Archive - Article

Driving the Shah

Anyone who’s ever driven down an American highway, idled in America’s city streets surrounded by gas-guzzling SUVs, or shivered in the Arctic-cold air conditioning of a US office building, knows the truth: the United States has an insatiable thirst for oil. Certainly Iran’s shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, understood that need, and for eight years, 1969 to 1977, exploited it, negotiating a series of secret oil-for-arms deals with America’s best and brightest>>>

The blue lake of tears (4)

Nisha placed a saddle on the horse, attached the basket on his back with a shiny leather rope, led him outside on the smooth cobblestone walkway. As they passed the ponds encircled by flowerbeds, the Princess jumped on Atash. She had him walk down the short steps built for the sake of horses walking up and down the mount, before making him trot away in the meadow. As she rode her strong stallion through the forest, she experienced euphoria as if she had left the disciplined life of home-schooling for another dimension of time>>>

همدم روح

هم دم روح مولانا
شمس بود و همدم روح فروغ
گلستان.
رومی و فروغ، هر دو
عشق خود را شعر کردند
اشعاری جاودانه.
>>>

Splendor of Khajuraho

Khajuraho is famous for its erotic sculptures. The visitor’s initial prurient interest in them, upon scrutiny, quickly changes into an appreciation of their artistic worth. Together with other types of sculptures, and the magnificent architecture of the medieval Hindu and Jain temples on which they are all planted, they constitute the best examples of the arts of India before the impact of Islam. The temples are the houses of that India’s many Gods and the sculptures tell the temporal story of the community which created them. Their value is not just in their splendor but also in their historical legacy>>>

The Iranian art of lying

Ahmadinejad has mastered the art of Persian bullshiting theatricals. He represents the very persona of many of us inside and outside of the country. He is real. Like many of us, he lies without hesitation and in most situations, he actually believes his own lies. Ahmadi gets us. He understands that most of us take our cues from a defeated culture, which has adopted lying as a mean of survival. he looks you in the eyes and says it like it is NOT!>>>

After Ahmadinejad

I have to admit, that I am somewhat glad that Ahmadinejad is the current president of Iran. Because that means he can never ever become president again. At least under the current rules. I guess you never know. That being said, one can only wonder what form of paper mache headed drone, in God's name, Khamenei is planning on sliding his slimy hand up and into, to parade as the next best incarnation of his vision for the Toady President of Iran>>>

Coming of Age

Over three decades after their mass migration began from their homeland, Iranian-Americans have reached the pinnacle of success in their new home. In widely diverse fields -- from media to high-tech entrepreneurship, from senior ranks of the U.S. government to academia – people of Iranian origin have truly “arrived” in America. Now, having conquered the peaks of career achievement, they also want to give back. Having done exceptionally well, now they also yearn to do good>>>

The blue lake of tears (3)

Once she stepped out of her daughter's room, the Queen experienced a strong tension inside her between her concern for the Princess and her hate for the girl’s shadow. She had a compulsion to find the shadowy boy to kill him, but she knew of the sorrow her daughter would suffer if she went through with her idea of eliminating the boy. The Queen didn’t know what to do with her stressful dilemma. All night, her moods rivalled the erratic movements of the stock markets of today’s world>>>

خدای قابیل

روحشان را به شیطان فروختند
خدایانِ مُرده
تجسمِ ماندگاری
حتا بر مستانِ كوچه
سوی جهنمِ آسمانی >>>

Tale of Two Mahmouds

On the basis of the reported stories in the media, Mahmoud Abbas will tender to the Secretary-General a document whereby Palestine will seek membership in the United Nations. Reports indicate that the U.S. will veto that request in the Security Council and Abbas will turn next to the General Assembly to admit Palestine to the United Nations as an “observer State.” This latter outcome will still be politically significant as it will recognize Palestine as a sovereign State, like the Holy See>>>

Do not veto

The failure to reengage in negotiations before Mahmoud Abbas presents his resolution to the UN General Assembly or to modify any resolution passed by the UN to produce positive momentum will usher in a period of instability with unpredictable consequences for all parties: the United States, Israel and the Palestinians. First, the clear consequences of the UN plan are reduced influence of the United States in the Middle East -- a de facto vote of no confidence in the Obama administration>>>

اختلاس نجومی و تصفیه حکومتی

اهمیت اختلاس اخیر، که آن را از موارد دیگر متمایز می‌کند، در دو چیز است. یکی رقم نجومی و بی سابقه آن که تصور مقدار آن حتا برای بسیاری از ایرانیانی که با مشقت زندگی روزانه خود را می‌گذرانند بسیار مشکل است. دوم این که به دلیل ارتباط نزدیک متهم اول این اختلاس با دفتر رییس جمهور، پای قوه مجریه مستقیما در این امر به میان کشیده شده و موضوع به یک حربه سیاسی تبدیل شده است>>>

Heritage Hunters

Just last week the NIAC news email brought good tidings that some of the Persepolis tablets have been rescued, apparently through clever use of a legal technicality. Lawyers defending the tablets in Massachusetts successfully argued that the plaintiffs couldn’t prove that the items actually belong to the IRI. To get more detail on the temporarily good news I talked on the phone with NIAC president Trita Parsi. NIAC has been involved in the tablet rescue efforts, leading where it can and assisting where it can>>>

Push and Shove

The rise of the Arab masses has pushed Iran out of the headlines -- for now. Even Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose theatrics rarely pass unnoticed, has lately failed to grab the attention of the U.S. media. America's attention has instead turned toward Egypt, Syria and Libya. This is likely to change in the next few months. Not as a result of any particular developments in Iran or between the United States and Iran, but because of the 2012 presidential elections>>>

Shaping Modernity

Hamid Naficy, Professor of Radio, Television, Film and Communication at Northwestern University, is one of the world’s leading authorities on Iranian film, and A Social History of Iranian Cinema is his magnum opus. Covering the late nineteenth century to the early twenty-first and addressing documentaries, popular genres, and art films, it explains Iran’s peculiar cinematic production modes, as well as the role of cinema and media in shaping modernity and a modern national identity in Iran>>>