Category Archives: انگلیسی English

By Abbas Djavadi, Bruce Pannier Across much of the non-Arab Muslim world, people are celebrating Norouz, the festival that marks the arrival of spring and the beginning of the new year. The pre-Islamic holiday with roots in the Zoroastrian religion … Continue reading →

(Reprinted from June 25, 2009. Not much has changed meanwhile that would prove the general approach of this analysis wrong. Maybe on the contrary: the US troops’ withdrawal seems even to have strongly confirmed concerns of a disintegration or at … Continue reading →

Interview with Abbas Djavadi May 29. 2011, interviewed by Erik Siegl, HBF Prague, for the German Heinrich Boell-Stiftung Mr. Djavadi, a lot has been said about the importance of new media for the “Arab Spring”. However, these are “only” tools … Continue reading →

By Abbas Djavadi — February 21 is the International Mother Language Day and, again, I think about my own mother language, Azeri Turkish. Half of the world’s 6,700 languages are in danger of disappearing before the century ends. “A language … Continue reading →

By Abbas Djavadi — “Do you have the original edition of this book?” It’s a question many Iranian booksellers are confronted with as customers seek out some prominent Persian classics. From the 14th-century satirical poet Obeyd Zakani to Forugh Farrokhzad, … Continue reading →

By Abbas Djavadi — People around the world have been making comparisons between the situations in their countries and those in the Arab lands in revolt. Will Saudi Arabia follow the path of Egypt? Is Azerbaijan like Tunisia? Such comparisons … Continue reading →

By Abbas Djavadi — “It’s so pleasant here in Turkey,” says Kaveh, a 40-year-old Iranian from Tehran who’s visiting Istanbul, just as he has many times over the last 20 years. “You feel free leaving Iran for a week or … Continue reading →

By Abbas Djavadi — As Turkey heads toward a historic referendum on September 12 on proposed changes to its constitution, two opposing pictures of the country are emerging. One is of a country capable of peaceful progress and reform; the … Continue reading →

By Abbas Djavadi — Last year’s crackdown on Iran’s opposition Green Movement united the various factions of the country’s ruling establishment. Recently, however, there are signs of conflict among these competing groups, and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei seems to … Continue reading →