کارنامه محمد رضا سوادکوهی

اگر رضا شاه به سلطنت نمی رسید و نام خانوادگی پهلوی را اختیار نمی کرد شهرتش احتمالاً سواد کوهی می بود و پسرش نیز محمد رضا سوادکوهی خوانده می شد. و شاید استفاده از این ترفند زبانی سرپناه مناسبی برای گریز از کولاک حب و بغضی باشد که هنوز نام و کارنامه شاه را دنبال می کند و امکان داوری محققانه در باره او را از ما می گیرد. تقارن حکومت آخرین سلسله پادشاهی در ایران با عصر ایدئولوژی نیز به دشواری کار می افزاید>>>

All The Shah's Men

Decades after Shah of Iran has been overthrown to accommodate implementation of certain policies in the region of Persian Gulf and Middle East to serve the interests of certain group of people in the world, we are still witness to the same propaganda nonsense that brought our nation to one of the lowest points in the history which is comparable to the times when Iran was overrun by Arab and Mongolian invaders centuries ago. To add more to this, one of the saddest issues of our time is glorification of ignorance under the guise of political correctness to justify and spread misinformation towards our history>>>

به یاد سه برادر

من در دهه اول پس از انقلاب، سه برادر را در مصاف مجاهدین با جمهوری اسلامی از دست داده‌ام، ولی کمتر در باره آن‌ها سخن گفته‌ام. این روزها، اما، دو نوشته مرا به یاد آنان انداخت. یکی درج متن «وصیتنامه» منسوب به برادر کوچکم محمد در رجا نیوز بود که به نقل از کتاب «قدرت، و دیگر هیچ» نوشته خواهرم طاهره در آن جا آمده است. و دیگری، یادداشت آقای هاشمی رفسنجانی به مناسبت سالگرد عملیات فروغ جاویدان/مرصاد در سال ۱۳۶۷ بود که بیش از هزار کشته از مجاهدین بر جای گذاشت>>>

Iranian Re-Revolution

On June 10, when the Iranian opposition movement cancelled its planned commemoration of the anniversary of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's disputed reelection, commentators assumed that the Green Movement was finally finished. For months, it had been criticized as lacking strong leadership and for being unable to seriously challenge Iran's entrenched regime. But the history of political turmoil in twentieth-century Iran suggests that the movement may yet survive. After all, movements propelled by similar social currents have succeeded in dramatically changing Iran in the past>>>

'Rational' Americans vs 'Irrational’ Iranians

Despite Limbert’s unquestionable mastery of the subject, commendable intentions and deep affection for Iranians, it should be recognized that this book is written by an American diplomat for (primarily) American readers, in the vernacular they are at ease with. Its goal is not to make waves, or to challenge their self-perception, worldview, or institutionalized narrative. For an astute Iranian-American reader however, "Negotiating with Iran," with its mild tint of Orientalism and a patronizing tone, is somewhat unsettling: not necessarily offensive, but more like an alarm clock going off in a hazy Sunday morning>>>

سرزمین مردم نیک (2)

شب به پایان می رسد. سپیده دم و دروازۀ شهری. مرد به شهر در آمد و تماشا گرفت. کوچه و بازار لخت و خالی و خاموش. از روبرو یک رهگذر سر را خراب از باده بسیار نوشیده نجوا کنان آهنگ بی رنگی قدم می زد. مرد گوش فرا داد. هر باده ای با بوسه ای، هر بوسه ای با باده ای. و چه زیر خندی بر لبهای مست نشسته بود. مرد راه خود گرفت؛ او چه می داند از آن ارزشهای زیبای زندگی>>>

Sunday in the Park

There were Iranians for as far as the eye could see, if those eyes were those of 13-year-old Bahman Sohrabi, and the first thing he felt when he arrived at the park was that he was a blank piece of paper, and in this place he could be what he showed himself to be, nobody had any expectations of him except for the expectations they had of themselves - to be a speaker of the language, an appreciator of the food and the music and of nature, and a general participator in the whole thing. At school he found the spaces for a guy who did not want to be a participator in the whole thing right away. He found them in himself and in the school>>>

اندر نوجوانی تا انقلاب

به تهران رسیــــــــــدند با خان و مان
بدیدنــــــــد آزاد شهـــــــری کـلان

یکی شاه باشد در آنجـــــــــــا به تخت
یکی همچـــو جمشیدِ کِی، نیکبخت

همه مردمــــــــــــان از پی روزی اند
همه دوستــــــــداران بهـروزی اند >>>

Saaleh Akhar

...>>>

Green Light

Republicans in the House of Representatives have introduced a measure that would green-light an Israeli bombing campaign against Iran. The resolution, H.Res. 1553, provides explicit support for military strikes against Iran, stating that Congress supports Israel's use of "all means necessary" against Iran "including the use of military force". US military leaders have warned that strikes could be catastrophic to US national security interests and could engulf the Middle East in a "calamitous" regional war>>>

On Hair

All my life I’d had long hair. While the rest of me didn’t look distinctively Iranian, I had the long, thick, wavy hair Persian girls are known for. Little did I know while I had a full head of it, that my hair was an integral part of me, as superficial as that sounds, but it was. A few weeks after I was diagnosed with breast cancer, my nurse Tammy talked to me about the eight rounds of chemo that I was set to receive before surgery. I saw a look of trepidation cross her face as she started to talk about me losing my hair>>>

The E Factor

Is ethnicity important in women’s struggle for their rights, at all? Studying English in middle school, this question seemed an exciting one. It made me imagine myself abroad and answer it proudly. But, this innocent imagination was shattered. Yes, I grew up as a woman facing the reality of much discrimination. Discriminations that kill you and re-kill you, shape you and reshape you, frame you and reframe you to the point that you don’t know who you are>>>