NIR BOMS and REZA BULORCHI,
July 27, 2005
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran’s “elected” president, will officially assume his post next month. The elections, no doubt, were a sham and the controversy about voting irregularities is far from settled. Iran’s opposition sources revealed that the national ID cards of about five million dead people were provided to regime supporters, enabling them to vote multiple times at multiple locations.
Khatami’s doublespeak and a hot potato.
December 30, 2003
By Nir Boms
“What I say does not definitely reflect what I think. What I do does not necessary reflect what I say. Therefore, not everything that I do necessary contradicts everything that I think.” This explanation of “Middle Eastern Logic” issued by the British ambassador in Tehran two decades ago may help clarify the candor and transparency of recent statements coming from countries like Iran and Libya.
By Elliot Chodoff and Nir Boms
June 15, 2007
The Syrian regime, which brooks no opposition at home, supports terrorists of all varieties abroad and eliminates foreign political leaders who have the temerity to oppose the subjugation of their country, continues to attempt to paint the face of democracy on its strongman dictatorial system.
Three events over the past two weeks provided a clear view of the nature of the Syrian regime: the publication of official election results, the response to the U.N. decision to establish a tribunal on the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and the assassination of Walid Eido, an anti-Syrian Lebanese lawmaker and prominent supporter of the tribunal.
4/21/2004
By Nir Boms and Erick StakelbecK
Under the auspices of the United Nations and the Washington-based National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, representatives from 14 Muslim countries gathered in Istanbul on April 12-14 to discuss implementing democratic reforms in the Middle East.
While it came as no shock that Syria and Iran boycotted the event, Saudi Arabia – cited often by the Bush administration as one of America’s closest allies in the region and serious about reform – was conspicuous by its absence.