Argument
What Assad Taught Iran
Like the Assad regime that it assisted, the Islamic Republic has responded to mass protests by committing atrocities and claiming that protesters are foreign-backed “terrorists and spies.” The parallels indicate how far Iran is willing to go to ensure its survival.
Alawite Politics After Assad
After the fall of the Assad regime, Syria’s Alawites are navigating collective blame, political exclusion and existential fear. With no armed force, no institutions and no trusted leadership, their turn to religious protest reflects not sectarian ambition but a desperate search for survival.
The Academic Justification for Male Supremacy
Jeffrey Epstein funded academic research to the tune of around $20 million per year. As the names of academics started appearing in news headlines, I checked the Epstein files myself, which revealed the names of old associates and painted a picture of a cozy circle of mutually supporting elites.
The New South Asian Power Brokers in the United States
For decades, “South Asian” in the U.S. meant affluent Indian Americans in tech and business tied to corporate power and Hindu nationalism. But Zohran Mamdani’s rise signals a more expansive identity, one that is also working-class, coalition-driven, critical of nationalist politics — and includes Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Nepali and Indo-Caribbean communities.
The Limited Power of Iran’s President
When President Masoud Pezeshkian suggested that Iran should avoid escalating tensions with its Arab neighbors, observers speculated that the country’s leadership was splintering. But the presidency, which once appeared to embody the executive authority of the Islamic Republic, has been steadily eroding for decades.
The Unresolved Contradictions Ali Khamenei Leaves Behind
Ali Khamenei’s journey took him from literary modernism to revolutionary Islamism. With the supreme leader’s death, Iranians are left to reckon with the political order he shaped and the unresolved contradictions he leaves behind. The impending succession now places the Islamic republic’s future in question.
Iran Is Not on the Brink of Revolution, It Has Entered a Long Decline
In Iran today, acts of quiet defiance have become part of everyday life. In the country’s major cities, one sees unveiled women in public places. Protest songs circulate widely. But outside observers who believe the country is on the cusp of another revolution are fundamentally mistaken.