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Nik Kowsar is an award-winning Iranian-Canadian journalist and water issues analyst residing in the U.S. He studied geology and sedimentology and worked as a cartoonist, writer, and geology expert before fleeing Iran in 2003. He was arrested for one of his cartoons in 2000 and received death threats from pro-regime Islamists. The Khatami administration officials censored Kowsar for exposing their water management policies that led to the current nationwide water crisis, where many lakes, marshes, and groundwater resources have disappeared.
He now produces a weekly show on water shortages in Iran aired via Yourtime.tv, Iran-e Farda, and Channel One (LA), and works as an analyst on water and environmental issues for Iran International TV based in London, UK. Kowsar is producing his first documentary on Iran’s water problems.
Kowsar frequently writes for BBC Persian on water issues and runs the websites Abanganiran.org and Aabnews.org, which specialize in covering Iran’s water crisis.
Nik is a member of the board of directors of Cartoonists Rights Network International (CRNI) and a former winner of CRNI’s International Award for Courage in Editorial Cartooning.
Since its founding the IRGC has evolved into a significant military and financial player in Iran. Khatam al-Anbiya, its construction arm, gets funding from the government for all kinds of major building projects. It is particularly actively in water management projects, like dam construction and water transfer schemes, and it forms a key part of Iran’s “Water Mafia.”
