Interviews

Kourosh Ziabari - Fair Observer: Those who follow international news come across mentions of Iran almost constantly. Over the past two decades, the regime in Tehran has been in the headlines for its controversial nuclear program, its muddled relations with the West — and the United States in particular — and its contentious regional policies. The 2015 nuclear deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), agreed between Iran and six world powers, was a historic turning point in Tehran’s relations with the international community. The national economy was revived by the lifting of the draconian economic sanctions and the following spike in foreign investment. The tourism industry was invigorated by the influx of European...

Kourosh Ziabari - ODVV: Although Iran and the United States never managed to solve their many differences fully following the 1979 revolution in Iran, their relations seem to have hit an all-time low under President Donald Trump. The US president’s withdrawal from the internationally-recognized Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also known as the Iran nuclear deal, and his subsequent imposition of harsh economic sanctions on Iran, rendered ineffective all the achievements that were made under President Barack Obama in pursuing a diplomatic engagement with the Islamic Republic. Iranian and US military officials are exchanging threats these days and observers are concerned that the provocative rhetoric by the two sides may lead to...

Kourosh Ziabari - ODVV: Relations between Iran and the United States have become increasingly tense in the recent weeks, as some observers have warned the two countries are on the cusp of a military confrontation. Statements by Iranian and American officials point to a worrying rise of tensions and escalation of hostilities. Iranian president Hassan Rouhani has likened the situation of the country to the gloomy days of war with Iraq (1980-1988) when Saddam Hussein’s army invaded different Iranian cities and Iran had to defend itself with empty hands under the weight of the global arms embargo, which made it unable to purchase advanced weaponry to use in the conflict. The Trump administration has used different options at its...

Kourosh Ziabari - Fair Observer: Foreign policy decisions made by US President Donald Trump have been widely criticized both by his opponents and his own party. Commentators are struggling to make sense of many of his actions, including upending international agreements of which the United States has been an integral part for decades. President Trump’s overhaul of America’s foreign policy seems to stem from a perception by the current administration for a need to transform how the United States conducts itself abroad. As Jeanne Morefield writes in the Boston Review, Trump’s foreign policy reflects “like a funhouse mirror, a twisted image of U.S. imperialism.” His speeches are a far cry from the eloquence of Barack Obama...

Kourosh Ziabari - Fair Observer: The detention of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange by British police on April 11 has generated an international media frenzy. Assange has been sheltering in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London since 2012, having sought asylum to avoid extradition to Sweden where he was facing sexual assault and rape charges. The government of President Lenin Moreno revoked Assange’s Ecuadorian citizenship and, after months of coordinated efforts, asked the Metropolitan Police to remove him from the embassy premises. Julian Assange founded the whistleblowing website, WikiLeaks, in 2006 to expose corruption, human rights violations and war crimes. The publication of the Iraq and Afghanistan war logs, as well as a trove...

Kourosh Ziabari - Fair Observer: Why is reading so important? It’s a question that academics, governments and families have considered essential for children. Indeed, reading helps to broaden the mind. Those who read books experience stronger family relationships, improved communication and better critical thinking skills. Reading books is highly important for a child’s development. That is why there is so much investment on children’s literature and media. Aside from the psychological benefits for young people, reading helps to expose children to creative wisdom and assists in shaping their personality. Children’s reading skills are pivotal to their success in school since the act helps improve their communication and...

Kourosh Ziabari - Fair Observer: On March 15, 2019, New Zealand witnessed the deadliest mass shooting in its modern history. A 28-year-old Australian gunman opened fire on worshippers at the Al Noor Mosque in the Christchurch suburb of Riccarton, and went on with the shooting rampage at the Linwood Islamic Centre, killing 50 and injuring 50 others. He was driven by ideas of white supremacy, Islamophobia and far-right extremism. The victims came from all over the world and all walks of life — teachers, engineers, accountants, a three-year-old toddler born in New Zealand to Somali parents, Afghan, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Indonesian, Indian and Egyptian natives, and Syrian refugees. According to the New Zealand police, the assailant...

Kourosh Ziabari - Fair Observer: Nestled in the Mediterranean Sea between Italy and Tunisia, Malta is the smallest member state of the European Union, having joined the bloc in May 2004. A strong economic performance, especially in the face of the 2008 global financial crisis, and high levels of social capital have helped Malta climb to 19th place out of 149 nations on the Legatum Prosperity Index. The country performs best on safety and security, social capital and economic quality markers in the rankings. Malta adopted the euro as its official currency in 2008, replacing the Maltese lira, and survived the eurozone crisis due to low debt and sound banking practices. Freedom House refers to Malta as a “parliamentary democracy with...

Kourosh Ziabari - ODVV: Saudi Arabia is the world’s leading exporter of crude oil and one of the top 20 major economies of the world. It’s the largest economy of the Middle East and the fastest growing healthcare market among the GCC countries. The largest state in Western Asia, the kingdom is the biggest Middle East trading partner of the United States and Britain. Despite huge strides towards becoming a stable economy, Saudi Arabia has been lagging behind for many years in addressing shortcomings in its human rights record. Reports about the suppression of civil rights activists, journalists, clerics, religious minorities and women emerge from Saudi Arabia frequently. Over the past months, the Arab monarchy has been under fire...

Kourosh Ziabari - ODVV: France is home to a sizeable Muslim population that is rapidly growing in number. The state does not collect religious or ethnic census data in accordance with an 1872 legislation, so it’s difficult to ascertain how many Muslims of different nationalities and racial backgrounds live in France. However, it’s estimated that there are 6 million Muslims in France, half of whom are born or naturalized French citizens. Muslims of Algerian descent make up the largest subgroup. With the global refugee crisis looming large, the number of France’s Muslims is expected to rise. In 2012, the Interior Ministry estimated that there are around 2,500 mosques in France. Notwithstanding, a 2016 report by the Senate put the...

Kourosh Ziabari - Fair Observer: Nowruz is the ancient Iranian celebration of the new year. Although it is difficult to say with certainty when it was first marked, there are some accounts that suggest Nowruz may be 3,000 years old. Literally meaning “new day” in Persian, Nowruz is shared by several countries in West and Central Asia, Middle East, Eastern Europe and the Balkans, as well as the Iranian diaspora across the world. At the initiative of several countries celebrating this occasion, 21 March was declared International Nowruz Day by the United Nations in 2010, and since then the the Persian New Year has been marked at the organization’s headquarters in New York. In 2009, Nowruz was inscribed on the UNESCO’s...

Kourosh Ziabari - Fair Observer: Uighurs are a Turkic people native to Central and East Asia and one of the 55 ethnic minorities officially recognized by the government of China. Over 11 million Uighurs live in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region in the northwest of China, making up around 45% of the local population. The majority of Uighurs practice Sunni Islam. Xinjiang is a historically restive region, and after the 9/11 attacks, Chinese state media started to single out Uighurs as terrorists, separatists and extremists, branding them as China’s number one enemy within. According to the Hong Kong-based group the Uyghur Human Rights Project, Uighurs lead “predominantly secular lives,” which contradicts the Chinese...