POMED’s work on Iran covers topics such as human rights, authoritarianism, domestic politics, arbitrary detentions, freedom of expression, popular protest movements, and U.S. policy.
The protests have also had an impact on the normally divided Iranian diaspora, says April Brady, Communications Director at the Project on Middle East Democracy. She points to the release in March of the Charter of Solidarity and Alliance for Freedom, also called the Mahsa Charter, which calls for international isolation of the Islamic regime and sets forth a blueprint for a secular democratic Iran.
According to Brady, “they are not just uniting in opposition to the regime, but are building a diverse coalition, comprising activists, actresses, athletes, Kurdish leaders, the son of the former shah, and others to create a shared vision for Iran’s democratic future.”
“There is no way around it—this is a big deal. . . . Yes, the United States could not have brokered such a deal right now with Iran specifically, since we have no relations. But in a larger sense, China’s prestigious accomplishment vaults it into a new league diplomatically and outshines anything the U.S. has been able to achieve in the region since Biden came to office.”
“[The Biden administration is] trying to thread the needle between competing interests. Trying to please a broad array of interested parties is likely going to end up frustrating many of them.”
“[The Biden administration’s maximum pressure campaign] has not only failed to secure a better deal with Iran on its nuclear activities and problematic Iranian regional behavior, but actually created problems that did not previously exist.”
“Everything that I’ve heard is that this is a dumpster fire. That it’s ill-conceived, ill-executed and that it’s unlikely to produce anything of value.”
“In the case of the Trump administration, the gap between…relentless critical messaging on Iran’s human rights abuses and the general silence…of those same problems inside authoritarian Arab ally countries is really, really notable.”
“From a purely informational perspective, closing [the consulate in Iraq] would be detrimental to U.S. interests and maintaining contact with people in the community there.”
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An Unfree Region