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...