Middle East Research and Information Project

Critical Coverage of the Middle East Since 1971

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Kaveh Ehsani

Kaveh Ehsani is associate professor of international studies at DePaul University and a contributing editor of Middle East Report.

MER Article

"The Temptation of Democracy"

Launched in 1992, Goft-o-Gu (Dialogue) aimed to open channels of constructive dialogue between Iran’s disparate political and intellectual currents. Given the highly polarized and repressive atmosphere at the time, Goft-o-Gu’s publication was a strikingly bold move. The journal discussed issues that

Kaveh Ehsani • 11 min read

MER Article

"The Conservatives Have Misjudged"

During his brief tenure as vice minister of Islamic guidance and culture, Ahmad Bourghani oversaw the issuance of hundreds of press permits and the flowering of an independent Iranian press for the first time since 1979.

Kaveh Ehsani • 8 min read

MER Article

"God Hasn't Died in This Society Yet"

Alireza Alavitabar is a key theoretical tactician of Iran’s religious New Left, an ideological trend to which President Khatami belongs. Alavitabar's greatest impact has been as the editor of the path-breaking Bahman (1996), Rah-e No (1998) and Sobh-e Emrooz (1999), publications that have advocated democratic reforms within

Kaveh Ehsani • 12 min read

MER Article

Municipal Matters

Although the 1997 election of Mohammad Khatami as president of Iran is widely considered a political watershed, an intriguing question remains unanswered: Why did such a grassroots intervention not occur earlier? What had changed to unite Iran’s heterogeneous interests and constituencies at this par

Kaveh Ehsani • 17 min read

MER Article

Do-e Khordad and the Specter of Democracy

A shadow haunts Iran, the shadow of democracy and popular sovereignty. Twenty years ago the Islamic Revolution established a polity based on two contradictory elements: a republic of equal and sovereign citizens, and a hierarchical theocracy of pastoral power descending from an unelected religious l

Kaveh Ehsani • 6 min read

MER Article

"Tilt but Don't Spill"

“Kaj dar-o mariz” (the jar is tilted but not spilled) describes how the Islamic Republic came stumbling through its first decade. Unlike Iraq, Iran fought the war between them entirely on its own resources, which enabled the state to maintain a sense of achievement and independence. [1] However, with the

Kaveh Ehsani • 16 min read