Iranians voted for a clerical bureaucrat with whom they have hardly anything in common because they want democracy – and believe it should take precedence over shari’a, according to a recent survey.
“Having lived with clerical rule for decades, Iranians …
Reports that Iran’s president-elect, Hassan Rohani spoke approvingly about concealing his nation’s nuclear program have raised fresh concerns about his moderate credentials. 
“Rohani is not an outsider and any gains by him do not mean the system is weak …
Afro-Cuban dissident Cuesta Morua (right) can’t understand why some American progressives who marched with Martin Luther King Jr. or identify with him today can support a regime that would never permit a similar movement, writes The Washington Post’s Harold …
The transition from authoritarianism to democracy is notoriously difficult, according to Council on Foreign Relations analysts Isobel Coleman and Terra Lawson-Remer. Countries like Egypt, Tunisia and Myanmar should draw on the democratization experience of Poland, Ukraine, Thailand, Indonesia, …
“For a lesson in what Hasan Rohani’s reformist-backed presidency could mean for Iran, a promise Sunday by the ultra-powerful Revolutionary Guard to cooperate with him is a good guide,” Associated Press reports:
Like the rest of Iran’s ruling Islamic …
“U.S. President Barack Obama announced more than $300 million in new humanitarian aid on Monday to address the Syrian crisis and to help neighboring countries cope with the 1.6 million refugees who have fled the civil war,” Reuters reports.
Obama …
Iran’s newly-elected president is no reformist, say analysts, while human rights advocates recall that he welcomed a fatal crackdown on student protests by the hardline Basij militia and Revolutionary Guards in 1999.
“As Iranians responded to the victory of the …
Iran: As polls open today, Radio Farda, the BBC and other media outlets protest attempts to intimidate their Persian-language reporters. RFE/RL live-blogs the day’s activity here, and click here for continuously updated coverage of election-related issues, developments and …
While the outside world is focused on the implications of Iran’s presidential election for the regime’s nuclear program, for the average Iranian voter the key is its impact on her pocketbook, says a leading dissident.
“Iran’s industrial workers, teachers, nurses, …
Engineering elections is more difficult than Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Revolutionary Guard allies had imagined, says a leading analyst.
“With Friday’s elections a day away, every indication is that a candidate’s chances of victory is inversely correlated to their professed …