Why Iran’s Hardliners Love the iPhone and McDonalds Sanctions
If you’re an Iranian who wants to get the latest iPhone, iPad or Macbook, it may just be easier for you to purchase one in Iran than in the U.S. New pressures to “tighten the noose” on Iran through sanctions have indeed led to discrimination against Persian-speakers at Apple Stores. One has to wonder how […]
Salamatian on society, state, and sanctions in Iran
The following is a transcription from an interview with Ahmad Salamatian on the French radio France Culture (on February 20, 2012). Mr. Salamatian, a political analyst who served in the Islamic Republic’s first government under Bani Sadr and cofounded the Committee for the Defense of Freedom and Human Rights, explains the evolution of Iranian society […]
Cultural Exchanges Cannot be Ignored, Part 2
By normalizing relations, the US and Iran can help foster more official cultural exchanges. For now, however, it is difficult for outsiders to get into Iran and for Iranians to get out of Iran, but there have been a considerable number of success stories of unofficial exchanges – some of which I touched on in […]
Cultural Exchanges Cannot be Ignored, Part 1 of 2
The following is a two-part series on cultural exchanges. The first part discusses American journalists and tourists in Iran, and the second part will discuss Iranian musicians performing in the US. Part One: