Ashkan Parsa
The Iranian opposition did not break its promise. On February 14, protesters took to the streets of Tehran and other major cities in Iran to express their opposition to the Islamic Republic. Their peaceful protest was met with the forceful hand of the police and the Basij militia, which are under the direct supervision of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader. These forces attacked peaceful protests, creating bloody clashes. Security forces prevented protesters from reaching Tehran’s Azadi Square, the largest square in the capital. The government feared that protesters may want to emulate the pro-democracy forces in Egypt by setting up camp in Azadi Square, as Egyptians did in the now famous Tahrir Square. Protesters were forced move to side streets near Azadi. more»
Ali is a student activist at Amir Kabir University in Tehran. He organized a student demonstration on campus on Monday and participated in other rallies in a few locations in the capital. He spoke to Arash Aramesh of InsideIRAN.org on Tuesday about the aftermath of the clashes in Tehran. more»
Ali is a student activist at Amir Kabir University in Tehran. He organized a student demonstration on campus on Monday and participated in other rallies in a few locations in the capital. He spoke to Arash Aramesh of InsideIRAN.org about the clashes in Tehran. more»
Geneive Abdo
From London to Washington, and as far as Tehran, the question is being asked: Will Egypt of 2011 become the Iran of 1979? Some leading figures in Tehran, as well as Iranian state-run media, are trying to cast Egypt as another country caught up, as is Lebanon, in the region’s tilt toward the Islamist orbit. “I herewith proclaim to those (Western leaders) who still do not want to see the realities that the political axis of the new Middle East will soon be Islamic,” more»
Kadir Ustun
WASHINGTON – Turkey’s mediation efforts in the most recent political crisis in Lebanon in January 2011 are driven by the assessment that a possible conflict would directly threaten Turkey’s interests. Turkey’s government believes it has a true stake in the resolution of the crisis since Turkey signed a series of free trade and strategic coordination agreements with Lebanon in November 2010. Intent on establishing stability in the region, Turkey consistently supports policies, such as visa liberation, free trade, and strategic cooperation councils, as a way to establish and maintain peace and stability in its neighborhood. more»