NIACast

 

 

Recently, the California State Senate passed SR 29, a Senate Resolution authored by State Senator Sam Blakeslee which recognizes the contributions of the Iranian-American community and calls upon the Iranian government to provide basic human rights and political freedoms to its citizens. The Senator partnered with several Iranian-American organizations, including NIAC and Human Rights for Iran in order to take the Resolution from concept to reality.  Tune in as we discuss this latest achievement with Senator Blakeslee.

Recently, Collin Anderson, Washington-based Internet researcher  discovered a “Request for Information” or RFI issued by Iran’s Ministry of Information that raised questions about the government’s claims for setting up a “Halal Intranet.” What is the state of Iran's cyber repression? What is the impact of U.S. sanctions and export controls on Iranian's access to Internet communication? What can the U.S. government do to counter Iranian government cyber repression? These questions and more with Collin Anderson.

 

 

 

 

 

 

How effective is an oil embargo on Iran? Will a third oil embargo bring about change in the Iranian government's stance on their nuclear program? What are the Iranians doing to prepare in order to prevent their economy from collapsing? What are those countries who used to be consumers of Iranian oil doing to make sure their oil needs are still met? What are the unintended consequences of this embargo? These questions and more are answered by Dr. Sara Vakhshouri, President at SVB Energy and former advisor to the Director of the National Iranian Oil Company International.

 

 

 

 

In this episode, we had the opportunity to talk with Cyrus Habib, candidate for State Representative in Washington's 48th district. Cyrus is a technology lawyer and community volunteer who grew up in Bellevue.He’s a former Rhodes Scholar and Yale law graduate who currently serves as a Human Services Commissioner for the city of Bellevue and Trustee of the Bellevue College Foundation.Cyrus’ accomplishments and accolades are numerous, but perhaps what makes his story most compelling is that he achieved all of this despite losing his eye sight at the age of eight and despite being a three time cancer survivor.

What is often forgotten or ignored in the talks of war with Iran are the two communities who are at the center of many of the debates - the Iranian-American and Jewish-American community. We talk with Rabbi Marc Gopin, director George Mason University's Center on Religion, Diplomacy, and Conflict Resolution, on how our two communities can learn from one another and dispel the fears on both sides. As an accomplished author, professor, researcher, and consultant Rabbi Gopin focuses on the role of religion and culture in not sparking conflict, but as a critical component to reaching lasting resolutions between peoples and nations.