As they watch the fall of longtime Arab dictators, some Iranians are beginning to wonder whether nonviolent civil resistance is a viable strategy against a regime that has not hesitated to employ overwhelming violence and intimidation against peaceful protesters.
Since an earthquake and subsequent tsunami damaged Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant, a growing number of Iranian opinion makers are arguing that Tehran's nuclear program is in fact endangering, not enhancing, the security and economic well being of its citizenry.
The 2011 conference focused on new actors and new agendas, reflecting the need to develop cooperative responses to challenges being posed by changing technology, distributions of political power, interest in nuclear energy, and security conditions in key regions.
With popular protest movements engulfing the Middle East, Iran’s opposition movement hopes to rekindle the momentum that brought millions of Iranians to the streets in the summer of 2009.
The aim of U.S. diplomacy should be to reconcile Iran's nuclear ambitions with international concerns about proliferation and to address the broader issues raised by Iran's regional behavior.
While the fall of Western-oriented Arab governments may appear to be a blow to Washington and a boon for Tehran, the expectation that Iran will fill the Middle East power vacuum is short-sighted.
Since Iran’s power in the Middle East is due chiefly to its political influence, rather than its military prowess, U.S. policy should aim to dilute Tehran’s influence abroad and strengthen moderate forces within Iran.
As Egypt begins its efforts to create a more democratic and inclusive government, Iran seems to be moving in the opposite direct.
As unrest continues throughout the Middle East, members of the Iranian parliament have called for the execution of leading opposition figures and concerns are growing that Iranian regime will impose a brutal crackdown on protesters.
In both Egypt and Iran, youth are at the forefront of the struggle for change as both governments must struggle to generate jobs for their growing populations and diminish the growing gap between the rich and the poor.
















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