@ Sciences Po (Paris, France). Date: 11/23/2015. Speakers: Ardavan AMIR-ASLANI (lawyer and essayist), Thierry COVILLE (economist) & Milad JOKAR (political analyst). *** SYNOPSIS *** “Islam does not approve of an oppressive and unbridled capitalism that deprives the oppressed masses who suffer under tyranny”: in his last will in 1989, Ayatollah Khomeini takes a firm stance towards what the economic system promoted by the Islamic Revolution should and shouldn’t be. A quarter-century later, the agreement signed on 14 July 2015 marks a turning point, as the international sanctions imposed on Iran will progressively be lifted from the beginning of 2016. Iran is already starting a gradual opening to international actors : numerous foreign business delegations have visited Teheran since last July (eg. more than 100 top French companies from the CAC40 in September). These changes have mostly been welcomed by Iran’s middle class and businesspeople, eager to develop trade and business relationships with foreign counterparts and to have access to more imported goods. Still, Ayatollah Khamenei has been clear that America will remain a foe, with or without sanctions relief : can this perception undermine the “gold rush” announced by a number of economic analysts ? What will be the role of islamic banking, which remains essential for the Iranians' acceptance of a religious economic paradigm, in tomorrow's Iran ? How far can the authorities foster an attractive business climate and liberalize the market without endangering the very foundations of the Islamic Republic ? What consequences will Iran’s opening have on the Iranian society, and how can these changes influence the next parliamentary elections, held on 26 February 2016 ? *** THE GUEST SPEAKERS *** - Ardavan AMIR-ASLANI. Lawyer and member of the Paris Bar, he has been developing a 20-year expertise in counselling States. He wrote various essays about Iran’s geopolitical and societal evolutions and he is a former Middle-East professor at HEC and the Ecole de Guerre Economique. - Thierry COVILLE. Research Fellow at IRIS (French research centre for international and strategic studies) and Professor of economics (macroeconomics, international economics and country risks analysis) at Novancia, a Business School belonging to the Paris Chamber of Commerce. He was a research fellow at the French Institute of Research in Iran from 1991 to 1994 and an associate research fellow at the Iran Department of the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) from 1991 to 2006. - Milad JOKAR. Political analyst and Iran specialist at The Huffington Post and Al-Jazeera. He is associate researcher at ISPE (Institute for Prospective and Security Studies in Europe). *** DELEGATIONS FOR DIALOGUE *** Delegations For Dialogue is a progressive, forward-thinking non-profit organisation specialising in establishing innovative travel and education opportunities to those passionate about politics and current affairs. We do this primarily through organising onsite academic programmes in the world's most contentious and critical regions with the ultimate aim of understanding the reality behind the headlines. http://www.delegations.org/ FACEBOOK l https://www.facebook.com/delegationsfordialogue INSTAGRAM l https://www.instagram.com/delegationsfordialogue/ TWITTER l https://twitter.com/DelegationsDFD *** THE IRANIAN HERITAGE SYMPOSIUM (27 Feb- 6 March 2016) *** Our non-profit has planned a field study trip that will give our participants the chance to travel with other keen and proactive individuals, while meeting and interacting with those on the ground who are perpetuating Iran as one the most influential cultural powers of the Middle-East and the Islamic world. The opportunity to meet local artists, craftmen, professors and student groups should allow you to construct your own opinions away from the often shallow coverage, this vast and complicated society, receives from the Western media. Applications will open soon. To get notified : http://www.delegations.org/iran

• published: 10 Dec 2015
• views: 152