Iran policy expert Farideh Farhi will talk about the current political crisis in that country and its impact on U.S. policy at a special Cape Ann Forum lecture set for Sunday, Dec. 6, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Gloucester City Hall.
The event is free to the public.
Thirty years after the revolution that transformed Iran into an Islamic republic — and captured the world's attention with the seizure of the U.S. Embassy — the country is back on the front pages.
Farhi will look at what's behind the headlines covering Iran's nuclear program and the nation's internal political strife, while outlining the policy options and challenges facing the Obama administration.
The Hawaii-based author and policy analyst calls the recent presidential elections in Iran, and the protests and repression that followed, "the most significant sequence of events in the Islamic Republic since the 1979 revolution itself."
She says the ongoing power struggle is closely linked to Iran's foreign policy, especially its nuclear program and to the deep-seated insecurity at the heart of the country's politics.
Farhi is the author of "States and Urban-Based Revolutions: Iran and Nicaragua," and writes frequently on contemporary Iranian politics. She lived and worked in Iran between 1991 and 1998. She is an independent scholar and an affiliate member of the graduate faculty of the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
The Cape Ann Forum is an independent community organization formed after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, to increase public understanding of global issues.
The all-volunteer, locally-funded nonprofit group has sponsored 55 forums in eight years on topics ranging from the conflicts in Afghanistan, Israel/Palestine, Iraq to the impact of global warming on New England. All forums are rebroadcast on local cable TV.
For more information on the Cape Ann Forum, go to www.capeannforum.org.
IF YOU GO
What: Special Cape Ann Forum.
Who: Policy expert Farideh Farhi will talk about the political crisis in Iran.
When: 7 to 9 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 6.
Where: Kyrouz Auditorium, City Hall.
How much: Free to the public.
