Iran

The tension between upholding the prohibition on the use of force and the desire to protect people from violence has left many bereft of good options. International law has to navigate this conundrum. But it can't rely on doctrinal arguments alone.

The fallout from the latest war in the Middle East has made visible a problem that many preferred to ignore: the international financial architecture is not fit for a world of cascading shocks and rising human need. Nowhere is this more obvious than in Africa.

The war with Iran is exacerbating the situation in the Middle East, with no prospect of security gains. Military escalation poses significant risks to stability in the region. Europe should focus strongly on de-escalation and compliance with international law.

In the shadow of the war with Israel, the Iranian regime stepped up its internal repression and resorted to even more politically motivated executions. As long as there are no real political consequences for the regime, state violence through capital punishment will continue.

European policymakers need to rethink their approach to Iran and formulate a new policy that puts people and human security at its core. Such an approach would center on a consistent human rights perspective and the sustained support for civil society.

Despite enormous challenges, the LGBTQ+ movement in Iran has come a long way in the last years. Queer individuals actively participated in the Women, Life, Freedom protests. However, the isolation and solitary existence of the movement remains a challenge.

In Iran, feminist foreign policy demands both short-term interventions to alleviate the suffering of the civilian population and a long-term approach to deal with the state’s structural violence against its own citizens.

“Once I started to write myself, I began to realize how this powerful act of self-expression was the counter opposite of the seclusion, alienation, and repression that mandatory veiling had imposed on me” says Iranian author Ava Homa. In her article, she points out various forms of protest with which women in Iran fight for freedoms and participation – one of them is writing.