Khody Akhavi

By his own admission, U.S. Ambassador John W. Limbert’s ordeal as a captive during the Iranian hostage crisis began with a monumental failure of negotiation. "In 1979, somebody thought it would be a good idea to the let the shah [of Iran] into the U.S. for medical treatment, despite – I must say – the … Continue reading “Iran and the US: A History of Mistrust”

As President George W. Bush returned from his visit last month to Israel to reinvigorate the Annapolis process, the international media was dominated by reports of Palestinian militants firing rockets into Gaza, and Israel’s response – an unprecedented blockade of the territory to effectively squeeze the population to turn against the Islamist group Hamas. For … Continue reading “Annapolis Hopes Withered by Gaza Crisis”

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has garnered headlines around the world for his defiance of Washington, as well as his rhetorical grandstanding on Palestinian issues, the existence of Israel, and his government’s alleged support of Shi’ite militias in Iraq. Still, it appears that Iran’s upcoming parliamentary elections in March will be determined less by debates over … Continue reading “Ahmadinejad Caught Between Reformists and Hardliners”

Twenty-six-year-old Muhammad ‘Abd-al-Qadir bil-Qasim began his journey in Darnah, Libya. He traveled to Egypt and arrived in Syria, where he paid a man named Abu Umar 2,000 Syrian pounds to smuggle him across the Iraqi border. Qasim was an Arabic language teacher and a weapons expert back home, he told the al-Qaeda clerk who interviewed … Continue reading “Al-Qaeda in Iraq Records Shed Light on Foreign Recruits”

Neoconservative hawks lamented the latest casualty in the war on terror last Friday, as the ax fell on Stephen Coughlin’s job. The Pentagon decided not to renew the contract of its "foremost" specialist on Islamic law and Islamic extremism when it ends in March, citing budget cuts. But Coughlin’s supporters say the jihad maven was … Continue reading “Pentagon’s Islam ‘Expert’ Hoisted by His Own Jihad”

When the George W. Bush administration asked Damascus to attend last month’s Annapolis conference, Emad Moustapha, the Syrian ambassador to the United States, was stunned, he admits. "[The U.S.] was really obsessed with making wars. Then we heard that it’s not only that they are not interested in brokering peace talks, they were proactively opposing … Continue reading “Assassination Jars Nascent US Détente With Syria”

Nearly one week after a U.S. intelligence report revealed that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003, the saber-rattling inside the Washington Beltway appears to have receded for the moment, and with it, the George W. Bush administration’s strongest pretext for a military confrontation with Iran. The judgments of the 2007 National Intelligence Estimate … Continue reading “‘Laptop of Death’: Revising the NIE on Iran”

It was initially billed as a "peace conference" to decisively address the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. But as President George W. Bush’s ambitious Annapolis gathering approached – his most intensive effort to restart peace talks in seven years – any prospect of a comprehensive breakthrough appeared as distant as ever, as Israeli and Palestinian leaders struggled to … Continue reading “Why Annapolis Is About Iran”

What do the current Pakistani political crisis, Israel’s September air strike against Syria, and Iran’s continued pursuit of nuclear enrichment all have in common? All three events reflect the aggressive policies adopted by the George W. Bush administration to deal with the growing threat of nuclear proliferation. As US soft power in the region diminishes … Continue reading “The Nuclear Cowboys”

The United Nations atomic watchdog issued a report Thursday saying that Iran had been generally truthful about key aspects of its past nuclear activities, but warned that knowledge of Tehran’s program was "diminishing." The International Atomic Energy Agency said that Iran continued to enrich uranium contrary to the decisions of the UN Security Council, and … Continue reading “Nuke Watchdog Report No Brake on Sanctions”