Follow Us
From the Editors
Jadaliyya Launches DARS Page: Daily Acts of Resistance and Subversion
Tadween Publishing Blog is here! Check it out
Jadaliyya's first book is now available! Click here.
Want to find out about new books? Visit our expanding NEWTON page. Click here.
Interested in writing a Review for Jadaliyya? Visit our Call for Reviews here.
الآن . . . القسم العربي بحلة جديدة
Jadaliyya Launches Photography Page (click here!)
Call for Photos: Become a Contributing Photographer at Jadaliyya
Iran
Why There Is No Military Solution to the Syrian Conflict
Today, as violence intensifies in Syria, external powers, including the United States, are openly debating direct intervention. Such intervention is justified as serving multiple goals at once: it is a means of securing chemical weapons caches; a mechanism to protect the civilian population; and a necessary measure to ensure that the successors to the Asad regime are adequately beholden to the United States and its regional allies. However, whether the intentions are humanitarian or strategic, policies of arming opposition groups, along with discussions of establishing “safe zones,” using Patriot missile batteries to enforce a “no-fly zone,” and more direct calls for ...
Keep Reading »Why Domestic Politics Still Matter in Iran’s Nuclear Policymaking
![[Image of campaign posters in Iran. Image by Beshef/Flickr.]](/content_images/3/sm_7823623ScreenShot2013-05-03at10.37.16PM.png "[Image of campaign posters in Iran. Image by Beshef/Flickr.]")
The first round of nuclear talks in Kazakhstan raised optimism on the prospect of reaching a diplomatic solution for Iran’s nuclear crisis. Sanctions are crushing Iran’s economy. Meanwhile, the turmoil in its ally Syria and the rise of Sunni Islamism in the Middle East is undermining Iran’s strategic position. The overall regional and domestic situation appears to have forced Iran to revise its nuclear approach. Therefore, not surprisingly, Iran started the first round of recent nuclear talks with a relatively milder position. As usual, the negotiations failed, but this time it was due to a different reason: the domestic concerns of Iranian leaders. As a senior diplomat ...
Keep Reading »A Non-Nuclear Conversation: An Interview with Iranian Human Rights Campaigner Dr Hadi Ghaemi
Iranian activists, journalists and human rights advocates have been coming under increasing pressure by the Iranian government; at a time when the international news media is fixated on Iran's nuclear program. This week, Malihe Razazan speaks with Hadi Ghaemi, Executive Director of the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, about Iran's political prisoners and the campaign to hold the Iranian government accountable for violations of human rights.
Keep Reading »Caught Shopping While Iranian: Diasporic Solidarity and the Globalization of Collective Punishment
![[Image by Valeriy Osipov via Flickr]](/content_images/3/sm_6491392227_acb482d99b.jpg "[Image by Valeriy Osipov via Flickr]")
In recent years, the Iranian New Year, Norooz, has become a fairly predictable time for US presidents to gesture towards “dialogue” and mutual respect between the United States and the Iranian people, while criticizing the repressive policies and nuclear aspirations of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI). George W. Bush spoke often of the Iranian people’s right to live in a “free society,” and ended his presidency with an opulent haft sin display in the dining room of the White House. More recently, Barack Obama has taken to YouTube to deliver his missives to the Iranian people, and to frame his sanctions regime as an exercise in supporting human rights. At a time when ...
Keep Reading »Reading Poetry in Tehran: The Case of the Forbidden
Sholeh Wolpé, The Forbidden: Poetry from Iran and Its Exiles. East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 2012. La redonda, suprema y celestial sandía Es la fruta del árbol de la sed Es la ballena verde del verano At a Chilean food market in Santiago, a young fruit vendor hums verses in praise of watermelons: “Watermelon: round, supreme and celestial / it’s the fruit of the tree of thirst / it’s the green whale of summer.” The poem’s eloquent simplicity and creative metaphors pique the curiosity of a passerby who decides to eavesdrop in the corner. The boy does not remotely appear “moonstruck” or “bookish,” and having been impressed by his talent, the ...
Keep Reading »New Texts Out Now: Paul Aarts and Francesco Cavatorta, Civil Society in Syria and Iran
Paul Aarts and Francesco Cavatorta, editors, Civil Society in Syria and Iran: Activism in Authoritarian Contexts. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner, 2013. Jadaliyya (J): What made you put together this book? Paul Aarts and Francesco Cavatorta (PA & FC): We started collaborating in early 2009 on a project looking at civil society dynamics in the Middle East and North Africa. We were not entirely satisfied with the mainstream understanding of civil society activism and its natural or inevitable link to democratization. This was particularly true for traditional civil society organizations involved in defending and/or promoting human rights and democratic political reforms. ...
Keep Reading »O.I.L. Media Roundup (February 26)
[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on Occupation, Intervention, and Law and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the O.I.L. Page Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each biweekly roundup to OIL@jadaliyya.com by Monday night of every other week] News "In Syria, New Influx of Weapons to Rebels Tilts the Battle Against Assad", Liz Sly, Karen DeYoung Sly and DeYoung of The Washington Post report on the Free Syrian Army's procurement of weaponry donated from outside Syria, as opposed to purchased on the black market. The donation is highly ...
Keep Reading »عقوبات الغرب على إيران
![[عن موقع قنطرة]](/content_images/3/sm_iranali.jpg "[عن موقع قنطرة]")
منذ عقود يُبرِّر الغرب عقوباته المفروضة على إيران بفكرة سردية تفترض أن العقوبات ستجبر الحُكام المتسلطين في إيران على العودة إلى رشدهم وستضع حداً لانتهاكاتهم، سواء خارج البلاد أو داخلها. ويرى الغرب أن تلك العقوبات "الجراحية" تضيّق حبل المشنقة حول عنق الطغاة بدقة متناهية، بشكل سيجعلهم يراجعون بتعقل سياستهم الخارجية ويرفعون أيديهم الملطخة بالدماء عن عنق شعبهم المغلوب على أمره. ويبدو للغرب جمال هذه الفكرة من حيث أنها قد تضرب عصفورين بحجر: فالعقوبات تضيّق، من جهة، الخناق على مرتكبي الانتهاكات والجرائم، ومن جهة أخرى تحرر الشعب المضطهد وتمهد الطريق أمامه إلى الديمقراطية. لكن هذه العقوبات في الحقيقة لن تؤدي إلى هذه النتائج على أرض الواقع. فمع كل جرعة جديدة من ...
Keep Reading »Ben Affleck's "Argo": A Movie about a Movie
![[Detail of Argo film poster. Image via Wikimedia Commons.]](/content_images/3/sm_Argo2012Poster.jpg "[Detail of Argo film poster. Image via Wikimedia Commons.]")
Argo. Directed by Ben Affleck. USA, 2012. 1. Suspense and Espionage for a New Era As the awarding of the Oscars draws near, one is reminded of what is not being said. The kerfuffle around Zero Dark Thirty's representations of torture has been interesting, but no less than the docile reception among reviewers and awards voters regarding the far more competitive of the film's set in West Asia, Ben Affleck's Argo. At one level, Affleck has created a rousing espionage entertainment for our times. The story is based on the accounts of CIA operative Tony Mendez's smuggling—with the help of a Canadian diplomat—six Americans out of post-revolutionary Iran in midst of the US ...
Keep Reading »O.I.L. Monthly Edition on Jadaliyya (December 2012)
![[Israeli Rockets hitting Rafah, Palestine. Image by Gigi Ibrahim.]](/content_images/3/sm_8205588314_f7d537ab03_c.jpg "[Israeli Rockets hitting Rafah, Palestine. Image by Gigi Ibrahim.]")
[This is a monthly archive of pieces written by Jadaliyya contributors and editors on the Occupations, Interventions,and Law (O.I.L.) Page. It also includes material published on other platforms that editors deemed pertinent to post as they provide diverse depictions of O.I.L.-related topics. The pieces reflect the level of critical analysis and diversity that Jadaliyya strives for, but the views are solely the ones of their authors. If you are interested in contributing to Jadaliyya, send us your post with your bio and a release form to post@jadaliyya.com [click "Submissions" on the main page for more information] Ongoing Ethnic Cleansing: Israeli Settlers ...
Keep Reading »Why Chuck Hagel Is Irrelevant
![[Senator Chuck Hagel shakes hands with Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta at the Willard Intercontinental Washington Hotel, Washington D.C, 9 May 2012. Photo by Glenn Fawcett/Flickr.]](/content_images/3/sm_ScreenShot2012-12-24at5.43.32PM.png "[Senator Chuck Hagel shakes hands with Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta at the Willard Intercontinental Washington Hotel, Washington D.C, 9 May 2012. Photo by Glenn Fawcett/Flickr.]")
The latest non-scandal scandalizing the American commentariat is whether Barack Obama will be able to nominate former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel as his new Secretary of Defense. The narrative is that the Zionist lobby is eager to scuttle Hagel’s nomination because he has uttered one too many words “critical” of Israel, and displayed too many sentiments suspected of being contrary to the agenda of the lobby: namely, destroying Iran. The narrative is true enough. That the lobby does not want Hagel is clear, and his nomination would be a defeat for the lobby’s right wing. Still, it is barely a scandal, except in the sense that it is scandalous how narrow the ...
Keep Reading »O.I.L. Media Roundup (December 4)
![[Destruction in Gaza after Israeli bombardment, part of Operation Pillar of Defense. Image by Scott Bobb. From Wikimedia Commons.]](/content_images/3/sm_destroyedgazastuffschmelz.jpg "[Destruction in Gaza after Israeli bombardment, part of Operation Pillar of Defense. Image by Scott Bobb. From Wikimedia Commons.]")
[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on Occupation, Intervention, and Law and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the O.I.L. Page Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each biweekly roundup to OIL@jadaliyya.com by Monday night of every other week] Commentary "Obama’s pick for CIA could affect drone program", Greg Miller President Obama’s choice of successor to CIA director David Petraeus, a proponent of the agency’s drone fleet, may signal the administration’s desire to continue or back off from the agency’s “pronounced shift toward ...
Keep Reading »O.I.L. Monthly Edition (April 2013)
[This is a monthly archive of pieces written by Jadaliyya contributors and editors on the Occupations, Interventions,and Law (O.I.L.) Page. It also includes material published on other platforms that editors deemed pertinent to post as they provide diverse depictions of O.I.L.-related topics. The pieces reflect the level of critical analysis and diversity that Jadaliyya strives for, but the views are solely the ones of their authors. If you are interested in contributing to Jadaliyya, send us your post ...
Keep Reading »O.I.L. Media Roundup (April 24)
[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on Occupation, Intervention, and Law and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the O.I.L. Page Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each biweekly roundup to OIL@jadaliyya.com by Monday night of every other week] News "Hebron Clashes Follow Maysara Abu Hamdiyeh Funeral," BBC News Following the funeral of a Palestinian detainee who died in Israeli ...
Keep Reading »O.I.L. Monthly Edition (March 2013)
[This is a monthly archive of pieces written by Jadaliyya contributors and editors on the Occupations, Interventions,and Law (O.I.L.) Page. It also includes material published on other platforms that editors deemed pertinent to post as they provide diverse depictions of O.I.L.-related topics. The pieces reflect the level of critical analysis and diversity that Jadaliyya strives for, but the views are solely the ones of their authors. If you are interested in contributing to Jadaliyya, send us your ...
Keep Reading »Noura Erakat and Rashid Khalidi on US-Israeli Relations: Interview with MSNBC's Chris Hayes
This week US President Barack Obama made his first Middle East visit of his second term in office. It was also his first trip to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) since coming into office in 2008. The purpose of the trip was to warm chilled relations with Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu, as well as to reiterate the US position towards Iran's nuclear power ambitions. In many ways, the trip signaled Obama's retreat from the region rather than the first step in an intensified ...
Keep Reading »Reporters Without Borders Enemies of Internet Report Features Iran, Bahrain, and Syria
[The following report was issued by Reporters Without Borders on 11 March 2013.] The Enemies of Internet -- Special Edition: Surveillance Introduction: Era of the Digital Mercenaries “My computer was arrested before I was.” This perceptive comment was made by a Syrian activist who had been arrested and tortured by the Assad regime. Caught by means of online surveillance, Karim Taymour told a Bloomberg journalist that, during interrogation, he was shown a stack of hundreds of ...
Keep Reading »Spider Web: The Making and Unmaking of Iran Sanctions
[The following report was issued by International Crisis Group on 25 February 2013.] Spider Web: The Making and Unmaking of Iran Sanctions Executive Summary With war a frightening prospect and fruitful negotiations a still-distant dream, sanctions have become the West’s instrument of choice vis-à-vis Iran. They are everywhere: in the financial arena, barring habitual commercial relations; in the oil sector, choking off Tehran’s principal source of currency; in the insurance sector, thwarting its ...
Keep Reading »Joint Statement on Iranian Opposition Leaders Under House Arrest
[The following statement was issued by a group of human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch, on 14 February 2013.] The Iranian authorities should immediately release from arbitrary house arrest two former presidential candidates, Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi, and Mir Hossein Mousavi's wife, Zahra Rahnavard, an author and political activist, the Nobel Peace laureate Shirin Ebadi, and six leading human rights groups said today. The authorities should also stop harassing or ...
Keep Reading »New Texts Out Now: Dina Rizk Khoury, Iraq in Wartime: Soldiering, Martyrdom, and Remembrance
Dina Rizk Khoury, Iraq in Wartime: Soldiering, Martyrdom, and Remembrance. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, 2013. Jadaliyya (J): What made you write this book? Dina Rizk Khoury (DRK): The 2003 US invasion of Iraq was the chief impetus for writing this book. I had been about halfway through writing a book on the politics of reform and rebellion in Ottoman Baghdad when the build-up for the 2003 invasion began. Ottoman Baghdad receded very quickly from my focus. I was frustrated as a ...
Keep Reading »Reporters Without Borders: Mourning Mothers Spokesperson to be Jailed for 6 Months
[The following statement was issued by Reporters Without Borders on 17 January 2013.] Reporters Without Borders is deeply concerned to learn that Mansoureh Behkish, a netizen and founder of the Mourning Mothers movement, has been told to report to the sentence application court at Tehran’s Evin prison on 29 January to begin serving a six-month jail sentence. “We urge the authorities not to jail Behkish,” Reporters Without Borders said. “The way she has been hounded for years is typical of the ...
Keep Reading »Letter Concerning Imprisonment and Maltreatment of Omid Kokabee
[The following letter was issued by the Committee on Academic Freedom of the Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA).] 3 January 2013 Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran c/o H.E. Mohammad Khazaee Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations 662 Third Avenue New York, NY 10017 Your Excellency, I write to you on behalf of the Committee on ...
Keep Reading »O.I.L. Monthly Edition on Jadaliyya (November 2012)
[This is a monthly archive of pieces written by Jadaliyya contributors and editors on the Occupations, Interventions,and Law (O.I.L.) Page. It also includes material published on other platforms that editors deemed pertinent to post as they provide diverse depictions of O.I.L.-related topics. The pieces reflect the level of critical analysis and diversity that Jadaliyya strives for, but the views are solely the ones of their authors. If you are interested in contributing to Jadaliyya, send us your post ...
Keep Reading »Egyptian Protesters and Imprisoned Iranian Hunger Striker: Interviews with Mona El Ghobashy, Hesham Sallam and Hadi Ghaemi
Egyptians are revolting once again but this time against an elected President: Mohammed Morsi, who just passed a series of presidential decrees giving him near-dictatorial powers. Almost two years after the fall of Hosni Mubarak, Egypt remains mired in major political struggles between the remnants of Hosni Mubarak's regime, the Muslim Brotherhood, and the rest of Egyptian political opinion. What is the balance of power as it stands now between the different competing political movements in Egypt, and ...
Keep Reading »Hot on Facebook
.jpg)
“It was a blissfully naïve assumption that a civilian prime minister could battle a powerful and deeply embedded military regime—the very regime that appointed him—but I wanted to believe in him.”click | email | tweet
.jpg){kind=small}
From Jadaliyya Reports
Top Jadaliyya Tags
Jadalicious / جدلشس
Noteworthy
Twitter Updates
Jadaliyya Features
.jpg)
Latest Entries
View All Entries »- Al Jazeera Management Orders Joseph Massad Article Pulled in an Act of Pro-Israel Censorship
- سعادت حسن منتو: قصة قصيرة
- Reports Roundup (May 18)
- Injuries, Arrests and House Raids: The Case of a Bahraini Family
- الليبرالية الفلسطينية أمام القضاء الإسرائيلي
- ما هي النكبة؟
- Academic Freedom and the Middle East: A Handbook for Teaching and Research
- Syria's Inglorious Basterd
- Maghreb Media Roundup (May 17)
- Buckling to Bigotry: The Newseum Dishonors Murdered Palestinian Journalists
- كتب: أطفال الندى
- Statement of the Arab and Middle East Journalists Association in Reference to Newseum Scandal
- New Texts Out Now: Maya Mikdashi, What is Settler Colonialism? and Sherene Seikaly, Return to the Present
- On the Margins Roundup (May)
- On the American Association of University Professors' Opposition to Academic Boycotts
- The Palestinian Museum: An Agent Of Empowerment And Integration For Palestinians
- An Ongoing Displacement: The Forced Exile of the Palestinians
- Syria Media Roundup (May 16)
- The Ongoing Nakba: The Forcible Displacement of the Palestinian People
- Nakba 2013: The Palestinian Youth Movement Commemorates 65 Years of Al Nakba (Introduction)
Pages/Sections
Archive
©2010-2013 by the Arab Studies Institute. All Rights Reserved. info@jadaliyya.com
site by concepcion design