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Scooped by Seth Dixon onto Geography Education |
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From San Diego to Brownsville, Tex., requests for assistance have become a drain on the resources of fire departments in cities on the United States border with Mexico.
This is a poignant example of how site and situation impact the local geographic factors.
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"Iran poses steep challenges to its Middle East neighbors and the world. Explore the country's complex regime structure and controversial nuclear program, and watch experts debate the range of policy options."
Seth Dixon's insight:
Iran is in the middle of one of the most important geopolitical regions. One the bordered with Iraq and the Persian Gulf, Iran is stratgeically positioned to have considerable control over the world’s most important waterway for oil shipping and trade, the Strait of Hormuz. Given it's context, Iran is a country that students should more about than the three main facts that that most Americans are already aware of (1-Iran has an Islamic-based government, 2-an emerging nuclear program and 3-a ton of oil). This interactive feature is a good starting point with great videos, timelines, maps, articles that assess the current situation in Iran. Tags: Iran, political, Middle East. Delete the scoop?
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2012 has had many stories around the globe have grabbed the headlines with their shocking tales. Some of the most important shifts in the world however are incremental processes that happen slowly... This article from Foreign Policy shares some great global stories that may end up impacting the coming years as well: 1) India and Pakistan start trading more 2) Brazil becomes an immigration destination 3) Inuits strike it rich 4) A tropical disease nearly eradicated 5) The copyright wars go 3-D 6) The end of the Indian call center (Philippines) 7) Hong Kong fights back 8) Moscow on the Med (Cyprus) 9) Oil discoveries in Central Africa 10) Island dispute between Iran and UAE 
Kristen McDaniel's curator insight,
January 4, 9:57 AM
What was missed in the news? Take a look at some of the stories from around the world! Delete the scoop?
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In the dusty triangle where Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan meet, there is more than one war going on. Geopolitically, there is a fascinating confluence of competing interests at this border. This is "the scariest little corner of the world." It's a dangerous place that is often beyond the authority of any of state. It also represents (depending on how you divide the world up) at the intersection of the three major regions in the area: Central Asia, the Middle East and South Asia. Tags: Afghanistan, political, borders, MiddleEast, SouthAsia, Central Asia, unit 4 political. Delete the scoop?
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Young Iranians are tuning out. Of those encountered on a visit, many seemed less interested in religious fanaticism than in sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll.
Often we fall into the trap of assuming that the political rhetoric of the governmental regime is is culturally representative of the people of that country (such as this picture above. Listen to this podcast on the Iranian nuclear program for an example of the religous/political rhetoric: http://www.scoop.it/t/regional-geography/p/2016189455/iran-s-nuclear-fatwa-a-policy-or-a-ploy ). And yet, people are still people, and kids are just kids, even in a conservative theocratic government. "One of the most pernicious misunderstandings in the West about Iranians is that they are dour religious fanatics...In the 1970s, disgruntled young Iranians rebelled against a corrupt secular regime by embracing an ascetic form of Islam. Now they’re rebelling against a corrupt religious regime by embracing personal freedom — in some cases, even sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll." Delete the scoop?
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This article, advocating for both a geopolitical strategy to counter an hostile move by Iran in the Persian Gulf, also analyzes the cultural and economic impact of the United States energy consumption patterns. This could be an interesting article to share as a 'current events.' 
's comment, January 30, 2012 2:27 PM
The last time that the Iranians attempted to aggressively control the waters of the Persian Gulf all they got for their trouble were sunken ships. The U.S. navy should be able to keep he waters of the Strait open, and the Iranians would be wise to keep their actions limited to verbal threats.
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For my non-Farsi speaking readers, this map displays a 'male' province and a 'female' province. These two provinces are separated by barbed wire, 20-meter trench and the Great Wall of China with ground-to-air missiles.
While not a "cartographically accurate" map of the divisions within Iran, it does symbolically highlight the enormous gulf between men and women. Men and women are not in separate provinces, but what might the symbolic spatial gender division on this map represent for Iranian society? 
Matt Mallinson's comment,
October 24, 2012 1:42 PM
It's symbolic of how women are treated in Iran compared to the men. They are looked down on, a piece of property. The men don't respect the women and basically see them as less of a person because of gender. I don't know if their views will ever change, but I think women should be treated perfect no matter what country you're from.
Derek Ethier's comment,
October 25, 2012 10:59 PM
Gender division in the world has existed since the beginning of time. American women were disenfranchised for hundreds of years. However, it still amazes me how it can still exist in our world today. Iranian women have no rights and at all and to me this seems to be a sad existence. As Obama recently said, it will be impossible for nations like this to grow without extending more basic human rights to women.
Crissy Borton's curator insight,
December 11, 2012 8:23 PM
This shows the division on men and women and how women are looked at…like second class citizens. It is very sad that this still goes on. Delete the scoop?
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Iran's geography plays heavily in the foreign affairs issues it is a part of, and the policies it makes.
Seth Dixon's insight:
"Iran sits smack in the middle of one of the most important geopolitical regions on Earth. Much of its western flank is bordered by either Iraq or the Persian Gulf, and it has considerable control over one of the world’s most important waterways for oil shipping and trade, the Strait of Hormuz." Given it's context, Iran is a country that students should know beyond the three main facts that that most Americans are aware of (Iran has an Islamic-based government, an emerging nuclear program and a ton of oil). This article is a good starting point. Tags: Iran, political, Middle East. Delete the scoop?
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I'll let Douglas Keeney's own words and this image speak for themselves: "The geography of human conflict as seen from space at night. The Strait of Hormuz as seen at night from the space station is a beautiful lesson in the geography of conflict. How much we learn by simply tracing the fingers of human populations as seen superimposed over the geography of Earth. Enjoy." -From Lights of Mankind: Earth at Night From Space What would a picture look like from a drone's perspective? Where are these places that are being targeted? This Instagram account is incredibly thought-provoking and informative. Delete the scoop?
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TED Talks A clay cylinder covered in Akkadian cuneiform script, damaged and broken, the Cyrus Cylinder is a powerful symbol of religious tolerance and multi-culturalism.
At first glance this TED Talk appears to be more about ancient history, archaeology and biblical studies that anything modern. Yet as Neil MacGregor, the Director of the British Museum continues his discussion of the Cyrus Cylinder (A clay cylinder covered in Akkadian cuneiform script), it becomes clear that this historical artifact is vital in understanding how modern states conceive of their heritage, cultural legacy and role within the Middle East today (such as Israel, Iraq, Iran and even the U.K.). As such the Cyrus Cylinder is a powerful symbol of religious tolerance and multi-culturalism and plays a role in shaping Middle Eastern cultural and political institutions. 
Don Brown Jr's comment,
October 1, 2012 9:18 PM
Objects, ideas and land can have multi overlapping meanings that are constantly being reinterpreted by each succeeding generation creating new symbolic understandings that overlap into many societies and cultures.
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Over the next few months, Ajam Media Collective will host a series that focuses on and describes various elements of the cultural, ethnic and linguistic mosaic that we refer to collectively as Iran...
What is in a name? We know that there are subtle differences between Hispanic, Indigenous, Latino and Mexican that are bound with the history of these words and how they have been used by both insiders and outsiders to construct identity. Likewise, the distinctions between the terms Persian and Iranian are often used interchangeably. However there are political, ethnic, linguistic and religious connotations that shape the meanings behind these terms. While I don't necessarily agree with all of the arguments, this is an interesting look at the historical roots of these distinctions and the ramifications of these terms. 
Kara H's comment,
July 3, 2012 11:17 PM
This is interesting, I have wondered this myself, when hearing a person describe themselves as Persian. The article goes on to say being Persian is a cultural subset of Iranians, who share a common language and culture. It can be conditered a cultural or political statement to call ones self Persian rather than Iranian.
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Zoroastrians are often portrayed as quaint, but they are not insulated from Iran's tribulations, Jamsheed K. Choksy says. Religious diversity and freedom of expression are not universally available. Often we begin discussing the Middle East with the rise of Islam; this is a modern way to remember that pre-Islamic past. Delete the scoop?
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