Tag Archives: reform

13May/08

Iran: Long Live the Reformers

 

2/2/2004                                                                                                                                                                                          

By Nir Boms and Reza Bulorchi

Defying conventional wisdom, fresh voices of freedom appear to be coming from the Middle East as of late. Bashar Assad of Syria delivers his plans for democratization directly to the New York Times. Muammar Gaddafi of Libya delivers his to Newsweek as he claims to be an ally in the “war against terrorism” and invites the world to review his nuclear arsenal. Mohammad Khatami of Iran, the “moderate” president, threatens to resign due to an election crisis resulting from the Guardians Council’s decision to disqualify more than 3,000 candidates from the ballot of his country’s upcoming February 20 elections. Continue reading

13May/08

Iranian Justice

August 4, 2004

By Nir Boms and Reza Bulorchi

It is not often that legal rulings in other countries make headlines in the United States. But two recent verdicts in Iran have made activists in the U.S. and around the world take notice.

Last week, Hashem Aghajari, who was previously sentenced to death by the Iranian Supreme Court, received a five-year prison sentence following appeals and a rare intervention that came directly from Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Continue reading

12May/08

Mubarak’s Double Game

19 December 2004

Nir Boms and Aaron Mannes 

In the struggle to build a democratic Middle East, Egypt is a crucial front and the upcoming October 2005 presidential elections present a unique opportunity for reform.  Prominent Egyptian reformers have expressed interest in running against President for life Hosni Mubarak, including Professor Saad al-Din Ibrahim – one of the Arab world’s leading voices for democracy and human rights. 

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12May/08

Defiance in Damascus

Article published Sep 27, 2007
Defiance in Damascus

By Nir Boms –

The streets of Damascus have seen most things. They saw military marches with strutting generals leading their people to war. They have seen the images of presidential figures, such as the late Hafez Assad and his son, the current president, Bashar Assad, displayed on every corner. They have seen those of other allies like Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah or Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. But they had never seen a Syrian American calling for reform. Continue reading