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Iran

INTERVIEW

"Dealing with illiberal states is a chronic problem"

John Ikenberry: Power, Order and Change – in World Politics

USA: We talk to John Ikenberry about «after victory moments». Is there any real incentive for the powerful state to spend money to rebuild and foster a better order? The liberal international vision is not globalism, it is intergovernmentalism.
Hans Henrik Fafner -
INTERVIEW

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is cutting international cooperation

MIDDLE EAST: What significance does it have that the authorities have cut cultural support for a number of Norwegian actors working internationally? For example, Kirkelig Kulturverksted i Midtøsten?
Pinar Ciftci -
literature

All against all

Translated from English by Signe Prøis: Behrouz Boochani: Only the mountains are my friend

REFUGEES: Cohesion is pulverized, everyone just thinks about managing on their own, surviving, tearing up an extra snack, a place in the food queue or the phone queue.
Kurt Sweeney -
literature

THE BATTLE BETWEEN IRAN AND SAUDI ARABIA: The Middle East tragedy

Kim Ghattas: Black Wave. Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the Forty-Year Rivalry that Unraveled Culture, Religion, and Collective Memory in the Middle East

ISLAMISM: The traditional explanation for the conflict between Sunni and Shia Muslims is too superficial. A new, well-written analysis interprets the Middle East's major changes as a showdown between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Hans Henrik Fafner -
fiction (film)

The devil is in the system

Mohammad Rasoulof: There is no devil

DEATH PENALTY: The Berlin winner There is no devil is a strong statement against Iran's state executions and a morally complex depiction of living in a totalitarian society.
Aleksander Huser -
literature

Religious notions

Laurence Louër Translated by Ethan Rundell: Sunnis and Shi'a: A Political History

SUNNI AND SJIA: The religious contradictions between the two main directions in Islam are not so great. But in conflicts between countries and groups, they are used for all they are worth.
Kjetil Korslund -
COMMENT

When viruses go viral

INFODEMI: A study of the coronavirus, conspiracy theories and fake news in the disinformation ecosystem.
Péter Krekó -
COMMENT

The illiteracy of Pakistan

READING AND WRITING DIFFICULTIES: Pakistan needs to prioritize citizens' inadequate literacy skills and should implement a nationwide program that takes into account the country's multicultural and foreign language communities.
Zara Kayani -
documentary

The war reporter close to the truth

Yung Chang: This Is Not A Movie – Robert Fisk And The Politics Of Truth

PORTRAIT MOVIE: War reporter Robert Fisk has the courage to monitor and challenge. He is known for reporting from the front lines contrary to the official line of politicians and people in power.
Carmen Gray -
COMMENT

The people of Lebanon do not give up

LEBANON"We will go home when the government goes home," said protesters at Riad al-Solh in Beirut.
Francesca Borri -
COMMENT

Norway must say no to contributing militarily in the Gulf of Persia

NO TO USA: The Anti-War Initiative asks the Government to say no to the request from the United States to contribute militarily to the crisis in the Persian Gulf.
antikrigsinitiativet@gmail.com -
literature

Deputy wars' hidden interests

Eli Berman, David A. Lake: Proxy Wars. Suppressing Violence through Local Agents

: PROXY WARS: The United States and Russia, Iran and Saudi Arabia have an indirect involvement in conflicts that are something quite different from conventional warfare.
Hans Henrik Fafner -
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Full 100-page MODERN TIMES including the appendix Orientering and Modern Times Review comes out quarterly (March 1, June 1, September 1 and December 1) with international book reviews, essays and comments – in addition to the physical newspaper and PDF, the articles are eventually published online here (see also the newsletter).

© MODERN TIMES & Orientering AS Dronningensgt. 16, 0152 Oslo Chief editor: Truls Lie

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