This has probably been the longest while I’ve gone without posting here on my blog and there’s good reason for the inactivity.  I’ve been busy preparing for the next chapter. On Tuesday, Sept. 1st, I move to Ann Arbor, Michigan to begin PhD work at the University of Michigan’s history program. I also turned 28 [...]

1. Khamenei vs Khomeini: “During his August 3 speech formally endorsing Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned protesters that “by imitation of Ayatollah Khomeini, they cannot deceive people.” Khamenei was mocking the opposition’s claim to be to reviving “the values of Ayatollah Khomeini”–the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Khamenei’s predecessor as Supreme [...]

I just read Professor Hamid Dabashi’s most recent Iran-piece on Al-Ahram Weekly. There was so much to quote from that I had a difficult time choosing which one. I’m going with the last paragraph, which is itself a quote he took from an Iranian blogger. I usually get a little sick to my stomach when I [...]

1. The Christian Science Monitor: There’s a lot of good material being produced on Iran. The Christian Science Monitor, for example, has repeatedly posted excellent articles and analysis on Iran. Here’s their latest piece titled: “Why Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Mercilessly Crack Down.” Excerpt: “To Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, the danger facing the Islamic Republic is acute: Its [...]

1. Iran leader endorses Ahmadinejad: “Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, has officially endorsed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the winner of the country’s June presidential election. Monday’s endorsement of Ahmadinejad’s victory comes ahead of his swearing-in before parliament for his second term on Wednesday, despite the president suffering a string of setbacks amid an apparent rift with [...]