Iran Explained

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In this episode, I speak with Maral Karimi, the author of the book 'The Iranian Green Movement of 2009' and a PhD student at the University of Toronto. Besides the green movement and the concepts in her book, Maral and I discuss the overall state of the reform movement in Iran, the alternatives to reform, how the recent protests in that country compare to the 2009 protests, the various opposition groups in exile and other topics.

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In this episode, I speak with Neda Maghbouleh, the author of the 2017 book 'The Limits of Whiteness: Iranian Americans and the Everyday Politics of Race' and an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Toronto. She and I talk about her background, race within the Iranian and the Iranian-American contexts, the Aryan myth as it exists among Iranians, the history of racial classification in the US, the importance of racial classification or lack thereof, the definition of whiteness, the research that’s currently being done on these subjects and other topics.

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In this episode, I speak with Ervand Abrahamian, a world-renowned author and historian of Iran. We start our conversation talking about the reasons for the success of the clerical establishment in bringing about the Islamic revolution of 1979, and we also talk about the Persian identity versus the Shia identity, the similarities between Zoroastrianism and Shiism, the failure of democracy in Iran, foreign interference in Iranian affairs, the perseverance of the Islamic Republic in the face of various challenges, and finally current events and the Trump administration’s maximum pressure policy towards Iran.

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In this episode, I speak with Trita Parsi, an award-winning author and the founder and former president of the National Iranian American Council (NIAC). Trita and I talk about the founding of NIAC, his and NIAC’s involvement in the the Iran Nuclear Deal, the various pitfalls of the Deal and Trump’s withdrawal, whether the only alternative to diplomacy is war, the current challenges facing Iranian society, his thoughts on the Iranian reform movement, Reza Pahlavi, the geopolitics of the Middle East and potential future scenarios for Iran and the region, and finally why he recently left NIAC as its president and what lies ahead for him.

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In this episode, I speak with Anousheh Ansari, the first ever person of Iranian descent to travel to space and the first female self-funded space traveler of any nationality. Anousheh and I talk about her spaceflight experience, her background and how her Iranian identity has affected her life, the controversy around having an Iranian flag on her spacesuit, the overview effect and the epiphanies she had looking down on planet earth from space, the future of space travel, her take on the current political situation in Iran and other topics.

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In this episode, I speak with Hooman Majd, an Iranian-American journalist and author. Hooman and I talk about the current level of support the Islamic Republic has inside Iran, the Iranian revolution and the current struggles of the Iranian people, democracy and secularism within the Iranian context, the role of the US and the Iranian diaspora in regards to Iran, the criticism he has received because of his connections to the Islamic Republic and other topics. 

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In this episode, I speak with Vahid Yücesoy, a PhD candidate in political science at the University of Montreal. Vahid and I talk about his background, how he became disillusioned with the Iranian reform movement, the intentions and the role of the US in regards to Iran, Reza Pahlavi, the validity and the results of various polls conducted in Iran, the divisions amongst Iranians on social media and other topics.

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In this episode, I speak with Eli Lake, a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering national security and foreign policy. Eli and I talk about the recent US sanctions on Iran, the general role of the US and other external forces in shaping Iran’s future, how various historical events in other countries can serve as a model for change in Iran, the possibility of war, the various players opposing the regime, and other topics.

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In this episode, I speak with Holly Dagres, an Iranian-American Middle East analyst. Holly and I talk about her background, her time in Cairo, the recent protests in Iran, Reza Pahlavi and other alternatives to the Islamic Republic, and of course the Trump administration. 

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In this episode, I speak with D. Parvaz, an Iranian-American journalist, who was wrongly imprisoned in Syria and Iran in 2011. We talk about her imprisonment, the potential of hardliners gaining more power in Iran, the approval of the release of 2009 opposition figures Mousavi and Karroubi, the possibility of future US-Iran negotiations, Iran’s proxies in the region and other topics. 

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