Iran

Imperial Hubris: 70 Years ago, the CIA overthrew the Parliamentary Gov’t of Mosaddegh in Iran, and Washington has been Complaining about Iran ever Since

Newark, Del. (Special to Informed Comment: Feature) – On August 19, seventy years ago, the legitimate government of Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh was toppled in a coup jointly orchestrated by U.S. and British intelligence agencies and their Iranian collaborators. This article was first published in Persian in Iran in the journal Iran-e-Farda in February 1981. Every […]

Corruption

“Corruption on Earth:” Iran’s Government and Judiciary are Riddled with Corruption

Fariba Amini

Newark, Delaware (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – Corruption exists in every country and comes in many guises: economic corruption, social corruption, political corruption. But in many corners of the world, corruption meets resistance; it is investigated, and the perpetrators are often held to account. When major Hollywood actors and directors, and sports coaches, were […]

Climate Crisis

Condition Critical: Desertification Threatens to Turn Iran’s Future to Dust

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty

By Michael Scollon ( RFE/RL ) – Temperatures in Iran are hitting record highs, rivers and lakes are drying up, and prolonged droughts are becoming the norm, highlighting a water crisis that is turning much of the country’s territory to dust. The desertification of Iran is occurring at a staggering pace, with officials last month […]

Climate Crisis

Climate Change is the New Mideast Extremism — Iraq Hottest Place on Earth, as Iran goes into Lockdown

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The deadly effects of ideological extremism in the Middle East for the past few decades have caused governments and journalists to focus on it. The Arabic word is al-taṭarruf. I was interested, however, to see the word put to a different purpose in a Sky News Arabia article , where […]

Human Rights

Iranian Court Sparks Controversy By Diagnosing Hijab Protesters With Mental Illness

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty

By Roya Maleki Left to right: Iranian actresses Afsaneh Bayegan, Azadeh Samadi, and Leila Bolukat were all arrested for appearing in public without the mandatory hijab, or head scarf. At their sentencing, judges ruled that they were “mentally ill.” ( RFE/RL ) – Judges in Iran have diagnosed three prominent actresses sentenced for […]

Feminism

Return Of ‘Morality Police’ To Iranian Streets Leaves Women Fearful But Defiant

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty

By Mehdi Tahbaz “Our girls are fighting and know that there is no way back for us and we are not going back, and our answer to them wanting to forcibly put a hijab on us is, ‘No!’” one women’s rights activist in Tehran said. ( RFE/RL) – The return of the so-called […]

Arab World

Middle East and North Africa: End Curbs on Women’s Mobility (HRW)

Human Rights Watch

Many Middle East and North Africa countries still prevent women from moving freely in their own country or traveling abroad without the permission of a male guardian. Women in the region are fighting rules that authorities often claim are for their protection, but that deprive women of their rights and enable men to control and […]

Authoritarianism

Protests Erupt In Northern Iran Amid Attempts To Enforce Hijab Rules

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty

( RFE/ RL ) – Protests have erupted in the northern Iranian city of Rasht following an attempt by government officials to arrest three women over violations of mandatory hijab rules amid reports that the country’s leadership has ordered the resumption of so-called “morality police” patrols. An Iranian morality policeman (right) speaks with a woman […]

Climate Crisis

Roots of Iraq’s Water Crisis: Upriver Dams along with Climate Change

McGuire Gibson

Response of McGuire Gibson, Professor Emeritus of Mesopotamian Architecture , University of Chicago, to Iraq’s Climate Crisis: America’s War for Oil and the Great Mesopotamian Dustbowl Juan: In your devastating post about Iraq’s drought, you could have given more attention to the crucial role of Turkey in flouting international law and damaging Iraq (and Syria) […]