Shayan Ghajar
Determined protesters in Iran’s ethnic Azeri region have managed to accomplish something unparalleled by other protest movements in Iran since the disputed 2009 presidential elections: securing a concession from the government. Unlike the other mass protests that have wracked Iran in recent years, the demonstrators have not demanded free elections or the release of political prisoners. Instead, the thousands of Azeris gathering in Iran’s northwestern cities demanded that Lake Urmia, an enormous saltwater lake of incalculable ecological, cultural, and economic significance, be saved from its current slide towards oblivion. more»
Shayan Ghajar
Iran’s unwavering support for Syria has become axiomatic since the Arab wave of discontent began to shake Damascus. Iran has sent technical, material, and military support to Syria to help Bashar al-Assad quell protests. Syria’s strategic importance to Iran currently takes precedence over all the Islamic Republic’s other relationships. The Islamic Republic proved the primacy of its relationship with Syria by publicly claiming that Turkey, a trade ally and friendly neighbor of Iran, was fomenting Syria’s unrest by arming terrorist groups and engaging in secret talks with Israel.
more»
Shayan Ghajar
Though Turkey has invested a great deal of effort into its policy of maintaining good relations with neighboring states, the Arab winter of discontent has severely weakened the ability of the Turkish government to do so. Syria, which shares a border with Turkey stretching hundreds of miles, has proved particularly damaging to Turkey’s regional foreign policy. Forced to speak out on Syria’s burgeoning humanitarian crisis as Bashar al-Assad’s troops drive thousands to seek safety on the border between the two nations, Turkey’s stance has set it at odds with Syria’s staunch ally, Iran. more»
Shayan Ghajar
While the unrelenting attacks on Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad continue to curtail his power, some analysts in the United States mistakenly argue that his fall from grace may prevent future nuclear talks between Iran and the West. However, it is more likely that Ahmadinejad’s marginalization will have little impact on the nuclear impasse, as neither he nor his enemies in Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s faction have any motivation for real compromise on Iran’s enrichment program at present. more»
Shayan Ghajar
Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad currently faces the strongest opposition of any president of the Islamic Republic in three decades. The attacks on Ahmadinejad are astounding, both in their scope and severity, and unprecedented in their consequences for the Iranian government.
more»
