Iran Unleashes New Crackdown on Its People to Head Off Uprising Battered by U.S. and Israeli attacks, Iranian security forces are launching new arrests and warning of no mercy for protesters.

I told the @wsj.com that, “The regime still has the capacity to use force, but the scale and intensity of repression also reflect deep insecurity and a shrinking base of legitimacy.”

Iran Is Cut Off From Internet as Protests Calling for Regime Change Intensify

“The Iranian government uses internet shutdowns as a tool of repression,” said @omidmemarian.bsky.social. “Whenever protests reach a critical point, authorities sever the country’s connection to isolate protesters and limit their communication with the outside world.” www.nytimes.com/2026/01/08/w...

MBS’ Vanity Projects Are Bleeding Saudi Arabia Dry Saudi Arabia can’t even afford Mohammed bin Salman’s follies, let alone the investment into the U.S. he promised Donald Trump.

"For all their utopian dreams, the megaprojects championed by MBS don’t signal the future, but the trap represented by Saudi Arabia’s political economy."

My @wpr.bsky.social column on MBS and the staggering waste of his development "vision." Gift link: www.worldpoliticsreview.com/mbs-trump-sa...

Indeed, as Mahmoud Khalil told @omidmemarian.bsky.social in a recent interview, “ICE tried to silence me, and in doing so, they amplified my voice.”

“A lot of people think that what's happening is very far from our doors—they are so wrong. It's literally at our door.” dawnmena.org/i-was-put-in...

It takes weeks if not months to evacuate Tehran.

How the World Is Reeling From Trump’s Aid Freeze President Trump’s order to halt most foreign aid has intensified humanitarian crises and raised questions about the United States’ reliability as a global leader.

Trump’s foreign aid cutoff is a gift to the Iranian regime: “His decision to cut funding for dozens of U.S.-supported pro-democracy and human rights initiative… applies maximum pressure on the regime’s opponents,” said @omidmemarian.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/01/31/w...

‘The Exceptions Have Become the Rule.’ Naomi Klein on Trump, Gaza and the End of the ‘Liberal Order’ Award-winning author and journalist Naomi Klein speaks to Democracy in Exile.

"It is in moments of extreme crisis that fascism surges," @naomiaklein.bsky.social tells @omidmemarian.bsky.social. "What makes us different than our predecessors in the interwar period in Europe is the ecological piece of it."

Read her wide-ranging interview in DAWN's Democracy in Exile:

‘The Exceptions Have Become the Rule.’ Naomi Klein on Trump, Gaza and the End of the ‘Liberal Order’ Award-winning author and journalist Naomi Klein speaks to Democracy in Exile.

“We are in this moment where all the liberal niceties of so-called woke capitalism are gone. They're dropping the show. It's over.” Read my interview with @naomiaklein.bsky.social on Gaza, Trump and the end of liberal order here. Thanks @freddydeknatel.bsky.social.

‘The Exceptions Have Become the Rule.’ Naomi Klein on Trump, Gaza and the End of the ‘Liberal Order’ Award-winning author and journalist Naomi Klein speaks to Democracy in Exile.

“Gaza is a crime scene,” @naomiaklein.bsky.social tells Democracy in Exile. “There's still going to be a great deal of effort to suppress an honest examination of what has happened in Gaza and what is ongoing.” Read her extensive interview with @omidmemarian.bsky.social dawnmena.org/the-exceptio...

Iran Begins to Evacuate Military Officials and Personnel From Syria The withdrawals by one of President Bashar al-Assad’s key backers comes amid a resurgent rebel offensive.

Important development: #Iran began to evacuate its military commanders and personnel from #Syria on Friday, according to regional officials and three Iranian officials, in a sign of Iran’s inability to help keep President #Bashar al-Assad in power as he faces a resurgent rebel offensive.

Exactly.

Iranian Authorities Allegedly Sexually Assaulted Journalist Prison officers allegedly sexually assaulted and harassed Vida Rabbani, an Iranian journalist and activist, during a body search at Evin Prison in Tehran on October 3, an informed source told Human Ri...

“Prison officers allegedly sexually assaulted and harassed Vida Rabbani, an Iranian journalist and activist, during a body search at Evin Prison in #Tehran on October 3, an informed source told @hrw.org in late November.” #Iran #HumanRights

Corporate America Launches Unorthodox Campaign to Gain Trump’s Attention Companies are looking at scrubbing left-leaning policies from their websites and scoping out appearances on conservative podcasts.

This is surreal.

Better offer needed if the US wants to pull Saudi Arabia away from China The US has repeatedly over the past year been claiming that it is on the verge of signing a defense pact with Saudi Arabia. It is claimed that the treaty would entail Washington selling advanced arms ...

“As recently as 2022, China only surpassed the US as a preferred ally among Arabs by a small margin. But now, over half of Arabs reportedly see Washington as the biggest threat to peace and stability in the region, and want the United States to leave.”

The main reason we are slouching to dystopia

American oligarchy? As Trump returns to the White House, some worry big business will run the show. - The Boston Globe A second Trump term may open the floodgates to an unprecedented amount of corporate influence over government.

“The line between private wealth and public policy is going to get erased,” said @dandrezner.bsky.social. “There will be a lot more corruption.” www.bostonglobe.com/2024/11/20/b...

Kianoosh Sanjari: Iran's prisons 'disturbed my soul' – DW – 11/17/2024 Kianoosh Sanjari, an Iranian journalist and activist, died by suicide this week after demanding the release of prisoners. In a 2022 interview, he told DW about how solitary confinement had affected hi...

Sanjari, like many others rights activists and journalists, was yet another victim of the Islamic Republic. In tribute, many have since reposted a profound phrase found on Sanjari's X account:

"The life of a homeland owes me to think only of life, and not of the homeland." #Iran #humanrights

Netanyahu says Israel damaged ‘component’ of Iran’s nuclear program in Oct. strikes Netanyahu said Monday that a “specific component” of Iran’s nuclear program had been damaged in last month’s Israeli attack on Iranian military facilities.

Iran's downplaying of last month's Israeli strike shows its reluctance to retaliate—fearing further damage to its regional power and domestic backlash over clashes with Israel. #Iran #Israel #MiddleEast

Iranian artist Korosh Ghazimorad redefines calligraphy through tradition and innovation "I aim for an expression that challenges the viewer's mind, inviting them to reflect beyond the surface meanings of the lines while preserving the authenticity of calligraphic art."

Read my interview with Iranian artist Korosh Ghazimorad, who shares how he blends tradition with innovation to redefine calligraphy. His journey is a powerful reminder of art's impact in connecting cultures & emotions. #Art #middleeast #Iran @globalvoices.bsky.social globalvoices.org/2024/11/10/i...

Barbara McQuade’s Attack from Within: How #Disinformation Is Sabotaging America is a wake-up call for our times. A sharp, insightful look at how disinformation erodes democracy—and what we can do to fight back. Essential reading! 📚🇺🇸 #AttackFromWithin #BarbaraMcQuade #books #

Omid's interview with the great Hisham Matar in Democracy in Exile—on a very short list of favorite pieces I edited and published this year:

"I think the moment we are living in is a moment of deep estrangement and uncertainty and fragmentation on so many levels." dawnmena.org/pulitzer-pri...

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author Hisham Matar on Exile, Friendship and the 'Potential of Our Humanity' "I think the moment we are living in is a moment of deep estrangement and uncertainty and fragmentation on so many levels."

You probably love Hisham Matar's writing and thinking if you've read "My Friends." I had the pleasure of interviewing him for @dawnmenaorg.bsky.social about various issues – an exhilarating conversation! His take on friendship and today’s world is genuinely touching. dawnmena.org/pulitzer-pri...

Michigan fall!

Hello Blue Sky!