Majid Rafizadeh

Majid Rafizadeh

Majid Rafizadeh is an Iranian-Syrian scholar, human rights activist, and writes columns for Harvard International review. He is the ambassador for the National American-Iranian Council. He conducted research at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. He has appeared as a trilingual media commentator- in English, Arabic, and Persian over topics such as U.S foreign policy, democratization, human rights and the Middle East- on broadcast outlets such as CNN , France 24 English, Russian Global English TV, NTN International News, VOA ( Voice of America), BBC Persian and public radio. His works have appeared in Foxnews, Aljazeera, The Nation, Huffington Post, Independent, Jadaliyya, Alarabiya, and Alakhbar.

Blog posts by Majid Rafizadeh

In an attempt to depict the Arab uprising as revolts inspired by the Iranian Islamic Revolution, Tehran recently hosted a conference called the “Islamic Awakening” and invited a number of young Arab activists. Unsurprisingly, no Syrian activists were invited.

By Majid Rafizadeh  |  April 24, 2012  |  35

Undoubtedly, the Syrian regime and its security apparatus are emboldened and empowered by the Moscow's and Beijing's two vetoes of a UN Security Council resolution which was not calling for a military intervention or a comprehensive regime change but for a peaceful transition to democratic system of governance in Syria. The failure of the UN Security council to pass the resolution which was embracing an Arab League plan and being endorsed by the majority of demonstrators in Syria particularly in the city of Homs led to the escalation of violence across the country. Russia and China’s veto contributed to the belief held by the Syrian government that brutal use of force could eventually put an end to a popular uprising.

By Majid Rafizadeh  |  March 24, 2012  |  100

Both the Arab League and Gulf Cooperation Council were established with the purpose of strengthening relations between Arab states, to safeguard their sovereignty, and to address general concerns about the affairs and interests of Arab member nations. Recently, these two organizations have become key international actors that may be able to act as platforms on which to pave the way for tremendous political change. Recent Arab League measures have caused Iranian leaders to question if the Arab League will push for international measures against the Iranian regime and its nuclear program.

By Majid Rafizadeh  |  February 29, 2012  |  24