Iran and the West: Showdown or Impasse?

Modernity and tradition confront one another everywhere in the Middle East. In Iran, however, the international repercussions of the domestic conflict between them can prove particularly severe. Ignoring the delicate balance existing between theocracy and democracy, Islamic law and human rights, Western nations have been looking with increasing suspicion upon the decision of the Iranian…

According to a famous dictum of Realpolitik, two things cannot be changed: one is geography and the other is history.  As the Bush Administration faces the prospect of choosing continued hostility or fresh engagement with Iran’s newly-elected hard line regime over the country’s supposed nuclear proliferation efforts, both of these non-variables should be considered carefully.…

Mike Simmons “WE WELCOME THE ASTRONOMERS OF THE USA AND GERMANY TO OUR CITY.” The small billboard rose over the town’s central intersection, welcoming us to this rural town of 10,000. We were few in number, so the celebration of our arrival was a delightful surprise. But surprise turned to astonishment as we passed banner…

US ACADEMICS FOR PEACE In early 2003 “US Academics Against the War,” a delegation comprised of 37 professors from 28 US universities, traveled to Baghdad on a fact-finding mission. We held talks with Iraqi academic colleagues, government officials, and non-governmental actors, six weeks prior to the Bush administration’s attack on Iraq. This initiative followed a…