Saeid Harasani is a researcher on governance, poverty and inequality, writing from Tehran under the fire and bombs for the Anti-imperialist website. Fyodor Dostoevsky, the renowned Russian novelist, emphasizes in Notes from Underground that war is the most monotonous event in human history. "It suffices to review the official military and state uniforms of people from different eras. This in itself holds value. Is it monotonous? Well, yes, perhaps it is monotonous. War and war; they fight now, they fought before, and they will fight in the future. You admit that it is monotonous to an excessive degree." Dostoevsky's central point is that human morals and interests are not formed based on "two plus two equals four" knowledge. Humans act contrary to this to demonstrate their will. They … [read more]

Mohammad Maljoo, Iranian leftist writer and researcher who has lost his academic career due to his sharp criticism of the neoliberal policies in Iran and has faced arrest in several occasions in past decade, wrote a response to the naïve or complicit forces who demand a regime change in Iran in the middle of the US and Zionist bombardment of the Iranian civil infrastructure. The translation is as follows: They say whoever opposes the military aggression is a supporter of the government. As if the world is divided by two darkness: authoritarianism and bombs [translator: the ones who drop the bombs are also bringing more authoritarianism]. This bifurcation is not true. The people who are most supressed by the authoritarianism are the same ones whose lives are burning from the fire of … [read more]

These days, these terms are very popular. On January 20th, Mr. Carney, the Prime Minister of Canada, started his speech in Davos by mentioning how the rules-based order is fading. He then continued—and I quote: “Intermediate powers are not powerless. They have the capacity to build a new order that encompasses our values: human rights, sustainable development, solidarity, sovereignty, and the territorial integrity of states.” He cited a piece from The Power of the Powerless, written by Václav Havel, and mentioned: “We knew the story of the international rules-based order was partially false. That the strongest would exempt themselves when convenient. That, trade rules were enforced asymmetrically. And we knew that international law applied with varying rigor depending … [read more]

Imad Payande, Internet Goverance and Social Media Researcher based in Tehran   The Big Lie and the Bloody Reality The world was staring at two starkly different realities. On one side, Donald Trump took to TruthSocial, spinning a web of disinformation: "Iran has apologized and surrendered," he crowed, declaring that the nation was no longer the "bully of the Middle East" but a "loser" on the brink of collapse. He spoke with brazen arrogance about personally interfering in Iran’s leadership selection, treating a sovereign nation like a vassal state. On the other side, The New York Times and CNN were inadvertently broadcasting the unvarnished truth. Satellite imagery showed schools and hospitals in flames. This contradiction formed the core of the post-colonial narrative … [read more]