In a visit to Qatar and Saudi Arabia this week, Hillary Clinton said that Iran “is moving toward a military dictatorship,” and continued the administration’s campaign for tougher sanctions against that country.

What could America’s top diplomat hope to accomplish with this kind of inflammatory rhetoric? It seems unlikely that the goal was to support human rights in Iran. Because of the United States’ history in Iran and in the region, it tends to give legitimacy to repression. The more that any opposition can be linked to the United States’ actions, words, or support, the harder time they will have.

Second, it is tough for anyone – especially in the region – to believe that the US is really concerned about human rights abuses. In addition to supporting Israel’s collective punishment of the Palestinians in Gaza, Washington has been remarkably quiet as the most important opposition leaders in Egypt were arrested as part of the government’s preparations for October elections. Amnesty International stated that the arrestees were “prisoners of conscience, detained solely for their peaceful political activities”.

So what is the purpose of a speech like this? The most obvious conclusion is that it is to promote conflict, and to convince Americans that Iran is an actual threat to their security. Americans generally have to be prepared and persuaded for years if they are to accept that they must go to war. The groundwork for the Iraq war was laid during the Clinton presidency. President Clinton imposed sanctions on the country that devastated the civilian population, carried out bombings, and publicly declared that Washington’s intention was to overthrow the government. Although, as we now know, Iraq never posed any significant security threat to the US, President Clinton spent years trying to convince Americans that it did.

President Bush picked up where President Clinton left off; and President Clinton publicly supported his campaign for the war. So did Hillary, and she defended her decision in 2008 even as it looked like it might cost her the presidency.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article24803.htm

For some thought, we should all agree on two things: Firstly, the utopian desire for all out reconciliation and a positive gradual transformation, and secondly, fine Caviar. http://www.caviarcaviar.com. I hope during the future indulgence of this ancient delicacy, one can voice these intellectual viewpoints and continue such discussions in polite, gentlemen-like and distinguished diplomatic settings.

I am an independent observer and strongly believe in justice and fairness.

My only agenda here is to speak the truth and defend the justice however,

Ideological and emotional agendas result in you distancing yourselves from factual and analytical information, preferring instead, information that fits with your material interests and emotional disposition.

The primacy of emotion over facts bids ill for you.

You only prefer information that fit with your interest and when my last post did not fit in that category you chose personal attack rather than challenging me intellectually.

There should be separation of religion and State period. I recommend you read the Secular Republic Constitution again. It is the only way both secular Iranians and Islamist can co-exist without a civil war or a perpetual threat of external war.

Here is a comment by Mehrabn

This is an excellent article
by Mehrban on Fri Feb 19, 2010 09:26 AM PST

The Iranian identity is our common ground. To me it seems that if this movement has a chance to succeed it should fully understand and embrace this fact. It is only the all encompassing Iranianness that includes all citizens of Iran regardless of religion, ethnicity, sex, etc. that can approach a guarantee for the equality of citizens in the political process and application of law.

Islamic Republic as so well oulined in this article is by name and nature exclusive.

The slogan of Jomhorieh Irani (Iranian Republic) calls for the reinstatement of the suppressed common ground of all Iranians. In effect, it is in defience to the Islamic republic which has suppressed the inclusive Iranianness in the advantage of exclusive Islam.
http://iranian.com/main/blog/david-et-20

Why don’t you join our discussion at the link I provided. There are hundreds of Iranians on that site and would like to hear from you..How about it?? What scares you about debating other Iranians???

Did you know that the owner of the site was an ex-hizballahi who used to work for IRNA of IRI untile 1995.. Don’t be afraid of debates…

The rest of your argument, I’m confused and don’t really get what you’re saying.

I understand that you don’t approve of its form or how it’s called, but the core problem you have is not in its name it’s with its behavior like American government is been yelling for over 31 years. Now can you argue that if we supposedly decide to change the name do we also need to change the behavior with respect to hegemonic powers that have lost their grip on the nation and allow them to subvert our independence and dictate how we should behave internally and externally to protect their interest?

One good example is with respect to Israeli, Palestinian conflict, is it in Iran’s interest to be complicit and allow a resolution to the conflict, or an ongoing conflict at someone else expense will keep the Arabs away from bothering Iran specially since they got so reach in last few decades believe it or not this is where Iranian and American interests coincide. When I told you see how that was resolved 2500 years ago that was what I meant.

So I am an Iranian and very proud I was raised to be proud of my nationality and I don’t mind and I am not afraid of speaking what will be the best interest of Iran in my opinion, just like any nationalist American or Israeli does. Contrary to what you think or what is implied in Media in the west majority of Iranians have the same opinion

http://www.iranian.com/main/blog/david-et-20

چه کسی از “جمهوری ایرانی” می ترسد؟

“Who is afraid of Iranian Republic”??

Join our conversation and ask your superiors at VEVAK to join too…

http://iranian.com/main/2010/feb-23