The event, organized by the �鶹ӳ����ý Global Perspectives Office, was a feature of two 2011-2012 programming themes, “People Power, Politics and Global Change” and “Covering Crises from the Frontlines.”

Hakakian began the conversation by drawing from her new book, “Assassins of the Turquoise Palace,” which chronicles an event she describes as state-sponsored terrorism.

She recounted the details of a 1992 killing of several exiled Iranian opposition leaders at a meeting in a Berlin restaurant. These individuals, she explained, were targets of a fatwa issued by the Iranian clergy as a punishment for speaking out against the regime.

Thanks to a prominent trial and confirmation that Iran was in fact behind the plot, all members of the European Union pulled their ambassadors from Iran for six months in 1997, she said. Hakakian explained that this was a show of solidarity against the Iranian government’s assassinations, which eventually led to a promise by Iran that it would refrain from such behavior.

Hakakian read several excerpts from her book to help convey the story, and explained that she wrote the book not only because the real-life characters are so powerful, but also because the story resonates with America’s struggle to fight terrorism.

She argued that by prosecuting the assassinators fully and taking a stand against the government that sponsored them, Germany and the European Union brought about a peaceful result they never would have achieved with violence. This is something we can all learn from today, she said.

When asked about her opinions on American-sponsored assassinations, such as the killing of American-born cleric Anwar Al-Awlaki in Yemen last week, Hakakian explained that the cases are different because the exiled Iranians were committed to non-violence. Some of them, she said, were even apolitical; one was a comedian and another a musician, whereas Al-Awlaki was a known terrorist.

Hakakian also noted that America’s actions are less important in deciding Iran’s fate than those of Iranians. Iranians, she said, need to figure out how to condemn their religious and political leaders without abandoning their religion or political system. Overcoming the country’s theocracy, she said, is the next major step toward Iranian democracy.

In addition to the Global Perspectives Office, sponsors and partners of Hakakian’s presentation included the �鶹ӳ����ý Global Peace and Security Studies Program, the Sibille H. Pritchard Global Peace Fellowship Program, Lawrence J. Chastang and the Chastang Foundation, the Orlando Area Committee on Foreign Relations, LarsonAllen LLP, the �鶹ӳ����ý Al Ghazali Islamic Studies Program, the �鶹ӳ����ý Terrorism Studies Program, the �鶹ӳ����ý Human Trafficking Awareness Program, the �鶹ӳ����ý Diplomacy Program, the �鶹ӳ����ý Middle Eastern Studies Program, the �鶹ӳ����ý Political Science Department, the �鶹ӳ����ý International Services Center, the �鶹ӳ����ý Book Festival 2012 in association with the Morgridge International Reading Center, �鶹ӳ����ý LIFE and the Global Connections Foundation.

For a full list of upcoming events or to learn more about the Global Perspectives Office, visit .

Hakakian will give a presentation titled “An Insider’s Guide to Iran’s Turmoil” at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 4, in the Cape Florida Ballroom of the Student Union. The event, organized by the �鶹ӳ����ý Global Perspectives Office, is part of two 2011-2012 themes, “People Power, Politics and Global Change” and “Covering Crises from the Frontlines.” It is free and open to the public.

Hakakian recently authored the book “The Assassins of the Turquoise Palace” about Tehran’s terror campaign against exiled Iranians, which earned her a Guggenheim Fellowship in nonfiction. She also has authored two collections of Persian poetry.

Her memoir, “Journey from the Land of No: A Girlhood Caught in Revolutionary Iran,” was named one of Publishers Weekly’s Best Books of 2004 and Elle magazine’s Best Nonfiction Book.

A fellow at Yale University’s Whitney Humanities Center, Hakakian serves on the board of Refugees International and is a founding member of the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center.

Her reporting has been featured on television programs such as CBS’s “60 Minutes” and on ABC documentary specials with the late Peter Jennings. Hakakian’s opinions and essays have appeared in Time magazine, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and NPR, among others. She is a blogger for World Affairs, for which she also serves as a member of the editorial board.

In addition to the Global Perspectives Office, sponsors and partners of Hakakian’s presentation include the �鶹ӳ����ý Global Peace and Security Studies Program, The Sibille H. Pritchard Global Peace Fellowship Program, Lawrence J. Chastang and the Chastang Foundation, the Orlando Area Committee on Foreign Relations, LarsonAllen LLP, the �鶹ӳ����ý Al Ghazali Islamic Studies Program, the �鶹ӳ����ý Dipomacy Program, the �鶹ӳ����ý Terrorism Studies Program, the �鶹ӳ����ý Human Trafficking Awareness Program, the �鶹ӳ����ý Diplomacy Program, the �鶹ӳ����ý Middle Eastern Studies Program, the �鶹ӳ����ý Political Science Department, the �鶹ӳ����ý International Services Center, the �鶹ӳ����ý Book Festival 2012 in association with the Morgridge International Reading Center, �鶹ӳ����ý LIFE and the Global Connections Foundation.

For a full list of upcoming events or to learn more about the Global Perspectives Office, visit or follow the office on Twitter at .