26
April 2018
Past Event
Iran: As Anti-Government Protests Continue, Can the U.S. Help Maintain Momentum?

Iran: As Anti-Government Protests Continue, Can the U.S. Help Maintain Momentum?

Past Event
Hudson Institute, Washington, D.C. Headquarters
April 26, 2018
26
April 2018
Past Event

1201 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 400
Washington, DC 20004

Speakers:
Mehrangiz Kar

Iranian feminist scholar

Mariam Memarsadeghi

Co-founder and Co-director, Tavaana

Nina Shea
Nina Shea

Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Religious Freedom

In January, the Iranian regime announced that the anti-government protests that unexpectedly swept through the country had successfully been suppressed. In truth, this struggle continues–if not in the streets, then on social media, on city walls, and in the private lives of citizens. In the eyes of the younger generation of the Shiite majority, who are the backbone of the protests, the mullahs are losing legitimacy.

This discontent is not limited to economic grievances and has taken aim at the political and social leadership as a whole. Many of these protests have begun to target laws like mandatory headscarves. Since the 1979 Islamic revolution, the mandatory headscarf for women has been the enduring symbol of the mullahs’ political control and of women’s restricted status. Foregoing the hijab in public is to risk arrest, job loss, lashing, reeducation classes or other punishments, so these protesters have resorted to posting photos and videos of themselves on social media.

On April 26, Hudson Institute hosted a panel of leading female Iranian-American freedom activists who will discuss these developments and how the U.S. can help this movement maintain momentum. Panelists will include Iranian journalist and founder of My Stealthy Freedom Masih Alinejad; Iranian feminist scholar Mehrangiz Kar; and Mariam Memarsadeghi, co-founder and co-director of Tavaana. The discussion was moderated by Hudson senior fellow Nina Shea.

Related Events
16
July 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
After the Fall: Planning for a Post-Communist China
Featured Speakers:
John P. Walters
Randall Schriver
Gordon G. Chang
Rick Fisher
Piero Tozzi
William Nee
Nina Shea
Donald Clarke
Moderator:
Miles Yu
Getty Images
16
July 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
After the Fall: Planning for a Post-Communist China

Hudson Institute’s China Center will convene experts and policymakers to discuss the potential collapse of CCP authority in China.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
John P. Walters
Randall Schriver
Gordon G. Chang
Rick Fisher
Piero Tozzi
William Nee
Nina Shea
Donald Clarke
Moderator:
Miles Yu
15
July 2025
Past Event
Countering Communist Cyborgs: China’s Dystopian AI Ambitions and the Robotics Race
Featured Speakers:
Congressman Bill Huizenga
Martijn Rasser
Divyansh Kaushik
Bill Drexel
Moderator:
Michael Sobolik
Getty Images
15
July 2025
Past Event
Countering Communist Cyborgs: China’s Dystopian AI Ambitions and the Robotics Race

Senior Fellow Michael Sobolik will host an event to introduce his new white paper featuring policy recommendations for the Trump administration and Capitol Hill to help secure America’s innovation advantage.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Congressman Bill Huizenga
Martijn Rasser
Divyansh Kaushik
Bill Drexel
Moderator:
Michael Sobolik
15
July 2025
Past Event
Drone Warfare and Securing America’s Military Against Emerging Threats with Senator John Boozman
Featured Speakers:
Senator John Boozman
Thomas H. Shugart
Timothy A. Walton
DVIDS
15
July 2025
Past Event
Drone Warfare and Securing America’s Military Against Emerging Threats with Senator John Boozman

Senator John Boozman (R-AR), chairman of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee, will join Senior Fellow Timothy A. Walton for a conversation on how the US can mitigate these risks and accelerate the fielding of forces and infrastructure to retain US advantage.

DVIDS
Featured Speakers:
Senator John Boozman
Thomas H. Shugart
Timothy A. Walton
15
July 2025
Past Event
The Iranian Regime Under Pressure: What’s Next?
Featured Speakers:
Mariam Memarsadeghi
Dr. Ladan Boroumand
Moderator:
Zineb Riboua
Getty Images
15
July 2025
Past Event
The Iranian Regime Under Pressure: What’s Next?

Join Zineb Riboua, research fellow and program manager at Hudson Institute’s Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East, for a conversation with Mariam Memarsadeghi, senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, and Dr. Ladan Boroumand, cofounder of the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Mariam Memarsadeghi
Dr. Ladan Boroumand
Moderator:
Zineb Riboua