TEHERAN: The trial of thirteen Iranian Jews on espionage charges is but the latest sign of a conservative backlash against Iran's reform movement, headed by President Mohammed Khatami. Conservatives want not only to silence the reformers, but to provoke confrontation.
Closure of pro-reform newspapers, and the arrests of reform-minded journalists seem deliberate attempts to goad the reformers, who won a majority of seats in last February's first round of parliamentary elections. For if the reformers are incited into demonstrating and street chaos ensues, the security forces will have a handy excuse for a crackdown. In the state of emergency likely to follow, installation of a new parliament might be delayed.
Recognizing this, reform leaders urge restraint on their supporters. They are confident about eventual triumph, because the majority of youth and women support reform. Two thirds of Iran's 65 million people are under 25 years old. But young people in Iran, as everywhere, are not known for patience. Here lies the threat of unrest.
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Americans have long seen their country as morally exceptional, but their exceptionalism actually comprises three distinct views. Whichever prevails in next year’s presidential election will have significant implications for ongoing conflicts in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
identifies three strands of the concept and their implications for US foreign policy after next year’s election.
With a likely rematch between Joe Biden and Donald Trump in the 2024 US presidential election, America and the rest of the world were heading into a perilous period even before the latest conflagration in the Middle East. Turmoil in the region will cloud the broader economic outlook – and could dim Biden’s chances.
worries global economic and political developments will put Donald Trump back in the White House.
Around the world, foreign-policy strategists are grappling with new international dynamics, from the Sino-American rivalry and ongoing hot wars to the broader breakdown in multilateral global governance. However, there is much debate about whether global power and alignments are truly shifting, and in what ways.
consider whether the world will become more multipolar or “non-aligned” in the new year.
TEHERAN: The trial of thirteen Iranian Jews on espionage charges is but the latest sign of a conservative backlash against Iran's reform movement, headed by President Mohammed Khatami. Conservatives want not only to silence the reformers, but to provoke confrontation.
Closure of pro-reform newspapers, and the arrests of reform-minded journalists seem deliberate attempts to goad the reformers, who won a majority of seats in last February's first round of parliamentary elections. For if the reformers are incited into demonstrating and street chaos ensues, the security forces will have a handy excuse for a crackdown. In the state of emergency likely to follow, installation of a new parliament might be delayed.
Recognizing this, reform leaders urge restraint on their supporters. They are confident about eventual triumph, because the majority of youth and women support reform. Two thirds of Iran's 65 million people are under 25 years old. But young people in Iran, as everywhere, are not known for patience. Here lies the threat of unrest.
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