Hezbollah Involvement in the Syrian Civil War
For Iran and Hezbollah, the preservation of Bashar Assad’s regime is of supreme strategic importance.
Read more...
Iran
Spotlight on Iran – The woman by his side: Zahra Moshir – Will the mayor’s wife become Iran’s first lady?
In recent years the wives of Iranian politicians gain wider media exposure than in the past. In the 2009 presidential election, Zahra Rahnavard, the wife of reformist opposition leader Mir-Hossein Mousavi, was put at the forefront of her husband’s campaign. In contrast, A’zam Sadat Farahi, the wife of President Ahmadinejad, made only a few appearances
Read more...
Spotlight on Iran – Minority vote: the presidential election and Iran’s ethno-linguistic minorities
The presidential election is once again raising the question of the government’s policy towards the ethno-linguistic minorities that make up nearly half of Iran’s population.
Read more...
Spotlight on Iran – How to turn a lackluster diplomat into a president? Sa’id Jalili’s election strategy
In recent days, Sa’id Jalili, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, has emerged as one of the most prominent candidates in Iran’s presidential elections.
Read more...
Spotlight on Iran – Politics and modesty: the debate on Rafsanjani’s Mercedes
The launch of Ali-Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani’s presidential bid has his political opponents stepping up their efforts to paint him as a corrupt politician, being part of a campaign to undermine his legitimacy in the eyes of the public.
Read more...
Spotlight on Iran – “Circles of the righteous”: a vehicle for the Basij to potentially influence the presidential election campaign
The Supreme Leader’s representative to the Basij announced this week that, if the Revolutionary Guards and the Basij want to intervene in the coming elections for the president of Iran, they will be able to do so through the “circles of the righteous”, study groups for ideological and religious training run by the Basij.
Read more...