Long Live Rock and Roll

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26473949

Linked is a video profiling one of Iran's most popular rock stars- that's right, rock star. Since the Islamic revolution, rock and roll along with other types of western music have been considered illegal in Iran. The offenses are punishable by incarceration, but that does not mean rock and roll doesn't exist "out of earshot" of the authorities. Globalization is at work in Iran whether the regime permits it or not, through music and clothing and social media. Authorities can only prohibit it for so long- regardless if the Authorities allow, Iran's youth are changing with the times, and when the cleavage is large enough they will leave their country behind... a revolution. These guys don't consider themselves revolutionaries, but their love for a certain type of music which their country prohibits is doing more for Iran politically than they could imagine.

Iranian Government Claims Medical Sanction from West

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/05/02/360982/iran-minister-slams-western-lies/

In the past week the Iranian Health Minister has made several public comments accusing the West of a medical sanction on Iran, endangering their patients. He claims the powers of the west "were lying and still are lying in this regard." Is this just an attack on "the big bad west," characteristic of the Iranian regime? Or have our economic sanctions on Iran extended into blocking medical supplies? Since no one knows what is really happening there, it is hard to speculate. On one hand, any accusation made by Iranian leaders against Western Powers has its political motivations, but our embargoes do too. If the US and the rest of the world really want to get to a nuclear agreement, would they go so far as Iranian Citizens? In all of this mess, freedom of press in Iran would substantially clear up many issues around it, and maybe offer a more truthful/trusted medium for Iran to express its concerns.

Play Nice or... You Can Still Play

http://www.npr.org/2014/05/05/309694689/west-urged-to-pressure-iran-on-its-human-rights-record

This NPR report highlights a foreign policy  issue in Iran that is commonly "overshadowed" by the nuclear talks. The multinational organizations associating with Iran need to inquire about Human Rights now rather than later or nothing will be done. Many want to  wait until the nuclear issues are solved, and the hard liners are a little broken, but currently the rest of the world is saying that Iran's neglect to respect basic civil rights, especially in its political prisons, is OK. Iranians supporting the cause believe the west should not even be negotiating with Iran until Human Rights standards are met, but the problem is  lack of consensus. Russia and China are much less concerned with it than the United States and Europe, therefore if we hold back we might end up putting ourselves in harms way when we are left out of the negotiation. Human Rights laws are followed by 99% of other countries, and if Iran wishes to participate in the world market they should too, but currently the stakes are too high for any one country to force it.

Hikers are Finally Freed and United, Iran Still Separate and Trapped

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/world/2014/04/25/cnn-tonight-intv-american-hikers-iranian-prison-proposal.cnn.html

The content of this particular video is more infotainment than meaningful, but the story behind it is not. The hikers claim they were held for two years because of their nationality- Americans- that their punishment was political, the Iranian government knew they were not spies. This leads us back to one of our first questions about Iran, is it a rational actor? What exactly was it's political strategy or goal in detaining the vacationers? The Iranian theocracy has a continuous and growing inclination to be separated from Western Influence, because their ideals clash with the "divine law" of the land, but their behavior regarding issues as these is earning them more than separation, but rivalry. Not only did the hiker's detainment create enemies in the world but it divided Iran on the home-front; The world watched as Iran's religious leaders refused the release of the detainees after elected President Ahmadinejad had publicly announced it.This act was not rational, and among others it has widened a cleavage between Iran and the world, as well as a dangerous cleavage within Iran.

Someone's Just a Tad Bit Agressive.

The Iranian Navy Chief, Admiral Adi Fadavi (see above) has some very aggressive words about what he was planning to do to the US Navy. According to him, destroying the US Navy is a priority of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). He brags that they are capable of sinking a US vessel in less than a minute and have been actively training on how to do this. He thinks by knocking out the US's air craft carriers, their fighters will also be destroyed and this will prevent any attacks. He's gearing up to fight the US in the Persian Gulf, but his attitude of confidence could come back to bite him. I'm curious as to how they know exactly how US air craft carriers are built and function to be this confident in destroying them. It could all be talk, but at the same time it's important not to look over threats.

For more on the story, read here.

Brain Drain

The best and brightest of Iran's students are leaving and not coming back. This has a great deal to do with the current state of the economy. Only 2.5 percent of the GDP was set aside for science and technology research and less than that is actually being allotted to this. There is no industry for this in Iran, and if they want to keep up with the West when it comes to technology this needs to change. 89% of Medical Students in the US from Iran don't go back. The salaries don't compare whatsoever in Iran compared to Canada, where many of the Iranian scientists are flocking to. People see leaving as their only option to find success in this industry and with the way things are, that is understandable. There is going to need to be significant change, funding wise and the in the minds of the people for this to change and this doesn't seem to be part of the agenda in the near future. In a class of 50 physics students 2 stayed in the country. It's situations like this that show that Iran needs to change to even think of competing internationally to keep up, but their focuses tend to be elsewhere, so this change could be a long way up the road.

Read more here.

Fashion Forward?

While social media has often been seen as a cause of unrest with the people and the government in Iran, it is being used positively by female fashion designers to share their work with the world. The Fajr Fashion Festival was a big event held at a local concert venue as a way for people to buy clothing at more reasonable prices. This along with 400 other venues across the country had these opportunities for the Iranian people. Clothing is priced to a point that most middle class families are able to afford it and it is a sign to the rest of the world that Iran is doing its best to keep up fashion wise and doing so in a way that is practical for the people. These exhibitions are home to around 35,000 different manufacturers, who often start small. They are able to find success from humble beginnings often through social media that quickly spreads the word of who they are and what they create. There are a number of "maisons" that provide quality and custom-made clothing for people without being too overly priced as boutiques are. These have become quite popular throughout Iran for the middle and upper classes and have also used social media to advertise safely. While Iran is often seen as closed off from the West and backwards in their way of doing things, this is a great example of how they have combined both Western practices with their own traditions and customs and been very successful with it.

For more information, click here.