DOCSLIB.ORG

IFLA Journal, Vol. 34, No. 1 2008

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

IFLA IFLA JOURNAL Offi cial Journal of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions Volume 34 (2008) No. 1, pp. 1–120. ISSN 0340–0352 SAGE Publications CONTENTS Editorial: From Grassroots to National Libraries Stephen Parker . 3 The President’s Page Claudia Lux, IFLA President, 2007–2009 . 5 Facilitating Grassroots Development: the role of ALP in Division VIII countries G.E. Gorman, Daniel G. Dorner and Birgitta Sandell . 7 Reaching Out to Vulnerable Groups in China: a broad library with social inclusion Li Zhaochun and Huang Qunqing . 13 E-Government in the Islamic Republic of Iran: reaching out to the world? Nancy Beygijanian and John V. Richardson Jr. 20 Recognizing Best Practice in Portuguese Higher Education Libraries Luiza Baptista Melo, Cesaltina Pires and Ana Taveira . 34 The Refl ective Online Searching Skills (ROSS) Environment: embedding information literacy into student learning through an online environment Helen Partridge, Sylvia Edwards, Andrew Baker and Lynn McAllister. 55 Library Personalization Systems: an Indian experience V.K.J. Jeevan. 72 Library Services for Blind People: an African perspective William Rowland . 84 The National Library of Pakistan: an overview Pervaiz Ahmad . 90 REPORT How to Get Libraries on to the Political Agenda. The President’s Workshop on Successful Lobbying in Durban Bernd Schleh . 99 NEWS (with separate Table of Contents) . 101 INTERNATIONAL CALENDAR . 106 SOMMAIRES 108 — ZUSAMMENFASSUNGEN 110 — RESÚMENES 112 — Pефераты статей 114 . 108 NNotesotes fforor CContributorsontributors . 117 Visit http://ifl .sagepub.com Free access to tables of contents and abstracts. Site-wide access to the full text for members of subscribing institutions. IFLA Journal Offi cial Journal of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions ISSN 0340-0352 [print] 1745-2651 [online] Published 4 times a year in March, June, October and December Editor: Stephen Parker, Apt. 1C, Edifício Rosa dos Ventos, Rua Rosa Parracho 27, Cascais 2750-778, Portugal. E-mail: [email protected] Editorial Committee David Miller (Chair), Levin Library, Curry College, Milton, MA, USA. E-mail: [email protected] Michèle Battisti, Association des professionels de I’information et de documentation (ADBS), Paris, France. E-mail: [email protected] Galina Kislovskaya, Russian State Library, Moscow, Russian Federation. E-mail: [email protected] Alli Mcharazo, Tanzania Library Service, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Email: [email protected] Christobal Pasadas Ureña, Universidad de Granada Biblioteca, Facultad de Psicología, Granada, Spain. Email: [email protected] Christine Wellems, Buergerschaftskanzlei, Parlamentarische Informationsdienste, Hamburg, Germany. E-mail: [email protected] Wu Jianzhong, Shanghai Library, Shanghai, China. Email: [email protected] Stephen Parker (United Kingdom) (Editor, ex offi cio) Publisher SAGE, Los Angeles, London, New Delhi and Singapore. Copyright © 2008 International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. UK: Apart from fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, and only as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Acts 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the Publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency (www.cla.co.uk/). US: Authorization to photocopy journal material may be obtained directly from SAGE Publications or through a licence from the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. (www.copyright.com/). Inquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the Publishers at the address below. Annual subscription (4 issues, 2008) Free to IFLA members. Non-members: full rate (includes electronic version) £191/$344. Prices include postage. Full rate subscriptions include the right for members of the subscribing institution to access the electronic content of the journal at no extra charge from SAGE. The content can be accessed online through a number of electronic journal intermediaries, who may charge for access. Free email alerts of contents listings are also available. For full details visit the SAGE website: www.sagepublications.com Student discounts, single issue rates and advertising details are available from SAGE, 1 Oliver’s Yard, 55 City Road, London EC1Y 1SP, UK. Tel: +44 (0) 20 7324 8500; fax +44 (0) 20 7324 8600; email: [email protected]; website: www. sagepublications.com. In North America from SAGE Publications, 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91359, USA. Periodicals postage paid at Rahway, NJ. Postmaster: Send address corrections to IFLA Journal, c/o Mercury Airfreight International Ltd, 365 Blair Road, Avenel, NJ 07001, USA. The IFLA Journal is abstracted/indexed in Library and Information Science Abstracts, Multicultural Education Abstracts, PAIS International and Sociological Abstracts. Typeset by Star Compugraphics Private Limited, Delhi Printed in Great Britain on acid-free paper by The Cromwell Press Ltd, Trowbridge, Wiltshire EDITORIAL From Grassroots to National Libraries Stephen Parker ‘E-Government in the Islamic Republic of Iran: reaching out to the world? ‘ by Nancy Beygijanian Appropriately enough, the fi rst paper in this issue and Dr. John V. Richardson Jr. from the University deals with IFLA itself – specifi cally, with its of California Los Angeles (UCLA). This paper aims Advancement of Development through Libraries to reveal the nature and extent of the offi cial (ALP) programme. In ‘Facilitating Grassroots English language websites of the Islamic Republic Development: the role of ALP in Division VIII of Iran and the motivating factors for the use of countries’, Gary E. Gorman, Daniel G. Dorner English on these sites. The main reasons for the and Birgitta Sandell describe the origins and relatively large number of English language sites development of ALP) and outline the ALP philo- are considered to be the promotion of tourism, a sophy, which is based on a belief in grassroots desire for international scientifi c cooperation, and development. Since 1991, 181 ALP projects, mainly increased fi nancial dealings. The paper provides concerned with different aspects of training have information on the English language content of been carried out at a total cost of more than USD the main Iranian government websites, identifi es 3 million. The grassroots approach means that some of the obstacles to effective access to this projects are initiated from within the developing content, and argues for improvements in Iranian regions and carried out by colleagues in the re- website design, so that the Iranian government gions. The paper identifi es the characteristics of can fully achieve its goals. a good project and briefl y describes some ex- amples of good training workshop projects. It From Asia we move to Europe, with a paper on concludes that, while ALP is very important to ‘Recognizing Best Practice in Portuguese Higher library development and the visibility of IFLA Education Libraries’, by Luiza Baptista Melo of in developing countries, the fi nancial support the Faculty of Science of the University of Porto, base – provided up to now mainly by the Nordic Cesaltina Pires of the Management Department countries – needs to be broadened. of Évora University and Ana Taveira of the University of the Azores. The paper describes The next paper provides brief but vivid descriptions an ongoing project to assess the performance of of a number of grassroots activities undertaken by library services, resulting from a partnership of six the Sun Yat-sen Library of Guangdong Province Portuguese higher education libraries. The study in China. In ‘Reaching out to Vulnerable Groups involves: selection of criteria to be evaluated and in China: a broad library with social inclusion’, selection of their corresponding performance Li Zhaochun, Chief Librarian of the Sun Yat-sen indicators; data collection and analysis; and Library, and his colleague Huang Qunqing point identifi cation of best practices. The selection of the out that various groups of people in China are criteria to be evaluated is based on a mixed model facing social exclusion. They include those who combining the Common Assessment Framework are unemployed or suffer ill health, labourers with and the Balanced Scorecard, while the associated poor skills, teenagers in prisons, residents suffering performance indicators are in accordance with from natural disasters, and peasants in the remote international standards. countryside. The Sun Yat-sen Library has been active in providing services to these vulnerable We remain with academic libraries in the next groups, creating 56 branch libraries countrywide. paper, which describes an e-learning tool designed The paper describes innovative services provided to develop student skill and knowledge in online to residents of a special community for families searching. The tool was developed at the Queens- with fi nancial diffi culties, to prisoners – especially land University of Technology in Australia. ‘The juveniles and prisoner students – to a library de- Refl ective Online Searching Skills (ROSS) Envir- vastated by fl ooding, and to two remote mountain onment: embedding information literacy into communities in Tibet. student learning through an online environment”, by Helen Partridge, Sylvia Edwards, Andrew Baker A very different aspect of information dis-
Recommended publications
  • The IRGC in the Age of Ebrahim Raisi: Decision-Making and Factionalism in Iran’S Revolutionary Guard

    The IRGC in the Age of Ebrahim Raisi: Decision-Making and Factionalism in Iran’S Revolutionary Guard

    The IRGC in the Age of Ebrahim Raisi: Decision-Making and Factionalism in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard SAEID GOLKAR AUGUST 2021 KASRA AARABI Contents Executive Summary 4 The Raisi Administration, the IRGC and the Creation of a New Islamic Government 6 The IRGC as the Foundation of Raisi’s Islamic Government The Clergy and the Guard: An Inseparable Bond 16 No Coup in Sight Upholding Clerical Superiority and Preserving Religious Legitimacy The Importance of Understanding the Guard 21 Shortcomings of Existing Approaches to the IRGC A New Model for Understanding the IRGC’s Intra-elite Factionalism 25 The Economic Vertex The Political Vertex The Security-Intelligence Vertex Charting IRGC Commanders’ Positions on the New Model Shades of Islamism: The Ideological Spectrum in the IRGC Conclusion 32 About the Authors 33 Saeid Golkar Kasra Aarabi Endnotes 34 4 The IRGC in the Age of Ebrahim Raisi Executive Summary “The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps [IRGC] has excelled in every field it has entered both internationally and domestically, including security, defence, service provision and construction,” declared Ayatollah Ebrahim Raisi, then chief justice of Iran, in a speech to IRGC commanders on 17 March 2021.1 Four months on, Raisi, who assumes Iran’s presidency on 5 August after the country’s June 2021 election, has set his eyes on further empowering the IRGC with key ministerial and bureaucratic positions likely to be awarded to guardsmen under his new government. There is a clear reason for this ambition. Expanding the power of the IRGC serves the interests of both Raisi and his 82-year-old mentor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic.
  • Examining 10 Warning Signs of Iran Nuclear Weapons

    Examining 10 Warning Signs of Iran Nuclear Weapons

    International Committee In Search of Justice (ISJ) President: Dr. Alejo Vidal-Quadras Rue d’Arlon 63, B-1040 Brussels Belgium Tel : +32 2 400 1071 [email protected] www.isjcommittee.com EXAMINING 10 WARNING SIGNS OF IRAN NUCLEAR WEAPONS DEVELOPMENT NOVEMBER 20,2014 Dr. Alejo Vidal Quadras, Former Vice‐President of European Parliament, Professor of Atomic and Nuclear Physics: “An objective, thoroughly researched report on the core issue of the nature of Iranian nuclear program and its status”. Bob Jospeh, Former US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, Senior White House Security Council staff on weapons of mass destruction: “A critically important report at a critically important time”. John Bolton, former US Ambassador to the UN, former Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security: "A timely and well document report with alarming findings on Iran's nuclear program." Contents Executive summary Chapter 1: SPND (organ in charge of weaponization) Chapter 2: Procurement of dual purpose equipment and its possible use for military dimensions of nuclear program Chapter 3: Secret enrichment of uranium Chapter 4: Enrichment using laser technology Chapter 5: High explosives tests and trigger mechanism Chapter 6: Neutron initiator Chapter 7: Manufacturing uranium metal (uranium hemisphere) Chapter 8: Hydro-dynamic tests and explosion vessels at Parchin site Chapter 9: Research on nuclear warhead Chapter 10: Key scientists and researchers engaged in possible military dimensions of nuclear program International Committee In Search of Justice (ISJ) was initially formed in 2008 as an informal group of EU parliamentarians to seek justice for the Iranian democratic opposition.
  • Iran's Nuclear Ambitions From

    Iran's Nuclear Ambitions From

    IDENTITY AND LEGITIMACY: IRAN’S NUCLEAR AMBITIONS FROM NON- TRADITIONAL PERSPECTIVES Pupak Mohebali Doctor of Philosophy University of York Politics June 2017 Abstract This thesis examines the impact of Iranian elites’ conceptions of national identity on decisions affecting Iran's nuclear programme and the P5+1 nuclear negotiations. “Why has the development of an indigenous nuclear fuel cycle been portrayed as a unifying symbol of national identity in Iran, especially since 2002 following the revelation of clandestine nuclear activities”? This is the key research question that explores the Iranian political elites’ perspectives on nuclear policy actions. My main empirical data is elite interviews. Another valuable source of empirical data is a discourse analysis of Iranian leaders’ statements on various aspects of the nuclear programme. The major focus of the thesis is how the discourses of Iranian national identity have been influential in nuclear decision-making among the national elites. In this thesis, I examine Iranian national identity components, including Persian nationalism, Shia Islamic identity, Islamic Revolutionary ideology, and modernity and technological advancement. Traditional rationalist IR approaches, such as realism fail to explain how effective national identity is in the context of foreign policy decision-making. I thus discuss the connection between national identity, prestige and bargaining leverage using a social constructivist approach. According to constructivism, states’ cultures and identities are not established realities, but the outcomes of historical and social processes. The Iranian nuclear programme has a symbolic nature that mingles with socially constructed values. There is the need to look at Iran’s nuclear intentions not necessarily through the lens of a nuclear weapons programme, but rather through the regime’s overall nuclear aspirations.
  • Supreme Leader Appoints Members for the New Term of the Expediency Council - 14 /Mar/ 2012

    Supreme Leader Appoints Members for the New Term of the Expediency Council - 14 /Mar/ 2012

    Supreme Leader Appoints Members for the New Term of the Expediency Council - 14 /Mar/ 2012 In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful I am thankful to Allah the Exalted that with Allah’s grace, the Expediency Council managed to finish another 5-year term with an acceptable record and hopefully the outcomes and benefits of the legal measures of the council will produce good results in managerial areas of the country – the three branches of government, the Armed Forces and other organizations – and everybody will see the outcomes. I would like to thank all of the esteemed members, the chairman and the secretariat of the council and for the new 5-year term, I hereby assign the following legal and natural persons under the chairmanship of Hojjatoleslam wal- Muslemin Hashemi Rafsanjani: The legal persons are as follows: Heads of the three branches of government Jurisprudents of the Guardian Council The secretary of the Supreme National Security Council The minister or chairperson of the relevant organization The chairperson of the relevant parliamentary commissions The natural persons are as follows: Mr. Hashemi Rafsanjani, Mr. Hajj Sheikh Ahmad Jannati, Mr. Vaez Tabasi, Mr. Amini Najafabadi, Mr. Seyyed Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, Mr. Movahedi Kermani, Mr. Ali-Akbar Nategh-Nuri, Mr. Hajj Sheikh Hasan Sanei, Mr. Hasan Rouhani, Mr. Dorri Najafabadi, Mr. Gholam-Hossein Mohseni, Mr. Mahmoud Mohammadi Eraghi, Mr. Gholam-Reza Mesbahi Moghaddam, Mr. Majid Ansari, Mr. Gholam-Reza Aghazadeh, Mr. Ali Agha-Mohammadi, Mr. Mohammad-Javad Iravani, Mr. Mohammad-Reza Bahonar, Mr. Gholam-Ali Haddad Adel, Mr. Hasan Habibi, Page 1 / 2 Mr.
  • Examining 10 Warning Signs of Iran Nuclear Weapons Development

    Examining 10 Warning Signs of Iran Nuclear Weapons Development

    International Committee In Search of Justice (ISJ) President: Dr. Alejo Vidal-Quadras Rue d’Arlon 63, B-1040 Brussels Belgium Tel : +32 2 400 1071 [email protected] www.isjcommittee.com EXAMINING 10 WARNING SIGNS OF IRAN NUCLEAR WEAPONS DEVELOPMENT NOVEMBER 20,2014 Dr. Alejo Vidal Quadras, Former Vice‐President of European Parliament, Professor of Atomic and Nuclear Physics: “An objective, thoroughly researched report on the core issue of the nature of Iranian nuclear program and its status”. Bob Jospeh, Former US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, Senior White House Security Council staff on weapons of mass destruction: “A critically important report at a critically important time”. John Bolton, former US Ambassador to the UN, former Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security: "A timely and well document report with alarming findings on Iran's nuclear program." Contents Executive summary Chapter 1: SPND (organ in charge of weaponization) Chapter 2: Procurement of dual purpose equipment and its possible use for military dimensions of nuclear program Chapter 3: Secret enrichment of uranium Chapter 4: Enrichment using laser technology Chapter 5: High explosives tests and trigger mechanism Chapter 6: Neutron initiator Chapter 7: Manufacturing uranium metal (uranium hemisphere) Chapter 8: Hydro-dynamic tests and explosion vessels at Parchin site Chapter 9: Research on nuclear warhead Chapter 10: Key scientists and researchers engaged in possible military dimensions of nuclear program International Committee In Search of Justice (ISJ) was initially formed in 2008 as an informal group of EU parliamentarians to seek justice for the Iranian democratic opposition.
  • Country Report Iran September 2017

    Country Report Iran September 2017

    _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Country Report Iran Generated on November 13th 2017 Economist Intelligence Unit 20 Cabot Square London E14 4QW United Kingdom _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Economist Intelligence Unit The Economist Intelligence Unit is a specialist publisher serving companies establishing and managing operations across national borders. For 60 years it has been a source of information on business developments, economic and political trends, government regulations and corporate practice worldwide. The Economist Intelligence Unit delivers its information in four ways: through its digital portfolio, where the latest analysis is updated daily; through printed subscription products ranging from newsletters to annual reference works; through research reports; and by organising seminars and presentations. The firm is a member of The Economist Group. London New York The Economist Intelligence Unit The Economist Intelligence Unit 20 Cabot Square The Economist Group London 750 Third Avenue E14 4QW 5th Floor United Kingdom New York, NY 10017, US Tel: +44 (0) 20 7576 8181 Tel: +1 212 541 0500 Fax: +44 (0) 20 7576 8476 Fax: +1 212 586 0248 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Hong Kong Geneva The Economist Intelligence Unit The Economist Intelligence Unit 1301 Cityplaza Four Rue de l’Athénée 32 12 Taikoo Wan Road 1206 Geneva Taikoo Shing Switzerland Hong Kong Tel: +852 2585 3888 Tel: +41 22 566 24 70 Fax: +852 2802 7638 Fax: +41 22 346 93 47 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] This report can be accessed electronically as soon as it is published by visiting store.eiu.com or by contacting a local sales representative.
  • Nuclear Proliferation Policy Debate a Discussion of Nuclear Technology’S Impact on Foreign Policy

    Nuclear Proliferation Policy Debate a Discussion of Nuclear Technology’S Impact on Foreign Policy

    WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE Nuclear Proliferation Policy Debate A Discussion of Nuclear Technology’s Impact on Foreign Policy Stephen Kressaty, Justin Torres, Mathew Skerritt 3/2/2012 1 Table of Contents Overview ....................................................................................................................................................... 1 Nuclear Proliferation in Iran ........................................................................................................................ 6 Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 7 Understanding Present Day Iran ............................................................................................................. 13 The Iranian People .................................................................................................................................. 19 Sponsored Terrorism............................................................................................................................... 25 Beyond Hezbollah ................................................................................................................................... 29 An Illicit Program ..................................................................................................................................... 34 A Possible Arms Race ............................................................................................................................
  • U.S. and Iranian Strategic Competition

    U.S. and Iranian Strategic Competition

    Iran V: Sanctions Competition January 4, 2013 0 U.S. AND IRANIAN STRATEGIC COMPETITION Sanctions, Energy, Arms Control, and Regime Change Anthony H. Cordesman, Bryan Gold, Sam Khazai, and Bradley Bosserman April 19, 2013 Anthony H. Cordesman Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy [email protected] Note: This report is will be updated. Please provide comments and suggestions to [email protected] Iran V: Sanctions Competition April, 19 2013 I Executive Summary This report analyzes four key aspects of US and Iranian strategic competition - sanctions, energy, arms control, and regime change. Its primary focus is on the ways in which the sanctions applied to Iran have changed US and Iranian competition since the fall of 2011. This escalation has been spurred by the creation of a series of far stronger US unilateral sanctions and the EU‘s imposition of equally strong sanctions – both of which affect Iran‘s ability to export, its financial system and its overall economy. It has been spurred by Iran‘s ongoing missile deployments and nuclear program, as reported in sources like the November 2011 IAEA report that highlights the probable military dimensions of Iran‘s nuclear program. And, by Iranian rhetoric, by Iranian threats to ―close‖ the Gulf to oil traffic; increased support of the Quds Force and pro-Shiite governments and non-state actors; and by incidents like the Iranian-sponsored assassination plot against the Saudi Ambassador to the US, an Iranian government instigated mob attack on the British Embassy in Tehran on November 30, 2011, and the Iranian-linked attacks against Israeli diplomats.
  • The Relationship Between the Supreme Leadership and Presidency and Its Impact on the Political System in Iran

    The Relationship Between the Supreme Leadership and Presidency and Its Impact on the Political System in Iran

    Study The Relationship Between the Supreme Leadership and Presidency and Its Impact on the Political System in Iran By Dr. Motasem Sadiqallah | Researcher at the International Institute for Iranian Studies (Rasanah) Mahmoud Hamdi Abualqasim | Researcher at the International Insti- tute for Iranian Studies (Rasanah) www.rasanah-iiis.org WWW.RASANAH-IIIS.ORG Contents Executive Summary ....................................................................................... 3 I- The Status and Role of the Supreme Leadership and the Presidency in the Iranian Political System ................................................................................. 4 II- The Problems Involving the Relationship Between the Supreme Leader and the Presidency .............................................................................................. 11 III- Applying Pressure Through Power to Dismiss the President .....................15 IV- The Implications of the Conflict Between the Supreme Leader and the Presidency on the Effectiveness of the Political System ................................. 20 V- The Future of the Relationship Between the Supreme Leader and the President ........................................................................................ 26 Conclusion .................................................................................................. 29 Disclaimer The study, including its analysis and views, solely reflects the opinions of the writers who are liable for the conclusions, statistics or mistakes contained therein
  • Leadership Divided? Nima Gerami

    Leadership Divided? Nima Gerami

    The Domestic Politics of Iran’s Nuclear Debate LEADERSHIP DIVIDED? NIMA GERAMI LEADERSHIP DIVIDED? The Domestic Politics of Iran’s Nuclear Debate NIMA GERAMI The Washington Institute for Near East Policy www.washingtoninstitute.org Policy Focus 134 | February 2014 The opinions expressed in this Policy Focus are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, its Board of Trustees, or its Board of Advisors. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. © 2014 by The Washington Institute for Near East Policy The Washington Institute for Near East Policy 1828 L Street NW, Suite 1050 Washington, DC 20036 Cover: Tehran newspaper headlines following signing of the Joint Plan of Action in Geneva. Design: 1000 Colors Contents Acknowledgments | v Executive Summary | vii 1. Introduction | 1 2. Limits on Iran’s Nuclear Debate: Secrecy and Self-Censorship | 3 3. Contextualizing Nuclear Decisionmaking: The Key Stakeholders | 9 4. The Political Landscape: Elite Factionalism and the Nuclear Debate | 19 5. Critical Junctures: Internal Divisions and Nuclear Policy Shifts | 31 6. Conclusion: Lessons Learned | 40 About the Author | 42 Figures Fig 1. Overview of Nuclear Decisionmaking in Iran | 11 Table 1. Formal Members of the Supreme National Security Council | 12 Acknowledgments I would like to express my gratitude to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, particularly Patrick Clawson, Michael Eisenstadt, and Mehdi Khalaji, for their encouragement, insights, and support during the preparation of this study.
  • CT 11 Final:Layout 1

    CT 11 Final:Layout 1

    Iran Takes on the World By Jamsheed K. Choksy he islamic republic of iran is today challenging the world. The Iranian leadership’s appetite for power is growing, for they have become thoroughly convinced that no outside power—the U.S. in- cluded—will derail their rise to regional and even global prominence. “Whether you like it or not,” the Iranian cleric and politician Ayatollah TAhmad Khatami, an influential figure and on-and-off mentor to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, publicly boasted to the U.S., “you have to regard Iran as a great power in the political sphere. The people of Iran have realized there is nothing you can do to us now or will be capable of doing [in the future]. So rather than using all your resources in failed attempts to oppose Iran, you should work with us.”1 Khatami’s statement, like many other recent pronouncements made by the Is- lamic Republic’s leaders, underscores why Iran has not complied with years of Amer- ican demands for full transparency in its nuclear programs, for putting a halt to its sponsorship of terrorism and propagation of militant Islam or Islamism globally, and for cooperation in regional affairs. Simply put, the Islamic Republic’s ruling politicians no longer fear America; they believe the U.S. and its allies have lost the political will to preserve the current order. Tehran, therefore, no longer worries about the repercussions of pursuing an ever-more ambitious policy aimed at refash- ioning the international order and extending Iranian power and influence. Students of history know this is not the first time a rising Iran has sought to dom- inate its neighbors and the world beyond.
  • Reporters Without Borders Recounted-04-01-2013,43862.Html

    Reporters Without Borders Recounted-04-01-2013,43862.Html

    Reporters Without Borders http://www.rsf.org/iran-press-freedom-violations- recounted-04-01-2013,43862.html Middle East/North Africa - Iran Press freedom violations recounted in real time (from 1st January 2013) 24 June 2013 24.06.2013-One journalist released, another sentenced to six years in prison Reporters Without Borders is relieved to learn of journalist Jila Bani Yaghoob’s announced release after the authorities deemed that she had completed the one-year jail sentence she received from a Tehran court on 22 October 2010. Bani Yaghoob had been held since 2 September 2012, when she was summoned to Tehran’s Evin prison to begin serving the sentence. She is now subject to a 30-year ban on working as a journalist, the second component of the sentence imposed in October 2010. Bani Yaghoob and her husband, fellow journalist Bahaman Ahamadi Amoee, were originally arrested together on 20 June 2009. Yaghoob was released on bail on 24 August 2009 but her husband remained in detention and was given a five-year jail sentence for articles critical of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s administration. Bani Yaghoob’s “We are journalists” blog was awarded the “Reporters Without Borders Freedom of Expression” prize in 2010 in the BOBs (Best of Blogs) competition that German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle organizes in Berlin. In 2009, she won the International Women’s Media Foundation’s “Courage in Journalism Award” as well as the International Press Freedom Award from “Canadian Journalists for Freedom of Expression.” Reporters Without Borders has meanwhile learned that Foad Sadeghi, the editor of the Baztab Emrooz news website, was released provisionally on 16 June, a month after his arrest on 18 May.