The political implications of transforming Saudi and Iranian oil economies (Emma Borden, Suzanne Maloney, Brookings)

http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/markaz/posts/2016/06/16-oil-regime-ideology-gulf-borden-maloney

Iran’s Guardians’ Council has approved a record-low percentage of candidates. What will that mean for the upcoming vote? (Emma Borden, Suzanne Maloney, Brookings)

Iranians will go to the polls on Friday to choose new representatives for two important governing bodies:the parliament (Majlis-e shoura-ye eslami) and the Assembly of Experts (Majlis-e Khobregan). Perhaps surprisingly, given the Islamic Republic’s track record for domestic repression, elections are a regular feature of Iranian politics. Friday’s ballot marks the 33rd time that Iranians have participated in national elections in the Islamic Republic’s 37-year history. Reviewing this history highlights several important trends that provide insight into what may happen on Friday.

http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/markaz/posts/2016/02/24-iran-elections-candidates-rejected-borden-maloney

“Shame and anger:” Watch Leon Wieseltier and Michael Ignatieff on the global refugee crisis (Emma Borden, Brookings)

In the opinion pages of The Washington Post, Harvard Kennedy School professor Michael Ignatieff and Brookings Foreign Policy senior fellow Leon Wieseltier proclaimed “the moral bankruptcy of American and Western policy in Syria.” On February 5, as part of the Richard C. Holbrooke Forum, Ignatieff and Wieseltier delivered similarly impassioned remarks about the global refugee crisis the Syrian conflict has spawned.

http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/markaz/posts/2016/02/11-wieseltier-ignatieff-global-refugee-crisis-borden

Everything you need to know about Iran’s Assembly of Experts election (Emma Borden, Brookings)

In theory at least, the Assembly of Experts (Majlis-e Khobregan) is one of the most important bodies in Iran’s government. For that reason, the upcoming Assembly of Experts elections are attracting intense attention, as the next Assembly is expected to be a key player in the selection of the successor to 76-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. As Iran’s February 26 elections for the Assembly of Experts and the parliament approach, here’s an explanation of how the Assembly operates.

http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/markaz/posts/2016/02/09-iran-election-assembly-of-experts-explainer-borden

Demystifying Iran’s parliamentary election process (Emma Borden, Brookings)

On February 26, Iranians will begin the process of electing their tenth parliament. While much discussion has focused on implications for Iran’s foreign policy, the electoral process itself remains a mystery to many. Here are the basics of the Iranian parliamentary election process.

http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/markaz/posts/2016/02/09-iran-election-parliament-explainer-borden