Iran's past and the future of America

Supreme leader Ali Khamenei gives a speech in 2016. Image source: Wikimedia.

Arash Azizi is a writer and historian who grew up in Iran and now lives in the U.S.

His first book, The Shadow Commander, is about Qassem Soleimani, the head of the country's elite Quds Force who was killed by a U.S. drone strike near Baghdad International Airport in January 2020, in the last days of Trump’s first presidency. His second book, What Iranians Want: Women, Life, Freedom, is an account of the uprising that began after a young woman, Mahsa Amini, died in September 2022 while detained by Iran’s morality police for allegedly not wearing the hijab in accordance with government standards.

In this episode we cover:

• Daily life and activism in Iran

• Women's rights and misogyny

• Feminism and other activism in Iran

• Iran and global right-wing movements

• The role of the Supreme Leader in Iran

• The end of the Islamic Republic

• Pro- and anti-Americanism, anti-Zionism and philosemitism

• Apathy and political engagement in Iran and the U.S.

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The Rhyming Chaos podcast is produced by Jeremy Goldkorn and Maria Repnikova, and edited by Cadre Scripts. The theme music is Paper Boy, composed and performed on the guzheng by Wu Fei. Our closing music is Erik Satie’s Gymnopédie No. 1, arranged and performed by Wu Fei. Our cover art is by Li Yunfei.

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