Asia Opinion

SOCIAL-JUSTICE SHARES: AHMADINEJAD’S INITIATIVE The Ahmadinejad government that came to power in summer 2005, calling itself the “justice-driven administration” under the banner of mehrvarzi (compassion) represents in fact populism of the right rivaling Mussavi’s compassionate socialism of the left. The scheme,...

PRIVATIZATION’S EARLY SETBACKS A number of factors are frequently cited for the slow pace and insignificant scale of privatization. Some of these factors were similar to the experiences of other countries; others are more country specific. In general, privatization in any...

Iran and the Caucasus Iran’s policy in the region is largely guided by geo-political state interests and less by ideological goals, such as promotion of Islam. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, Iran grasped that a potentially conflict-laden zone had...

The ideal of social justice was a prime goal of Iran’s 1979 revolution. The monarchy was mercilessly chastised by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini for having neglected the plight of the poor and the disenfranchised, the mostazafan. A new constitution adopted under...

Abstract The use of religious labels regarding the various sides to the hostilities in the Caucasus contributes little to understanding the roots of these conflicts and subsequently, finding appropriate solutions. Islam is not the primary collective identity of most of the...

By Abbas Milani The Washington Quarterly, April 2009 Two countries, “both alike in dignity,” have for too long been the Capulets and Montagues of our days. Grudges like the 1979 hostage crisis and the U.S. role in the overthrow of the popular...

The US needs to make it clear it will not tolerate a first strike By Walt Rodgers Christian Science Monitor, 24/04/09 The new Israeli prime minister recently appeared to give President Obama a blunt ultimatum: Stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons-or we will. ...

As noted in Chapter One, the conventional narrative of Saudi-Iranian relations suggests that heightened Sunni-Shi’a tensions throughout the Middle East should be a significant factor in the policy calculus of each regime. Ideologies that emphasize the distinctions between Arabs and...

Gawdat Bahgat, Parameters, Winter 2008-2009 (Gawdat Bahgat is Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. His most recent books include American Oil Diplomacy in the Persian Gulf and the Caspian...

By Seymour M. Hersh New Yorker, 07/07/08 The Bush Administration steps up its secret moves against Iran. Late last year, Congress agreed to a request from President Bush to fund a major escalation of covert operations against Iran, according to current and former...