent announcement that he will be running against incumbent President Mahmood Ahmadinejahd in the up coming Presidential elections.  Many anticipate a fierce campaign with Khatamai taking up the banner of the reformist movement against Ahmadinejahd and his follow entrenched hardliners.  The Christian Science Monitor claims that "[t]he fight promises to be a clash of Iran’s political titans, between men representing opposite sides of Iran’s political and social … [Read more...]

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