Month: January 2007

Assignment One: Democracy in Iran?

To succeed on this assignment, you must:

1. Read and analyze the documents on the following links:

Frontline on Democracy in Iran
BBC on Democracy in Iran
Iran Breifing Paper pages 35-40 ONLY (from “Citizens and Society” through “Gender”)

2. post (where it says “comments” below) a one page single-spaced op-ed citing ample evidence from EACH article (insufficient evidence from EACH article will result in a zero). Your op-ed should carefully address the relationship between Islam and Democracy in Iran.

Structural-Functional Analysis Made Easy (Sort Of)

Iran’s complex political system combines elements of a modern Islamic theocracy with democracy. The whole system operates under a Supreme Leader who is, in theory, appointed by an elected body but is in practice answerable to nobody. The key question is how this system develops in the ongoing struggle between reformists and conservatives.

To answer this question, I have two posted two interactive flow charts which should help you to cultivate structural-functional analyses of Iran’s Political system:

One is Here

The Other is Here

Here is a nice visual from the NYT 

Here is a short cartoon explainer

Here is some teacher who explains it reasonably well. If nothing else, he has a splendid haircut:

Your task is to be prepared for a quiz on the structures and functions of the Iranian government.

Ahmadinejad's letter to Americans

In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
O, Almighty God, bestow upon humanity the perfect human being promised to all by You, and make us among his followers.

Feel more of this enlightened theocrat’s loving embrace here

Interview with Shirin Ebadi

Shirin Ebadi, age 56, has fought for women’s rights, children’s rights and human rights for years, defending political activists and other human rights lawyers. Ebadi was Iran’s first woman judge before the 1979 Islamic revolution — at which point she was fired by the mullahs. As a lawyer, writer and part-time lecturer at Tehran University, she has argued that there is no contradiction between Islam and human rights. She has been previously jailed for her defense of political activists. Currently Shirin Ebadi has taken on the case of Zahra Kazemi, the Canadian journalist murdered in Iran.

Read the Interview Here 

National Public Radio Stories

Iranian Politicians Resist Ahmadinejad

January 17, 2007 · Political tensions are rising within Iran, as conservative lawmakers speak out more freely against President Ahmadinejad’s economic policies. It’s a tangible shift in the period following Iranian elections in December. Gareth Smyth of The Financial Times discusses developments with Renee Montagne. Listen here

Iran Facing Dangerous Brain Drain

January 15, 2007 · An increasing number of young Iranian professionals are emigrating in search of work, despite the obstacles to obtaining work permits in developed nation. It’s a brain drain with significant economic and social consequences for the Islamic Republic. Listen here

Islamic Conflicts and Their Impact on the Future

July 19, 2006 · Middle East expert Vali Nasr talks about the latest developments there, and about his book The Shia Revival: How Conflicts Within Islam Will Shape the Future. Listen here





guangzhou wealth and discontents

Guangzhou, the chaotic export capital in southern China, appeared to hit a major Chinese milestone this month, becoming the country’s first city to reach a per capita income of $10,000 — more than five times the nationwide figure and a rough threshold for becoming a “developed” country.

But in a measure of just how problematic prosperity can be here, the city will institute a ban on motorcycles and motorized bicycles on Monday, hoping to quell a crime wave that has been building to more than 100,000 offenses a year.

Read it Here

The Complex and Evloving Social Fabric China

For Chinese punks today, it might take screaming to be heard. They make up a small slice of the music industry here, and they play to a largely underground scene. But their struggle to gain attention provides a glimpse of what it’s like to be a rebel in a country that suppresses dissent and individuality, and an artist in a culture that worships money and Western fads. Sociological phenomenon. Political implications?

Dog Lovers arrested in rare Beijing Protest

The Internet Keeps the Tianenman Spirit Alive

Washington Post on Internet Censorship

The Cauldron Boils