Category: Blog
Iranians have the right to revolt to achieve democracy
OC Register | By MITRA SAMANI | October 9, 2022 The preamble to the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that in absence of the rule of law, individuals and societies are “compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression.” That is precisely what we are currently […]
Will Anyone Punish Iran for Its Murderous Campaign?
NEW YORK TIMES | BRET STEPHENS | AUG. 23, 2022 A lot has been written about the broader meaning of the attack this month on Salman Rushdie, for which a Muslim religious fanatic has been charged with attempted murder. Not enough has been said about the evil of the regime that presumably inspired the deed […]
A New Iran Deal Leaves Us Meeker and Weaker
New York Times | Bret Stephens | March 22, 2022 What does President Biden think he will get out of a new nuclear deal with Iran? A year ago, the answer seemed reasonably clear to the administration: Tehran had responded to Donald Trump’s decision to walk away from the original 2015 deal — known as […]
Despite Nuclear Talks, Iran Is Still Far from Moderation
Newsweek | TED POE, FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE | 11/30/21 Negotiations to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal resumed in Vienna on Monday despite an uptick in the Islamic Republic’s malign activities. Earlier this month, Iranian forces seized an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman and conducted comprehensive military exercises, showcasing various military assets including suicide drones […]
The West needs to unite to fight for human rights
NEW EUROPE | By Patrick J. Kennedy & Alejo Vidal-Quadras | 10/7/2021 Human rights seem nonexistent in today’s world. That’s because the world’s democracies are not fighting for it. While the world’s dictatorships always seem to have each other’s backs, the world’s democracies are failing to do the same when it comes to standing up […]
Crisis Brewing, Iranians Threaten to Boycott Presidential Election
The National Interest | by Majid Rafizadeh | May 23, 2021 Crisis Brewing? Following Protests, Iranians Threaten to Boycott Presidential Election Western policymakers and the entire international community should make it clear that they support any effort by the Iranian people to push back against state repression and to advocate for democracy. Candidates in […]
Fear of Popular Unrest Prompts Iran’s Leadership to Let COVID Spread
Intpolicydigest | Dr. Firouz Daneshgari | JANUARY 28, 2021 For weeks, self-proclaimed “moderate” Iranian officials like Foreign Minister Javad Zarif have been saying that their country would struggle to distribute vaccines and manage its coronavirus outbreak as long as U.S. sanctions remained in place. Although the sanctions include exemptions for medicine and other humanitarian goods, […]
Biden’s Iran Policy vs. Reality in Tehran
His advisers cling to the 2015 deal, but the region has moved on NY Times | By the Editorial Board | Jan. 4, 2021 President Trump’s maximum-pressure sanctions campaign against Iran will continue until his final day in office—and so will Tehran’s escalating violations of the 2015 nuclear deal. While the facts on the ground change, Joe […]
Crafting a U.S.-Iran Policy After the 2020 Election
By Ivan Sascha Sheehan and Ramesh Sepehrrad Oct. 29, 2020 A nonpartisan approach in Congress is essential for forming a cohesive long-term policy for the country. WITH RECORD NUMBERS OF Americans actively casting their ballots to decide who will assume the presidency of the United States and serve as their elected representatives in both of houses of Congress – and with domestic […]
Iran’s Current Crisis – And Its Next One
by Ilan Berman | Al-Hurra Digital | March 24, 2020 The Islamic Republic is profoundly sick – and getting sicker. Since the global outbreak of coronavirus in recent weeks, Iran has emerged as one of the countries hardest hit by the pandemic. Today, it ranks sixth in the world for the number of reported cases of the disease. Yet […]