Essays and Opinions
-
Sinwar is finished. Netanyahu’s end still awaits.
Two leaders, two paths of destruction: Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’s ruthless commander, met a brutal end, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a reckoning of his own. This essay explores how Sinwar’s downfall was in battle, while Netanyahu’s accountability lies with Israel’s democracy—as he must answer for critical security failures and the cost of his decisions.
Photo by Claudio Schwarz on Unsplash
-
Is the end of Iran’s Islamic Republic in sight?
From the Constitutional Revolution to the 1979 uprising, hopes for democracy in Iran have been repeatedly dashed. Yet, recent events, including the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement and the mysterious death of a high-ranking figure, hint at deep vulnerabilities within the regime. Could this be the moment of reckoning for Iran's Islamic Republic?
Photo by Artin Bakhan on Unsplash
-
What’s your life worth? It depends on your passport
As an American who was born in Iran, my life is now worth far more than that of my childhood friend Majid, whose family decided to stay — or didn’t have the means to leave — before the Islamic Revolution took over the country. My parents’ decisions more than 45 years ago seemingly increased my life’s worth.
Photo by Mohammed Ibrahim on Unsplash
-
Halt the Unjust Violence Against Innocent Civilians
Those among us who lend support to indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks must undergo soul-searching and introspection: What have we truly gained from the countless lives lost in the quagmires of Iraq and Afghanistan? What have Saudi Arabia and Iran achieved by claiming the lives of civilians in Yemen? What has Israel or Palestine reaped from decades of conflict?
Photo by Eyasu Etsub on Unsplash
-
Afghanistan’s culture is not like ours — and that’s just one lesson we failed to learn
On 9/11, I was at the British Ministry of Defence on a one-year detachment from RAND Corporation. My British colleagues and I watched in horror that early afternoon as the planes hit the Twin Towers in New York. Less than two hours later, we were in various meeting rooms, assessing the situation and considering the inevitable U.S. response and the United Kingdom’s role in it…