Iran’s political system

This article very briefly outlines the formal political structure of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
A very brief history
A legislative branch was first established during the Constitutional Revolution that began in 1905, at the time eroding the absolute power of the monarch. The legislative, and of course the entire state structure, has undergone significant change in [...]

News in Brief: 30 May 2009

A brief list of news clippings for the day:
Legal advice from the Taliban. It is not news that swaths of Afghanistan — particularly rural Pashtun areas in the south — now fall under the influence of the Taliban’s “shadow government.” What has been overlooked is why. Force certainly plays a part as the Taliban conquers [...]

Letter from Gaza: John Berger reads Ghassan Khanafani’s letter

John Berger’s reading of Ghassan Khanafani’s “Letter from Gaza.” From an address to the Palestine Festival of Literature in 2008.

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News in Brief: 29 May 2009

A brief list of news clippings for the day:
Pakistan-India tensions spur nuclear race. Although 11 years have passed since India and Pakistan first conducted nuclear tests, the two South Asian rivals continue to produce more nuclear bombs and weapon-delivery systems, a US congressional research service and the media reported on Thursday. (Dawn)
Mousavi makes a comeback. [...]

Contemporary art as a victim of war

“Contemporary art has been a war victim through Surrealism, Expressionism, Viennese Actionism, and terrorism today.” (1)
I recently read a chapter from The Accident of Art, Paul Virilio’s book critiquing contemporary art as facing a catastrophe born by technology and society. The chapter, A Pitiless Art?, claims that art is a casualty of war but doesn’t [...]

News in Brief: 28 May 2009

A brief list of news clippings for the day:
Iraq redux? Obama seeks funds for Pakistan super-embassy. The U.S. is embarking on a $1 billion crash program to expand its diplomatic presence in Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan, another sign that the Obama administration is making a costly, long-term commitment to war-torn South Asia, U.S. officials said [...]

News in Brief: 27 May 2009

A brief list of news clippings for the day:
Shadow Wars. In the past, war was an extension of a nation’s politics “too important,” as World War I French Premier Georges Clemenceau commented, “to be left to the generals.” But increasingly, the control of war is slipping away from the civilians in whose name and interests [...]

News in Brief: 26 May 2009

A brief list of news clippings for the day:
Sri Lanka wards off Western bullying. China and Russia have invited Sri Lanka to get involved with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and will ensure that the “international community” does not torment Colombo. Sri Lanka is becoming the theater where Russia and China are challenging the United States’ [...]

News in Brief: 22 May 2009

A brief list of news clippings for the day:
Afghan troop surge may destabilize Pakistan, says US General. The top US military officer said on May 21 he is concerned that the US troop build-up to oust insurgents from Afghanistan could further destabilise neighbouring Pakistan, according to Daily Times. (Afghan Citizen)
Afghan Detainees Denied Rights In Canadian [...]

Art and power: the emancipatory potential of contemporary art

Reading Benjamin’s piece, ‘Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction,’ stirred some thoughts (more like questions) that I’m here articulating because I’m working through them and I welcome the insight of others.
Benjamin writes that all works of ‘authentic’ art are inseparable from the fabric of tradition and that these often served a ritualistic service. Isn’t [...]