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Shana Cohen

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IRGC denies knowledge of Khamenei’s edict on armed forces’ role in economy
  • Analysis
  • IRGC denies knowledge of Khamenei’s edict on armed forces’ role in economy

    A senior official of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has said that he has no information about a recent decree reportedly issued by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei calling on the country’s armed forces to transfer their investment holdings and commercial assets to the private sector. “I was unable to find such a declaration and have not seen it,” Brigadier General Mohammad-Saleh Jokar, the deputy head of IRGC in parliamentary and legal affairs told Etemad Online.

    January 25, 2018

    Khamenei’s ruling unlikely to loosen IRGC's grip on Iran's economy
  • Analysis
  • Khamenei’s ruling unlikely to loosen IRGC's grip on Iran's economy

    On January 20, Iran’s defense minister said that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has ordered the country’s powerful Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) to curtail its growing business empire and divest its commercial assets that are not relevant to its domain of work. The announcement has raised the hope that the regime may have finally decided to loosen the IRGC’s grip on the economy.

    January 24, 2018

    What does 2018 have in store for Turkey?
  • Video
  • What does 2018 have in store for Turkey?

    January 24, 2018 – Turkey began 2018 embroiled in domestic dissent and diplomatic friction. Last April’s constitutional referendum was met with widespread criticism as an attempt by President Erdogan to consolidate power. Activists and journalists face increasing restrictions on their rights, the government continues its crackdown on the opposition, and debates swirl over the future of Turkey’s economy, the Kurdish question, and relations with the United States and European Union.

    January 24, 2018

    What does 2018 have in store for Turkey?
    Middle East Institute

    What does 2018 have in store for Turkey?

    January 24 – January 1, 1970, January 24 - 12:00 PM – 12:00 AM
    January 1 - 12:00 PM – 12:00 AM

    The Middle East Institute, 1319 18th Street NW, Washington, District of Columbia 20036

    Political Protests, Global Islam and National Activism: Deciphering the Motivations behind Indonesia’s “Conservative Turn”
    Middle East Institute
  • Analysis
  • Political Protests, Global Islam and National Activism: Deciphering the Motivations behind Indonesia’s “Conservative Turn”

    This article shows through the examination of the Majelis Intelektual dan Ulama Muda Indonesia (Council for Young and Intellectual Ulama of Indonesia, MIUMI) that the success of Middle Eastern Islamic doctrines has less to do with undermining an “Indonesian” Islam, than adapting their basic tenets to the democratic environment and building bridges to established Indonesian religious institutions. Accordingly, “Indonesian” and “Middle Eastern” Islam are distinctions that are more malleable than they may first appear.

    January 23, 2018

    Tunisia's protests are a wake-up call for leaders
  • Analysis
  • Tunisia's protests are a wake-up call for leaders

    Since Jan. 3, Tunisia has been experiencing scattered protests all over the country. The protests, which continued through the second week of January, follow the entry into force of the national budget for the 2018 fiscal year.

    January 23, 2018

    Iran rejects Western demands for JCPOA, missile talks
  • Analysis
  • Iran rejects Western demands for JCPOA, missile talks

    The secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said the Islamic Republic will not negotiate with Western powers to amend the Joint Co

    January 23, 2018

    Hamas wants Khamenei to lead fight against US, Israel over Jerusalem
  • Analysis
  • Hamas wants Khamenei to lead fight against US, Israel over Jerusalem

    The representative of the Palestinian Hamas in Lebanon, Ali Barakah, has said that the militant group wants Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to unify the Islamic community and lead the fight against the United States and Israel after Washington’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Jewish state’s capital.

    January 23, 2018

    Iran deports scores of youth to western Afghanistan
  • Analysis
  • Iran deports scores of youth to western Afghanistan

    Iran everyday deports hundreds of Afghans, including a sizable number of children and teenagers, BBC Persian reports. According to Afghan officials working on refugee affairs in western Herat Province, which borders Iran, about 500 undocumented Afghans are sent back to Herat through Islam Qala border crossing. The BBC report also reveals that human traffickers entice young men from rural Afghanistan into going to Iran for work opportunities. But many face significant dangers on their journey to Iran or are subjected to deportation even if they reach Iran.

    January 23, 2018

    Pence’s pointless peregrination in the Mideast | Monday Briefing
  • Analysis
  • Pence’s pointless peregrination in the Mideast | Monday Briefing

    In this week’s Monday Briefing, MEI experts Paul Salem, Robert S. Ford, Randa Slim, and Jonathan M. Winer provide analysis on recent and upcoming events including Vice President Mike Pence’s trip to the Middle East, Turkey’s assault on Afrin, Iraq’s upcoming elections, and the U.N. humanitarian aid plan for Libya.