Majid Rafizadeh

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Four key things to know about Iran's election

For the first time ever, Iranians on Friday voted to elect two key government bodies at the same time: lawmakers to the 290-seat Parliament and 88 members for the Assembly of Experts.

As the final results are being announced, here are four key things to know about the election:

1. Congratulations to Rouhani, but changes will come slowly.

The elections boosted the moderates, but it does not give them a free hand.

Unexpectedly, tens of millions of eligible Iranian voters thronged polling stations hoping to influence the fate of their nation regarding engagement with the world, and their social, political, economic landscapes.…  Seguir leyendo »

"Can you please ask a doctor in America why my left eye has drooped and my lower lip has sagged? People tell me that there are good doctors in America."

My 62-year-old mother was asking me for help. She is living in a small apartment in the old district of Damascus. Her voice was garbled over the phone. It was the first time I could hardly understand her slurred words due to the dysarthric speech.

The tremble in her voice worried me, because her sister, Anisah, didn't survive last year. There was no access to a practitioner or hospital for her.…  Seguir leyendo »

The first official nuclear negotiations since Hassan Rouhani came to power in Iran have concluded in Geneva. And while the negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 will continue in November, this week's meetings have raised several crucial questions.

Can these talks be characterized as positive diplomatic and political moves for all sides, including Iran, Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States and Germany? And how can we characterize and analyze the Iranian presentation, titled "Closing an unnecessary Crisis: Opening new horizons", which aimed at proposing ways to address international concerns on Iranian programs in return for sanctions relief and international recognition of Iran's right to enrich uranium?…  Seguir leyendo »

My cousin, Ramez, was dead before the echoes of the gunshot that killed him stopped ringing. His 4-year-old daughter, Zeynab, watched him fall on a narrow street in Damascus, but she never heard the shot because she is deaf. She held onto his lifeless hand until a second bullet tore into her chest. She survived.

I tell this story to make it clear that my family and I have experienced the civil war firsthand. Ramez was just one of several family members who lost their lives in the battle against Bashar Assad's police state. My mother, sister and brother, alongside millions of other war-torn Syrian refugees, were forced to flee to Lebanon and then on to Baghdad.…  Seguir leyendo »