Haleh Esfandiari

I usually don't blog Apperceptive work over here, but this morning Katharine Daniels, the executive editor of The Women's International Perspective Internet News Service, brought my attention to Patricia Vásquez's coverage of the the case of Haleh Esfandiari imprisonment and (supposed) confession on CNN.

Here's a short bio of Mrs. Esfandiari, excerpted from the article:

Professionally, she is Dr. Esfandiari, Director of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center, who holds a Ph.D. from the prestigious University of Vienna. An exceptional scholar, she is a recipient of a MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant, given "to individuals …who show exceptional merit and promise of continued creative work." Without question, she is highly regarded by her peers. One scholar has described her as the "gold standard" of Middle East analysts.

Not just a scholar but also a writer, at Princeton University Dr. Esfandiari didn’t just teach her students Persian language and literature, she taught them to love it as she did. Former students say her passion for her homeland was contagious! She taught Farsi using Persian folk tales, poetry which she effortlessly recited by heart, and old black-and-white films. She even cooked them Persian food. Before coming to the States in 1979, she worked in Iran as a young journalist for the Farsi edition of Iran's leading newspaper, Kayhan.