Monthly Archives: February 2012

Asghar Farhad wins Oscar and scores for peace

Posted on February 27, 2012 by iPouya

Asghar Farhadi’s Oscar speech was a small but important victory for the anti-war voice: “At this time, many Iranians all over the world are watching us and I imagine them to be very happy. They are happy not just because … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Iran | 2 Comments

Dabashi: “Iran: The garrison state conducts a parliamentary election”

Posted on February 21, 2012 by iPouya

Al-Jazeera English Excerpts: “If Iranian national politics took the centre stage and overshadowed the regional geopolitics shortly after the presidential election of June 2009, it is now the turn of the geopolitics of the region, dominated by the unfolding Arab … Continue reading →

Posted in Iran, Saudi Arabia | 1 Comment

Video: Afghan teen punches her way into Olympics

Posted on February 21, 2012 by iPouya

The real underdog story… see it here.

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Sectarianism in the Middle East

Posted on February 13, 2012 by iPouya

Professor Vali Nasr recently published an important article on Sunni-Shi’ite sectarianism in the Middle East as the “dominant dynamic in the region today.” Although it is an important issue in the Middle East and the wider Muslim world, I disagree … Continue reading →

Posted in Arab Spring, Bahrain, Iran, Saudi Arabia | 2 Comments

“Israel is using Iran to sidestep Mideast peace talks”

Posted on February 6, 2012 by iPouya

Ha’aretz: The deadline the Quartet gave Israel and the Palestinians for submitting their positions on security and borders – Thursday, January 26 – flew by. It’s as if it never existed. The Quartet’s plan, which was to bring the parties … Continue reading →

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Hamid Dabashi on the Syrian Veto

Posted on February 5, 2012 by iPouya

Columbia University Professor Hamid Dabashi on the recent UNSC veto: “I agree with the Syrian opposition activists who have branded the Russian and Chinese veto as a ‘license to kill’–I also sympathize with the American UN envoy Susan Rice, who … Continue reading →

Posted in Syria | 3 Comments

The Arab Spring is Israel’s Worst Nightmare

Posted on February 2, 2012 by iPouya

I’ve long said that Israel fears democracy in the Middle East and has long worked to subvert it–from helping the CIA create Iran’s internal intelligence service, the SAVAK, after the coup that brought down Mossadegh’s government, to supporting Egypt’s Mubarak … Continue reading →

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