Flynt appeared on Scott Horton’s radio program last week. The interview focused on the ways in which American animus toward the Islamic Republic is driving, to a large extent, the Obama administration’s policy toward Syria; to access the audio, click here. The discussion ranges beyond Syria to consider how Washington’s ongoing attachment to the goal of hegemony in the Middle East warps American policymakers’ understanding of regional realities and, by extension, their strategic and tactical calculations. It also takes up the dangerous consequences of Washington’s repeated cooperation with Saudi Arabia to support salafi—or, more precisely, takfeeri—militias, as is currently transpiring in Syria, along with the rising risk of more fulsome (and ultimately ill-fated) U.S. intervention in Syria after the U.S. presidential election in November, whether under a reelected President Obama or a new Romney administration.
As the conflict in Syria continues, we were struck by two recent actions undertaken by Egypt’s new president, Mohamed Morsi. First, at the emergency summit meeting on Syria convened by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Mecca last week, Morsi gave what we believe could turn out to be a very important statement about the direction of post-Mubarak Egyptian foreign policy.
Just prior to the start of the OIC summit, the Emir of Qatar had traveled to Cairo to meet with Morsi and, according to various media reports, put $2 billion in economic assistance on the table, presumably to create leverage over Egypt’s position going into the meeting. Against this backstory, Morsi’s speech in Mecca is all the more impressive.
Western media coverage tended to focus on Morsi’s statement that “it was time for the Syrian regime to leave”—presumably just what Qatar and Saudi Arabia would want to hear. But what really stood out was his call for the creation of a regional contact group on Syria, to include the Islamic Republic of Iran along with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. Former Indian diplomat M.K. Bhadrakumar offered a sharply incisive take on Morsi’s speech, see here. Bhadrakumar’s analysis bears reading in its entirety, but we want to highlight the following passages:
“The narrative is that [Morsi] called for a transition in Egypt. ‘It is time for the Syrian regime to leave,’ he said. So far so good. The Western media lapped it up. But then came the sub-texts. Morsi called for a non-violent path. In immediate terms, he sought a ceasefire through Ramadan. Besides, he wanted an Islamic solution.
Then came the bombshell. Morsi proposed that a contact group should be formed to resolve the Syrian crisis through peaceful means, discussion and reconciliation. And, pray, who would form this group? Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey and Iran—he outlined.
In a nutshell, Morsi has rejected the stratagem for ‘regime change’ in Syria by the United States in alliance with Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar (with Israel standing in the shade for undertaking covert operations). Most important, Morsi’s package is almost exactly what Iran espouses, too. No wonder, Tehran feels greatly elated. In contrast with the deafening silence in Ankara, Riyadh and Doha, Tehran has scrambled to welcome Morsi’s proposal.”
As if this were not enough, Morsi’s office followed up with a second diplomatic “bombshell”: formal confirmation that Morsi will travel to Tehran at the end of August to attend the Non-Aligned Movement summit. Next week, in fact, Morsi will travel to China before going on to Iran.
Think about that: Egypt’s new president will travel to China and Iran before he comes to the White House. This further highlights Washington’s growing marginalization to constructively addressing a growing number of Middle Eastern challenges. Morsi’s call for a contact group on Syria was noteworthy not just for who was included—the Islamic Republic—but also for who was left out—the United States. Morsi’s itinerary next week draws a line under the point.
Morsi’s upcoming visit to Tehran—where he will almost certainly be received by both President Ahmadinejad and by the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei—also marks an important step forward in the ongoing improvement of Egyptian-Iranian relations. A truly obtuse analysis published by the Associated Press, see here, holds that the conflict in Syria has reversed the “surge” in Shi’a power in the Middle East, “based on the central alliance between Iran, Syria and Hezbollah, with close relations to Shiites who took power in post-Saddam Hussein Iraq.” As a result, “the region’s Sunni-led powers are appearing more confident, encouraged by the prospect that the Sunni-led rebellion could bring down Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime, dominated by members of the Shiite offshoot sect of Alawites.” It is in this context, supposedly, that the announcement of Morsi’s visit to Tehran “likely reflects the growing confidence that Iran’s status is damaged and that Sunni Arab nations can steer the agenda.” We find Bhadrakumar much closer to reality:
“Saudis will feel perturbed that Cairo is careering away into the trajectory of an independent foreign policy that may have more commonality with Tehran than the course adopted by the GCC states. Turkey will feel downcast that the new Egypt is not exactly in a mood to adopt the so-called Islamist leadership of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as its role model…We are slowly, steadily getting near to an answer to the question raised in great angst in several quarters (Washington, Tel Aviv, Riyadh): Will the new Egypt orient toward Saudi Arabia or Tehran?
The answer is crystallizing: Morsi intends to follow the middle path…So, it is about time we move on to the follow-up question: Whom does Morsi’s (and Egypt’s Brothers’) middle path suit better—Saudi Arabia or Iran? I won’t wager for an answer. It’s Iran, Stupid! All that Tehran ever expected in its regional (Arab) milieu all through these past 34 years since the Islamic Revolution was a level playing field. And Egypt is willing to recognize, finally, that it is a legitimate aspiration to have.”
–Flynt Leverett and Hillary Mann Leverett
Don Bacon says:
September 2, 2012 at 10:18 pm
Dr. Abbasi had stated that Iran will only produce as much 20% enriched U-235 as is needed for fueling TRR for the purpose of radio-isotope production.
The IAEA report confirms it.
It solves the issue of 20% enrichment as well as Iran’s opposition to any Iran-specific regulations in addition to NPT.
De facto, there is no breakout capability in Iran for rapid construction of nuclear weapons.
It is not up to Axis States to build on this; should they wish to do so.
But they will not, the aim is the destruction of independent Iranian power.
Persian Gulf says:
September 2, 2012 at 10:41 pm
When the Western Financial Capital began to unravel in 2007 and then collapsed in 2011, the cause of it was the creation of financial instruments that in total, were more than 16 times the size of the global economy.
Like Japan, the Axist Powers’ economy should have experienced a period of deflation across all assets – real and financial.
That it did not owes something to the inflationary policies of the United States.
I think (I cannot prove this) that the reason we are not seeing global inflation yet in all sectors is because the money has gone into supporfting asset prices.
But food prices and the price of many manufactured goods are showing the signs of inflation – certainly over the last 2 years.
Prognostication is this:
More than 20 years of stagnation and inflation is facing US and EU with government debts exceeding the levels of Greece – 240 percent or more.
This is a cash and carry world economy where the real produces of goods and services will do fine as long as they price things in gold.
And thank God that US-EU pushed Iran off the world economy when they did – before 2007.
Empty:
Further to our conversation regarding the (alleged?) ‘grand bargain’ of 2003, the plot, apparently, thickens:
http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Security-Industry/2006/05/08/Walkers-World-Irans-grand-bargain/UPI-28871147093567/print#ixzz25N87FImo
I still tend to agree with your basic gist that it is highly unlikely that our beloved Leader would allow the Khatami government to do this, and that the use of a fax machine makes the whole thing even more unlikely. Nonetheless, the above-linked article throws down a gauntlet in favor of the other side of the argument, with a veteran UPI journalist’s claim of first hand information from parties directly involved. Perhaps those parties will break their silence and deign to shed light on the issue this time round?
Today I met one of my heroes, Mr. Thierry Mayssan, investigative journalist extraordinaire. He is in Tehran for the New Horizons International Film Festival (where I am acting as a jury member), having flown in from Damascus.
What he had to say about Syria is that while the Army has turned a corner and thigs will be getting better in the next few weeks, the foreign mercenaries will be giving Syria hell for the foreseeable future. He said that the Sunnis are firmly on the side of everyone else, and that it is almost entirely foreign mercenaries at this point which the Syrian people and army are fighting. The so-called Free Syria Army is entirely non-Syrian vicious mercenaries except for the figureheads in France which are drawn from the Brotherhood.
Did or did not Egypt have a revolution? No, they did not. A revolution means the involvement of the masses of the people in a new system of governance. This is not the case. I mentioned the theory that the Brotherhood had made a deal with the devil, who saw that it was time to change the old octogenarian guard of Mobarak, Tantawi et al, and to usher in the new cadre who are in their fifties. Thierry said that this was basically correct and much closer to the truth than the other theory, which is borne of wishful thinking. (Incidentally, this is also the view of all of my Hezbollahi friends and acquaintances.)
The Egypt conversation about the nature of revolution segued into Thierry stating that Bahrain and Yemen are going through revolutions. He agreed with me that nothing would change in Bahrain until something changes in Saudi Arabia. When? “Very soon.” He said that he felt that not only the Shi’a in Hasa, but the Malekis in the Hejaz are biding their time, waiting for the right time to strike. When would that be? At the crisis of succession, at which point the family will start to canabalize itself. Uncle Weasel will have picked their favorite octogenarian “son” and will fan the flames of the bloodletting, hoping to help him consolidate power, but things will probably get out of control and start to unravel for the House of Sa’ud.
And Europe? Things are bad, but the people are dazed and confused (too much Led Zep in the 70’s). But he stated a very interesting thing. He said that change will definitely not come from the [stupid] people, but it might come from another quarter. Like what? Well, take Greece. If it defaults…- I interjected that this is an almost certain inevitability – if Greece defaults, then it will have no choice but to go over to the Russian camp. And Putin has been very carefully and cleverly laying the groundwork for such a possibility… and if this happens, it will be the first in a possible domino effect, where the direction of defections from the Warsaw Pact countries is reversed, and by a non-Warsaw Pact country at that.
I’ll see if I can ask him about Iran and the beating of the war drums tomorrow.
fyi:
here is an explanation for the absence of inflation due to QEs that can be added to the global inflation theory.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/NH29Dj02.html
The price of oil in gold is almost on its 5 decade average. it’s even a bit below the average. commodities are not going up in the U.S. and for the rest of the world, only oil has been a cheap commodity. anything else is not.
Gold price in dollars was going up steadily from 2003 until a year ago. it’s not a recent phenomenon.
:http://goldprice.org/gold-price-history.html#20_year_gold_price
it’s confusing for me. something is missing.
NOTE: There is NO “20% uranium” in Iran. There is a small amount of less than 20% uranium U-235.
IAEA Report: “189.4 kg (+43.8 kg since the previous report) of UF6 enriched up to 20% U-235.” (Some of that later converted to plates.)
“Up to” equates to “less than” in IAEA parlance. It really doesn’t matter because it would take months or years to convert ANY fuel to weapons grade — called “breakout” — and construct, test and build a nuclear weapon but <20 = LEU (light enriched U) whereas 20 and higher is HEU (high enriched U) so it has propaganda value.
This whole concocted "crisis" is merely a propaganda war, isn't it, because the real issue is ME hegemony not nuclear. Iran has it and the US wants it — even more true now than ever.
Yesterday, former Israeli Supreme Court judge Eliyahu Winograd speaking in an interview with Army Radio warned that Israel’s unilateral strike on Iran will “endanger the future of Israel”. Winograd’s warning came at the heel of Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of US Armed Forces who said two days ago that he doesn’t want the US to attack Iran or Syria.
http://rehmat1.com/2012/09/03/winograd-war-with-iran-could-destroy-israel/
fyi,
Very welcome report by Gareth Porter that you linked (regarding Iran’s fabrication of fuel plates from 20 U). Iranian stocks of 20 actually lower today than they were 3 months ago. Now, why does this story get so little attention in American newspapers? Silly question, of course.
“Industrialized civilization in its current form cannot survive the 21st century.” – Dr. Nafeez Mossadeq Ahmed
Dear James Canning
The problems with your arguments is that they boil down to one thing Appeasement and historically that has never worked out too well for those nations who made the mistake of adopting that misguided policy
James,
I think one has to be very naive if one belives that US cant recognize Palestine becuase of the presidentinal election. Typical whitewash.
James,
Amazing. Again you try to shift our discussion to something else.
Answer my question, why do you put certain states interests (Israel, US even AIPAC) above International law?
Dont you understand why Iran statement after statment urge US and its allies to respect Iran’s right under International law? Have you no sense why Iran utter such statments? There is a obvious reason why Iran say this, simply because today Iran’s rights under International law is not respected (even you admit this yourself when you say US wont accept 20% enrichment). You have erroneously occupied yourself with 20% issue for months, you need to drop it. Not a single user here agrees with your not to mention Leverett’s posts that are the opposite of your conclusions.
Rd.,
Reuters reported Sept. 2nd that Japan’s oil imports from Iran in July were nil.
Karl..,
I think you noted that Abbas has backed off his plan to seek an upgrade to UN status of the Palestinians, in coming session. I think he should have gone for this last year, and obviously US elections make it difficult for Palestine just now.
Rd.,
You said Iran is now producing more than 2 million barrels of oil per day. This si fine with me. 3 million would be fine with me. 4 million, for that matter.
All:
Let us see how much money will Axis States and their vassals will give to Jordan:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19454550
BiBiJon,
Thomas Erdbrink of The New York Times (in piece you linked) should distinguish betweeen Iranian control of nuclear fule cycle for power plants (enrichment to 5), and Iranian enrichment to 20.
NYT in my view tries to muddy the water, by obscuring the fact Israel wants no enrichment whatever, while probably five out of six of the P5+1 countries would accept Iranian enrichment to 5. NYT would prefer the public not see the degree to which Israel is the problem, in resolving the nuclear dispute.
BiBiJon,
I thought I have made it clear that Iranian enrichment to 20 is not a problem for me, personally.
You appear to think Iran can in effect tell the P5+1 that they have no “right” to object to Iranian enrichment to 20, or whatever level for that matter.
The problem I see is that Iran makes it easier for enemies of Iran to organise more problems, and still more problems, for Iran.
Karl..,
One source of my argu,ment is simple logic: if AIPAC and its stooges in the US Congress make it impossible for Obama to accept, publicly, Iranian enrichment to 5, there obviously is ZERO chance Obama would accept Iranian enrichment to 20. ZERO.
Karl..,
Either you think Salehi actually believes the P5+1 would accept Iranian enrichment to 20, or you comprehend he knows this is impossible but he needs to leave things vague as a matter of negotiating strategy. Which is it?
Karl..,
You appear to have difficulty grasping the fact Obama cannot publicly accept Iranian enrichment to 5. Or do you understand this, but you think it is irrelevant?
P5+1 will not accept Iranian enrichment to 20. Maybe you would prefer war to any Iranian compromise?
BiBiJon,
I very much doubt Salehi thinks the P5+1 would accept Iranian enrichment to 20. Maybe you assume Salehi actually believes the negotiations will fail, because he cannot compromise on that point even though Khamenei said a year ago Iran is willing to stop enriching to 20.
All:
Latest on amount of 20% U-235 in Iran
[This was in the IAEA report as well/]
http://original.antiwar.com/porter/2012/09/01/iaea-report-shows-iran-reduced-its-breakout-capacity/
Iran-The Land Of Love
The Israeli daily Ha’aretz reported on August 30, 2012 that several western countries including United States, Canada, Britain, Austria, Ireland, France, Australia, Japan, Mexico and China have warned their citizens to visit Israel “at their own risk“.
The reasons for the travel advisory warning includes unexpected Israel’s military attacks on Gaza, Sinai, Lebanon, Golan Heights and sometimes the West Bank – and of course the retaliation from Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hizbullah and the Jew-hating Egyptians.
The Haaretz journalist IIan Lior, however, is at a loss to understand why none of the above countries included the Iranian threat to “wipe Israel off map“, as a reason not to visit Israel.
http://rehmat1.com/2012/09/02/travel-advisory-its-not-safe-to-visit-israel/
James,
You seems to be unable to answer questions.
I asked you what made you belive that when Iran say they want their rights respected, that this only covers below 5%? You are extremely dishonest and I take that as you dont have ZERO proof for backing up your claims.
If Iran urge the US to respect their rights the NPT its a contradition for you to say that they mean only respecting below 5% enrichment. Its like a state saying “we respect international law but we will commit human rights abuses”. You see, such statements would be absurd, and thats the way you put fourth your unsourced arguments.
The question is, why do you put certain states interests ABOVE international law?
James (the insufferable) Canning says:
September 1, 2012 at 4:15 pm
“NAM support for Iranian nuclear energy programme. This obviously includes the full cycle (at 5 or lower).”
“Didn’t Salehi make clear he thinks negotiations with the P5+1 can succeed? ZERO CHANCE P5+1 would accept Iranian enrichment to 5. ZERO.”
————-
Well James, I don’t know how any of all this is going to play out. But, ” for Iran, the final result of the NAM’s meeting, the biggest international gathering in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, amounted to the strongest expression of support for Iran’s nuclear energy rights in its showdown with the West. The unanimous backing of the final document undercut the US argument that Iran was an isolated outlier nation.” (1)
Also, during the NAM summit speaker after speaker objected to, and demanded reform of the undemocratic structure of the UNSC. Strangely enough, even Ban, the cod fish, said
UN needs to be reformed to make it more balanced and more representative.
Now, if UNSC (P5 + 10) was deemed as unrepresentative, and undemocratic, I have no idea what level of esteem the P5+1 is held in, and lets not get started on the EU or US unilateral sanctions being immaculate manifestations of the will of the “world community.”
So, next time India/China/Russia/Brazil/etc are told to forgo lucrative trade with Iran I wonder if this NAM unanimous resolution, “the strongest expression of support for Iran’s nuclear energy rights,” will help them ignore US/EU threats of penalties.
The way I see it, P5, and the “world community” will get used to quantities, percentages and assorted realities, as ultimately they (and you) must. Iran would be well advised to roll out ‘realities’ at a digestible pace; there’s no rush.
(1) http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/NAM-nations-back-Irans-nuclear-bid/articleshow/16173942.cms
fafnir says:
September 1, 2012 at 4:27 pm
I think Mr. Helvey graps the essentials of Iranians views; in and out of the government.
The comment about refineries and trains is just to indicate the road not taken with Iran (say in 2007).
Iranian are not going to assume a subordinate role to any other state.
Those who wish so outside of Iran must have the decency to go to war to break Iranians’ will to resist.
Instead they chose (Economic) Siege War (like Medieval war lords in China, the Middle East, and in Europe) and war against Iran’ allie.
When those actions did not crush Iran, they were at a dead-end; stuck, seemingly, with controlling their own vassal (Israel).
They are at the strategic and Diplomatic Cul de Sac.
Once again, I emphasize, what destroyed their crafty plans was the implosion of Western Finance Capital in 2011.
Fiorangela says:
September 1, 2012 at 3:28 pm
I heard from public Internet resources that this man was in Iran in 2011 (or may be 2010).
I think some Iranian leaders have explained their perspectives to them and he has grasped the essentials of Iranian views.
The thing is that among Axis Powers leaders, no body cares about what Iranians or their leaders think or feel.
The Axis States leaders have a program against Iran – evidentoy developed dring 2009 nd 2010 – to crush Iran and they are closely following that.
They are not interested in offering any way out to Iran since they know that they will win.
That is, of course, Hubris.
But they are too far gone in applying their project to back-track now.
US foreign policy is like a malevolent robot with a one-track program run amok.
Why is Clinton going to pay a trip to a nation of just 11,000 people? “Quite a number of analysts say the visit is aimed at curbing China’s growing influence among the region’s small island nations. … Washington has resorted to diplomatic, economic and strategic means, which Clinton has dubbed “smart power,” to create disturbances in the Asia-Pacific region.
First of all, the U.S. made full use of territorial and maritime disputes in the region to fit its own gain. Take China’s Diaoyu Islands for example. The U.S. declined to clarify the issue. Instead, it claimed the application of a U.S.-Japan security treaty involving the Diaoyu Islands.
What’s more, at the very time when China and Japan were involved in diplomatic disputes concerning the islands, the U.S. invited Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Forces to participate in a 37-day Pacific Ocean military drill….
U.S. has tried to alienate China from countries around the South China Sea. In 2002, China and relevant countries signed the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, and they have been on a stable track to resolve disputes through bilateral friendly consultations. But the U.S. suddenly showed “interest” in the issue and repeatedly made trouble to complicate the issue.
Obviously, Washington’s approach is not conducive to the peaceful settlement of the disputes as well as the peace and stability in the area….
History has repeatedly proven that outside intervention in resolving territorial or maritime disputes is doomed to be in tragedy.”
The Iraq-Kuwait dispute could have been resolved non-violently, by what appears to have been the last of the American statesmen. Jack O’Connell consulted with Jordan’s King Hussein and developed a plan acceptable to Saddam Hussein for ending the Iraq-Kuwait invasion-standoff. But James Baker and Dennis Ross saw an opportunity to intervene, and instead of a negotiated resolution, Iraq was drawn into bloodshed, starvation, and culture-cide.
What’s taking u guys so long? The nam. Summit is over I’m waiting for sub text commentary.
fafnir & fyi,
Peculiar comment (linked by FYI): “Both religious Iraninas and secular Iranians feel that for 200 years the Western powers used them as playthings.” Primary threat to Persia in the 19th Century came from Russia. Secondary threat was the Ottoman Empire.
Karl..,
Sorry, ZERO chance P5+1 would accept Iranian enrichment to 20. Excellent chance of acceptance to 5.
fyi says:
September 1, 2012 at 12:04 pm
If Iran were offered trains and oil refineries and a place of honor in regional trade, it would consider this seriously
Is this guy f##king serious!!,that just sounds like the israeli version of aeroplane parts,the depressing thing is that this guy a supposed “moderate”,if there is such a thing in israel,still can`t bring himself to accept a nuclear iran in any form he just proposes slightly less violent means to try and achieve this,the one decent thing he says is that the inducements were not big enough but then he goes on to say like a typical zionist that maybe the threats weren`t big enough either.The problem is that most israelis still have not realised that violence and war will not solve any of their problems
fyi,
Efraim Halevy appears to argue that the Western military intervention in Libya was a mistake. I certainly thought so at the time, and events may well prove Halevy is correct.
BiBiJon,
NAM support for Iranian nuclear energy programme. This obviously includes the full cycle (at 5 or lower).
Karl..,
Didn’t Salehi make clear he thinks negotiations with the P5+1 can succeed? ZERO CHANCE P5+1 would accept Iranian enrichment to 5. ZERO.
Fiorangela,
If Iran fails to make a deal with the P5+1, and continues to stockpile, there will be more sanctions. And more, perhaps. If sanctions do not end the stockpiling, attack would virtually be assured. Sadly.
Why are you hostile toward Russia and China, as regards the P5+1?
fyi says: September 1, 2012 at 12:04 pm
““The true Churchillian way is not to talk about the possibility of a second Holocaust, but to ensure that there will be no holocaust here. I was a boy in Britain during the Blitz. I remember vividly Churchill’s speeches blaring from the radio. He did not talk about the possibility that Britain might not survive. On the contrary: even in the direst straits he said that Britain would have the upper hand. He promised that whatever happened, come what may, in the end Britain would win. Anyone who purports to be Churchill needs to talk like Churchill and project self-confidence. ”
===
The Blitz in Britain was a fraction of the devastation the great Churchill wreaked on Germany. “Churchillian self-confidence” was bolstered by thousand of tons of incendiary bombs dropped on hundreds of German cities, levelling 131 of them and incinerating — deliberately, for reasons of terrorizing German civilians — 600,000 German children, women, and men.
Halevey’s references to Churchill should give every sober student of history serious reason to be concerned — Are we beasts asked Winston Churchill one night in 1943 after watching a film of the bomb damage done to Germany. “The question was probably rhetorical: Churchill had authorised the bombing campaign from its puny beginnings in 1940 to the massive Combined Offensive launched with the American air forces in the last two years of war. His language was always intemperate and flowery – ‘extermination’, ‘annihilation’ and so on. Did he mean it? Did the British military machine set out deliberately in the Second World War on a path to the genocide of the German people?
—
Halevey:
“We must not hem the Iranians in and we must not push them into a corner. We have to try to give them an honorable way out.”
A “way out” of what? Their own sovereignty?
Halevey’s shrinko-analysis smacks of projection; Iran does not spend billions of other people’s money building a big tough military to prove it’s the Big Man on Campus; Israel does. Iran doesn’t use assassination as a means of “shaping history” (Ronen Bergman’s words), Israel does. Iran doesn’t bulldoze young women to death then call it the mistake of the victim, Israel does.
James Canning writes: “Is the “confrontational” stance of the US, France, Germany and the UK the result of “extreme prejudice and ignorance” on the part of the leaders of those countries?”
No not at all. It is rather the result of extreme prejudice and ignorance on the part of the whole of the population of those countries. These are democracies after all. Let us not blame their leaders or the convenient Israeli lobby.
Irshad,
Do I think the US and the UK will reduce their “unilateral” sanctions? If Iran stops stockpiling 20? Most likely, any deal would have to reflect an arangement by the P5+1 and Iran. And any deal would have to wait for November US elections. Close race. AIPAC able to threaten most American senators and congressmen.
Irshad,
The UK is cutting its spending on “defence” by 20%. What a contrast with the US where actual cuts are ZERO. And Mitt Romney wants to increase the squandering on unnecessary weapons!
Irshad,
Sadat let the Soviet Union know Egypt would fight another war with Israel to force a withdrawal from the Sinai. And the Soviets let the US know another war was guaranteed if the US failed to force Israel out of the Sinai. Sadly, Kissinger thought too much prestige would accrue to the USSR if the US forced Israel out of the Sinai. Kissinger and Nixon therefore ignored the entreaties from Brezhnev and other Soviet leaders, and the result was the very dangerous 1973 Arab-Israel war.
Obviously, NIxon and Kissinger blundered partly due to pressure from the ISRAEL LOBBY.
Irshad,
Most if not all of the major newspapers in the UK and the US cite Iran’s stockpiling of 20 U as a concern. Who do you think forms (or helps form) public opinion on that issue?
Yes, Khamenei denounces nukes (and all WMD). And FYI points out that a replacement for Khamenei can reverse Iran’s policy.
Rehmat,
Yes, Syria is not Libya. And we might recall that American military leaders were very reluctant to intervene in Libya.
M. Ali,
Of course Ban is obliged to defend his very sensible decision to go to Tehran. The New York Times, Washington Post, et al. attacked him for this decision.
fyi,
Bear in mind that AIPAC and its numerous stooges in the US Congress, and Bibi Netanyahu, to all they can to prevent American diplomats even from talking to Iranian diplomats.
fyi,
Is the “confrontational” stance of the US, France, Germany and the UK the result of “extreme prejudice and ignorance” on the part of the leaders of those countries? On the part of Obama, clearly the primary problem is the ISRAEL LOBBY and its control of the “thinking” of many members of Obama’s own party. The UK understandably is sympathetic to the problem Obama is saddled with.
From Haaretz – 09/01/2012
Ari Shavit
Efraim Halevy was an integral part of the Israeli security establishment. Between 1990 and 1995 he was deputy head of the Mossad and the architect of the peace treaty with Jordan. From 1998 to 2000 he was head of the Mossad. In 2002-2003 he headed the National Security Council. Nevertheless, in regard to Iran, Halevy’s voice was for years an exception. As early as 2007 he argued that a nuclear Iran would not pose an existential threat to Israel. In 2008, he submitted to the government a contrarian report that suggested an alternative way of coping with the Iranian nuclear threat. In 2010 and in 2011 he was openly and sharply critical of those who advocated attacking Iran. So this week, when I arrived at the modest north Tel Aviv apartment Halevy calls home, I expected to find a determined opposition figure to assail the decision makers who are agitating for an unnecessary war.
However, I was surprised. The London-born spy-diplomat was far more restrained and far more reflective than might be imagined. In contrast to former Mossad and Shin Bet chiefs Meir Dagan and Yuval Diskin, respectively, he spoke not in black-and-white but in gray. In contrast to Shimon Peres, he did not talk about coming to terms with Iran, but about a struggle of a different kind against a nuclear Iran. He was very careful not to attack the prime minister and t he defense minister directly. Nevertheless, Halevy’s approach is indeed different and anomalous. More than any other interviewee in this series, he displays empathy for the Iranians and tries to understand them. He suggests getting out of the strategic labyrinth in which we find ourselves not by force but by political means.
“What I have to say is complex,” Efraim Halevy tells me. “I do indeed argue that a nuclear Iran does not constitute an existential threat to Israel. If one day we wake up and discover that Iran has nuclear weapons, that does not mean the start of the countdown to the end of Israel’s existence. Israel need not despair. We have deterrent capability and preventive capability. If Iran acquires nuclear weapons, Israel will be able to design a true operational response that will be able to cope with that. We will be able to prevent a Hiroshima in Tel Aviv and we will prevent a Hiroshima in Tel Aviv; so we must not talk about a Hiroshima in Tel Aviv, because prophecies like that are self-fulfilling. Nor must we draw baseless analogies with the 1930s.
“The true Churchillian way is not to talk about the possibility of a second Holocaust, but to ensure that there will be no holocaust here. I was a boy in Britain during the Blitz. I remember vividly Churchill’s speeches blaring from the radio. He did not talk about the possibility that Britain might not survive. On the contrary: even in the direst straits he said that Britain would have the upper hand. He promised that whatever happened, come what may, in the end Britain would win. Anyone who purports to be Churchill needs to talk like Churchill and project self-confidence.
“I am absolutely appalled when I hear our leaders talking as though there were no Israel Defense Forces and as though there were no State of Israel and as though Auschwitz is liable to be repeated. As I see it, the message we should be conveying to the Iranians − and to ourselves − is that we will be here in any event and in any scenario for the next two thousand years.
“But we must not become confused,” Halevy continues. “A nuclear Iran is not an existential threat, but a nuclear Iran is a grave matter. Nuclear weapons in Tehran’s hands upset the regional balance and create a very serious strategic situation. Nor can we completely rule out the possibility that if Iran possesses nuclear weapons it will ultimately use them. When the danger is very great, even if the risk that it will be realized is only 10 percent, we need to treat it as a risk of 100 percent. So I am not one of those who are indifferent to the Iranian danger. Under no circumstances am I ready to accept a nuclear Iran. But I maintain that the way to prevent nuclearization is not necessarily by means of force.
“Going to war is an absolute and irreversible act that entails high costs. Accordingly, before using force, we need to exhaust all the other possibilities. To the best of my knowledge and to the best of my assessment, the other possibilities have not yet been fully exhausted. Some of them have not even been tried. The simplistic equation of bomb or bombing led to a mistaken focus on bombing as the only response to the bomb. But the truth is that a situation is possible in which there will be both bombing and a bomb. A situation is also possible in which there will not be a bomb without bombing. I do not say that bombing should not be resorted to in any situation.
“I also think that it is right to create a bombing capability and threaten with a bombing capability. But what I am suggesting is to step out of the box now and stop thinking in binary terms, and recruit our best brains to think of a way to stop the Iranian nuclear project without engaging in an all-out war. Because an attack on Iran is liable to foment a generations-long war with Iran, it is our duty to do all we can to prevent a bomb and prevent bombing and resolve the crisis creatively.”
I am ready to sign off on that immediately, I tell my interlocutor. I imagine that even Benjamin Netanyahu and Avigdor Lieberman would sign. But it’s not clear to me which magician will pull from which hat the rabbit you are talking about. After all, the international community tried negotiations and tried sanctions and got nowhere. We waved sticks and lured them with carrots, but the Iranians went their own way. That is why we are now in the situation in which we find ourselves. The soft means have been played out and the alternatives left on the table are the cruel ones.
“What we need to do is to try and understand the Iranians,” the former Mossad head says. “The basic feeling of that ancient nation is one of humiliation. Both religious Iranians and secular Iranians feel that for 200 years the Western powers used them as their playthings. They do not forget for a moment that the British and the Americans intervened in their internal affairs and toppled the regime of Mohammad Mosaddeq in 1953. From their perspective, the reason why, to this day, there is no modern rail network and no modern oil refineries in Iran is that the West prevented that. Thus, the deep motive behind the Iranian nuclear project − which was launched by the Shah − is not the confrontation with Israel, but the desire to restore to Iran the greatness of which it was long deprived.
“I believe that if the West could find a way to propose to Iran alternative methods to acquire that sense of greatness, Iran would forsake the nuclear road. If Iran were offered trains and oil refineries and a place of honor in regional trade, it would consider this seriously. You say carrots? The carrots offered to Iran until now were not big enough. Maybe the sticks were not thick enough, either.
“There should have been cooperation with Turkey vis-à-vis Iran. There should have been action against Iran in Syria. The Russians should have been brought into the picture. If Israel had adopted a creative, active policy, and if the international community had held up to the Iranians a far richer package of threats and enticements, I think there would have been a chance to dissuade the Iranians from embarking on the dangerous road they have taken. And I believe it is not too late. The sanctions are very painful. The negotiations have not yet been exhausted. The threat of an American military option can also be more concrete. If instead of focusing on a military solution, Israel were to succeed in mobilizing the international community for complex and sophisticated political-economic action, I believe that the results might be surprising.”
But you yourself apparently do not believe that Israel will adopt the path you are recommending, I say to the experienced and doleful man sitting opposite me. You yourself said that if you were an Iranian you would be very worried in the next few weeks. Are you also worried as an Israeli? Do you feel that Netanyahu and Barak will order the air force to attack during the autumn? Is it your assessment that an attack of that kind could result in a disaster?
In the fading light that fills the room, it is plain that Halevy really does not want to answer that question. He does not want to annoy the national leadership and does not want to infringe on national security. Nevertheless, it is clear that he is very worried. He does not like Netanyahu’s intervention in U.S. politics, and he is apprehensive about the interface that has been created between the Iranian issue and the U.S. elections this November. He thinks that Israel must on no account be perceived as having contributed to the election of one candidate or torpedoed the candidacy of another. His evaluation is that a combination of a Holocaust-influenced frame of mind and the desire to promote the election of the next American president is dangerous. However, Halevy’s remarks for the tape recorder are quite measured.
“We have to take into account the possibility that if we attack Iran’s nuclear facilities, there will no longer be a political horizon in regard to Iran or sanctions against Iran. We have to deploy for the possibility that while the immediate result of the operation will be Israel’s glorification in the Sunni Arab world, the later result will be a sharp anti-Israeli public wave in the spirit of the Arab Spring. We need to understand that after the attack, a deep Israeli complex will develop in Iran, one that crosses parties and opinions and communities, because we will become the symbol of those that humiliated Iran and prevented it from restoring its greatness. We need to remember that we are very much dependent on the United States and not utter boastful slogans that we are sovereign and therefore will take our fate into our hands.
“I was in our embassy in Washington during the Yom Kippur War and I saw how much we needed the airlift and how hard it was to organize an airlift, even when the U.S. administration was extremely sympathetic. I saw what happened when the president threatened Israel toward the end of the war that the United States would lift its protection. I suggest to all of us not to go back to that place and also not to repeat the mistake we made in 1956 when we went into the Sinai Operation without informing the Americans.
“I am not Chamberlain. I am not proposing peace with honor or peace in our time, but a realistic view of the situation. It is true that the present Iranian regime does not want Israel to exist. But that desire is not their top priority, and they themselves know that it cannot be realized. The Iranians are afraid of us no less than we are afraid of them. What they did in the past 20 years is to use the Israeli-Palestinian issue cynically to gain popularity and influence in the Middle East. But what is happening now is that the rhetoric of Israel as a cancer is gradually drawing them into an increasingly acute confrontation with us. We, for our part, are treating them like Hitler and are being drawn into a confrontation with them from which there will be no way back.
“That is a pity. Iran does not have a common border with us and there is no direct conflict of interest between them and us. A full-scale confrontation between us is unnecessary. I am not naive and I am not ready for the Iranians to deceive us. But what I recommend is trying to calm the Iranian-Israeli conflict and not escalate it. It is possible that, in the end, we will have no choice and will be forced to attack. If so, we will all have to stand behind the government that makes the decision and stand together in the campaign. In war, one acts as in war and shows solidarity. But before venturing on such an extreme and dangerous action, I suggest making a supreme effort to avoid it. We must not hem the Iranians in and we must not push them into a corner. We have to try to give them an honorable way out. It’s always worth remembering that the greatest victory in war is the victory that is achieved without firing a shot.”
All:
This is somewhat dated and off-topic but I share the aassessment – largely.
http://www.tnr.com/article/politics/101320/tk-libya
unanimous vs unilateral
=======================
“The 120-nation Nonaligned Movement handed its host Iran a diplomatic victory on Friday, unanimously decreeing support for the disputed Iranian nuclear energy program and criticizing the American-led attempt to isolate and punish Iran with unilateral economic sanctions.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/01/world/middleeast/iran-criticizes-egypts-mohamed-morsi-over-syria-comments.html?_r=0
Ooooh, that isolation hurts!
An analysis of before/after NAM Summit by Mahdi Abdul Hadi, a political scientist, historian, and chairman of the Jerusalem-based Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs.
http://www.alresalah.ps/en/index.php?act=post&id=1067
So, finally comment is free guardian article on NAM, they were waiting desperatly for SOMETHING to attack Iran on, and Morsi’s Syria speech was the only thing they found,
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/aug/30/egypt-iran-non-aligned-movement-summit
No need to read the full article, there is enough laughter for us all in the headline alone,
“Egypt underlines Iran’s isolation at Non-Aligned Movement summit”
This Orwellian doublethink is just hilarious. They can somehow talk about isolation when Iran is hosting the goddamn summit at Tehran!!
War is peace, slavery is freedom, etc etc
Ban Ki-moon is such a huge pussy,
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/09/01/uk-un-ban-iran-idUKBRE87U19K20120901
“Ban Ki-moon defends Iran visit, says pushed for change”
Why would he have to even DEFEND himself? He’s went to Iran as part of his job, he wasn’t doing Iran any favors. Frankly, I doubt it would have made any difference to Iran if Ki-moon had come or not, since he has zero legitimacy. It is a shame that presidents of UN have been so sickeningly weak. I almost wish they, being in the US’ pocket and clearly biased, had at least the balls to be direct about it. I’d prefer a tough, mean, UN president that went, “Fuck you Iran, I’m taking you down” rather than this sniveling, little prick, that crawls on the ground and kisses the Israel/US feet.
To be honest, Kofi Annan wasn’t any different.
Its moronic that the west always attacks Iran’s republic for not being democratic enough, because the Guardian Council vetoes the undesirable candidates, but the UN is much, much worse than that. Anyone who doesn’t toe the line has absolutely no chance of getting the position.
Nasser says:
August 31, 2012 at 7:10 pm
It is not that soon; it has been more than 25 years since the decision was made to build a heavy water reactor and at least 18 years since the design effort began.
IR-40 is another technological arena that UNSC has told Iranians not to make progress in.
And rockets is another area.
I think Darkhovin case is much more significant, if Iranians can build it.
Nasser says:
August 31, 2012 at 7:10 pm
Yes.
On Thursday Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey speaking to journalist in London (UK) repeated his earlier statement he made in Israel that Israel’s unilateral attack on Iran would probably delay Tehran’s nuclear program, but Israel cannot defeat Iran without US active military help. He added: “I don’t want to be complicit if they choose to do it“.
Gen. Dempsey reinforced Washington’s opposition to unilateral Israel military action as he made clear that US military chiefs were equally wary of getting ensnared in Syria, reported UK Guardian on August 30, 2012.
http://rehmat1.com/2012/09/01/gen-dempsey-syria-is-not-libya/
fyi,
A section of the article you posted reads: “The IAEA report notes that a recent inspection found that cooling and moderator circuit piping is being installed at the site, and Iran says the reactor would operate beginning in the third quarter of 2013.”
- Can Iran really have it up and running that soon in your opinion?
@James Canning,
1. Good news James, some official from Iran’s atomic agency got sick and tired of you going on about 20% enrichment, that they have decided to reduce the amount of 20% uranium, Iran holds:
http://www.moonofalabama.org/2012/08/iaea-iranian-nuclear-danger-decreased.html#comments
Do you think, US/EU will now start rolling back on their unilateral sanctions?
The UK is going to spend, £100,000,000,000 (thats 11 zeroes), upgrading Trident nuclear weapons system – is this not a breach of the NPT? Is this wise use of the peoples money, when UK is going through a tough recession? The UK govt. spent hundred of billions of pounds rescuing various banks but is cutting back on social welfare for the people. Am I to conclude, that not just the US but the UK govt is run by people who are at the service of the military-industrial-financial cabal, rather then the electorate?
2. You misconstrued something I wrote earlier about 20%U – I dont see Iran holding this stock in reserve as an attempt that Iran is going to use that to build a nuke, no – because the Supreme Leader – who is ultimate decision maker – has (sadly) said, Iran will not build one. I trust him more then I trust anyine else on this. This view will change either when he dies (may he have a loong life) or he withdraws his fatwa.
fyi says:
August 31, 2012 at 11:44 am
If you read Mohammed Heikal’s book, Road to Ramadan, re: the 1973 Arab-Isreali war, he clearly says that both Nasser and Sadat (when he became president), felt that they had to fight another war with Isreal to force the US and Isreal return the Sinai. The war was to be the impetus that forces both Kissinger and Isreal to deal with Egypt diplomatically about this (this was especially Sadats view). Also, the war was to return some dignity and pride back to the Arabs, esp. after 1967. Intrestingly, the perception I got was that the Saudis were dealing with Egypt asto how they deal with Iran nowadays, except they wanted a jihad against Isreal (Faisals view) who castigated Nasser and Sadat for not fighthing Isreal prior to the October war (the Saudis were still in the US camp back then).
Both Nasser and Sadat were highly certain by the late 60s and early 70s that Isreal possesed nuclear weapons – when Gaddafi found out about this, he told Sadat to ask the Soviet Union to supply nukes to Egypt. The Egyptians had to tell him that no country will sell or give a nuke, even the USSR, and if the Arabs wanted it, they had to develop it themselves! Gaddafi, tried to buy one from China, who politely declined to sell it.
All:
Assessment of the IAEA Report below.
The “ing the Impasse and Addressing Proliferation Concerns” section is useless.
http://armscontrolnow.org/2012/08/30/the-august-2012-iaea-report-on-iran-an-initial-assessment/#more-3114
Imperialism, Evangelism and the Ottoman Armenians 1878-1896 by Jeremy Salt, provides a keen perspective on the late-19th century ‘Race for the Ottoman Empire’ engaged in by imperialists. Salt was interviewed by Italian journalist Claudio Gallo in Asia Times online (h/t Nasser August 30, 2012 at 12:36 pm http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/NH31Ak01.html ) He has depth behind his current analysis.
Salt researched British and American archives for his book, and does not mention Germany or zionism, but as Isaiah Friedman states in the opening paragraph of his book, “Germany Turkey and Zionism 1897-1918,” “Helmuth von Moltke was the first German to recognize the importance of Palestine for German interests….in the 1840s.” Further, Theodor Herzl conducted extended negotiations with Sultan Abdul Hamid II in a bid to gain Palestine for a zionist settlement; and Etan Bloom traces the work of German-born Jewish lawyer Arthur Ruppin in “producing Hebrew culture in Palestine” between ~1907-1940.
If you want to understand what is going on in “the Great Game,” these sources provide descriptions of the playing field and the strengths, weaknesses, strategies of both major and minor players. (Apologies for the extended sports metaphor. It’s Stiller time once again.)
plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose
imho says:
August 31, 2012 at 8:43 am
“Having my idea about the so-called Arab Spring and given the MB’ history with British and Americans, I suspect for the time being the China/Iran overture as just a tactical move. Therefore, Iran must stay on her guard regarding Egypt.”
I agree with you, I don’t believe Morsi even if he genuinely wants, can make any meaningful directional changes in Egypt’s foreign policy for some time to come as long as Egypt’s military is in western control, but regardless, for Iran even minimal tactical changes in a pan Islamic direction is better than the status quo, or the meaningless Arab nationalism of the past.
I always worried that in desperation the westerners will eventually pull the Shieh vs. Sunni card out, which they did, especially when the Jordanian king spoke of the Shieh crescent extending from Iran to the Lebanon. The danger of an ethnical religious fight in middle east not only will dangerously effect Iran, but it will change the entire Muslim community, and majority of the world, including the western countries which are fueling a religious sectoral war within the Muslims community. Eventually this will be more dangerous for the Muslim western client states likes of KSA and Turkey than it will be for Iran and her allies. The only reason that up to now, this dangerous and foolish western undertaking has not yet been raging out of control is only because of wise but painful restraint by shieh religious leaders in Qom and Najaf, qualifying Iran’s pan Islamic posture.
BiBiJon… thanks for the link to the Singh concluding speech.
Perhaps most interesting was this line of thought, “Mr. Chairman, your chosen theme for our Summit – Lasting Peace through Joint Global Governance – is timely. Today’s structures for global governance remain driven by the power equations of the past. It is not surprising that they have proved inadequate in dealing with the economic and political crises of our present… Our Movement should take the lead in building global governance structures that are representative, credible and effective. It is my sincere hope that the Movement can agree on action to reform institutions such as the United Nations Security Council, the World Bank and the IMF. Existing problems cannot be solved effectively without a greater voice for developing countries on issues such as global trade, finance and development.”
How real is this expression from Singh?
James,
On what basis do you “think” he meant 5% or lower? What have HE said that makes you to make such conclusion?
The former US ambassador in Lebanon and most senior diplomat at the US State Department, Jeffrey Feltman, accompanied United Nation secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, to meet Iran’s Supreme Leader. Currently, Jeffrey Feltman is Ki-moon’s Under Secretary for Political Affairs. See Feltman sitting between Ki-Moon and Salehi facing Ayatullah Khameini, and several other photos of NAM participants, here.
Feltman is known for his anti-Hizbullah-Syria-Iran obsession. The current US ambassador to Lebanon, Maura Connelly, a former State Department staffer under Jeffrey Feltman was confided by Feltman once, saying: “I have got these SOBs just where we want them Maura! Watch the 1000 slow cuts as we shred Hizbullah – who do they think they’re? And we will do it by using HR-1757 and this time we are going all the way. I told Israel to stay out of Lebanon because the IDF cannot defeat Hizbullah plus the whole region will burn“.
The Obama administration and the Jewish lobby officials are trying to downplay Feltman’s visit which makes him the first known anti-Iran Zionist Jew diplomat being allowed to be in the audience of of the Rehbar. It’s hard to believe that while both Netanyahu and Hillary Clinton pressed Ban Ki-moon to cancel his visit to attend the 16th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in Tehran – Jeffrey Feltman would have refused to obey them. Feltman, with full blessings from both Washington and Tel Aviv, decided to visit Iran to meet anti-regime groups and use his visit in support of his future Zionist propaganda lies against Iranian government.
http://rehmat1.com/2012/08/31/israeli-agent-pays-visit-to-ayatullah-khameini/
All:
The late President Sadat was trying to conclude a peace treaty with Israel and get Sinai back; after the death of his predecessor.
Americans and Israelis were not interested – Hubris again.
So, he chose to initiate a limited war for limited strategic aim; the recovery of Sinai and Golan (for Syria).
He was forced into it by US and Israeli leaders.
Sinai was not his reward for re-orienting towards Axis Powers.
James Canning says:
August 31, 2012 at 11:27 am
“Salehi said he was cautiously optimistic about Iran’s talks with the P5+1. When he says Iran’s “right to enrichment and the complete fuel cycle” needs to be accepted, I think he clearly means enriching to 5% or lower.”
No, James. He means recognize our rights under NPT which includes enriching to any level. It is the first part of his answer that you might want to hang your hopes on. Namely, when he says ‘we’ take western worries seriously, and wish to allay them, then you could interpret that as alluding to ‘voluntarily’ ‘suspending’ enrichment to higher grades.
masoud says: August 30, 2012 at 11:53 pm
On your number 4:
I think the Dialogue of Civilizations was a prescient idea, given what happened on 9/11/2001.
I think Mr. Khatami’s idea (no matter how politically weak he acted during his presidency) – as a rebuttal to the late Dr. Huntington’s Clash of Civilizations ideas – carried within it the seed of a useful and new way for states to interact in the international arena.
That Axis States chose neither to build on his ideas nor to help him, was clearly a missed opportunity for all.
That the Axis States are still blind to the civilizational confrontation that they are indulging in across the World of Islam indicates to me the extreme prejudice and ignorance of their leaders.
The Axis States will come to rue the death of Dialogue among Civilizations.
On Your Overall Post:
I think that the NAM session in Tehran was useful for Iranians in demonstrating that they are not isolated in the world.
Further, it was a useful forum to discussions around the sidelines for concrete actions and strategies.
I expect some states will continue facilitating Iran’s commercial and financial activities to circumvent the Economic Siege War Against Iran, some will do nothing, and some will begin to help.
On Syria, I think Mr. Mursi has provided a useful diplomatic wedge for Iran and Syria by breaking any Wall-to-Wall support for the rebels.
But, in my opinion, there is no possibility that Mr. Mursi ideas or the cease-fire idea will be implemented.
I think there is a war to the death in Syria for the next few months.
Statement by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh at the XVI Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement
http://investinindia.com/news/statement-prime-minister-dr-manmohan-singh-xvi-summit-non-aligned-movement-12c3
kooshy,
Britain has been supporting Brazil’s effort to gain admission to UNSC as a permanent member. Would you oppose this? Would you oppose India’s admission as a permanent member?
masoud,
It is very unlikely China would be willing to give Egypt several billion dollars ear year. No Israel lobby in China.
Irshad,
If Turkey attended the NAM meeting, would it raise a question as to what “non-aligned” means? Or is that concept irrelevant?
Salehi said he was cautiously optimistic about Iran’s talks with the P5+1. When he says Iran’s “right to enrichment and the complete fuel cycle” needs to be accepted, I think he clearly means enriching to 5% or lower.
Barbara Slavin should draw the distinction when she reports on the matter.
imho,
Sadat recognised Egypt would not be able to get Israel out of the Sinai as long as Egypt remained under obvious influence of the Soviet Union. Jimmy Carter forced Israel out of the Sinai.
Irshad says:
August 31, 2012 at 8:08 am
“I think Turkey has really shot itself on the foot by failing to attend the NAM summit, even though Pres. Ahmedbob invited Pres. Gul to attend. Even Mr “Zero problem” failed to materialise.”
Just by way of info:
Turkey, who is not a member of NAM, but whome Iran invited as a guest, did send Minister of Development Cevdet Yilmaz to attend NAM summit.
http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=382791#.UEC9HqAkiSo
According to news, Dempsey distance himself from israeli warmongering once again, he says that he doesnt want to be, as he said, “complicit” in a unilateral strike on Iran by Israel and that a strike could only delay the nuclear program.
He also reject the idea of humantarian zone in Syria as the france government have allegedly put on the table.
Dempsey seems to have alot of sense, panetta too to a certain degree, too bad they are unable to speak out what he really want to say.
Nikon,
The ignorant media and politicians/pundits apprently dont know/connect that the war/opposition in Syria is generally driven by sunni group Muslim Brotherhood, the same party Mursi is affilated with. Thats why he didnt criticise Bahrain nor Saudiarabia where shia have protested.
I belive Massoud is right. The importance for Iran, here and now, is not the figure on top of the state but a peacefull and controlled transition to reform by keeping the state apparatur intact. Morsi’s political message fit into this.
As I said several times before, Egypt needs two things: money and a sens of legitimacy representing its people’s will.
Money can essentially be be found in US/GCC but also in China.
Morsi plays a game between these two camps. Whoever wants influence must pay for it.
Regarding legitimacy, Morsi needs to be viewed by Egypt’s people as a defender of the Palestinian rights at least as much as Iran, thus the normalization path with Iran.
All in all, in politics, one can’t be between two dividing camps for too long. Sooner or later Egypt must chose at least publicly. For the same reason, I think it has already chosen even if it tries to pull a maximum of benefits while publicly standing in-between. Having my idea about the so-called Arab Spring and given the MB’ history with British and Americans, I suspect for the time being the China/Iran overture as just a tactical move. Therefore, Iran must stay on her guard regarding Egypt.
I don’t agree with Brendan O’Reilly in Asia Times that there are no strings attached to China’s money (why not ?!!) but the article reflects well the narrow line in which Morsi is playing
“Indeed, Morsi’s state visit to China must have been a calculated message to US leadership: if sufficiently pressured by the United States or enticed by China, Egypt could abandon Washington’s camp. During the last Cold War, Egypt shifted from the Soviet to the US sphere when the political leaders perceived such a move as being in their self-interest. As an elected leader, President Morsi must be sensitive to the will of the Egyptian people, and the Egyptian people, for the most part, distrust and fear the US government. ”
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/NH31Ad01.html
Castellio says:
August 31, 2012 at 1:41 am
As painful for its arrogance and strange disconnect from world history as your linked report was, I braced myself and read it.
Here’s a quote and a question:
” She [Slavin] and I are two of only seven Americans in the huge international press corps covering the event in Tehran.”
Read more: http://world.time.com/2012/08/28/in-tehran-a-surprise-session-with-irans-foreign-minister/#ixzz257shsD00
What are the huge international press corps covering the event in Tehran” reporting?
Well said Massoud! Turkey needs a face saving formula to get out of the quagmire she has put herself in, re: Syria. I hope Iran and Egypt can help them in this, but the absence of Turkey at the NAM meeting, does not bode well for my optimisim.
I think Turkey has really shot itself on the foot by failing to attend the NAM summit, even though Pres. Ahmedbob invited Pres. Gul to attend. Even Mr “Zero problem” failed to materialise.
The other thing I find odd is Mr “Beace” Abbas of the PLO – he got an invite, told the world he was going, but is not there in Tehran! And we know, Mr Haniye of “kHamas”, was not even invited. Who pressured Abbas not to go – the Isrealis? Yankees?
Western media is trying hard to spin Morsi’s visit to Iran as negative for Iran. All major western media are now reporting that “Morsi slams syrian regime”, they do not report that Morsi also slammed Israel regime. Morsi was actully saying that syria and israel are equally bad.
One perspective on Mormonism: http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/08/30/an-ex-mormon-woman-looks-back-at-the-church/
Masoud… I agree.
If you want to read the other side’s take, and its pretty painful for its arrogance and strange disconnect from world history: http://world.time.com/2012/08/28/in-tehran-a-surprise-session-with-irans-foreign-minister/?xid=newsletter-daily
1. Flynt and Hillary really need to fix the moderating system.
2. Don’t believe the hype: There wasn’t even a whiff of ‘humiliation’ for Iran this week. Mursi’s position is unhcanged, even after all the pressure he must be feeling since the OIC summit: Syrian regime must go, but it must go peacefully. He emphasises the former point in order to make the latter point less bitter for Qatar and Saudi. The US has fallen flat on it’s charm offensive. Wahabi money has fallen flat as well. Morsi’s visit to China, pretty much seals the deal: The West is going to loose it’s hold on Egypt, and once the strait jacket is off, the Egyptians are going to make the Iranians seem fairminded and reasonable by comparison.
3. Iran is ecstatic to have the UNSG fly all the way to Iran in order dumbly repeat US and Israeli propaganda, Feltman in tow. It would have been simple enough to refuse to grant Moon an audience with the Leader, or arranged for technical difficulties during his speech to conferece, but what better illustration for the need of NAM unity could they possibly have devised? What a superb contrast to the treatment of Iranian officials in New York, and demonstration of Iran’s relevance in the world order. The US wants every single country in the world to boycott Iran, but can’t even keep their mole in the UN from meeting with Khameini himself. The ridiculous headlines Western Media feel compeled to print will be forgotten by next week, Iran’s centrality in world affairs will remain on a steady ascent for years to come.
3. Does anyone remember the idiot reformists complaining bitterly of Ahmadinejad’s ‘unproffesional’ foreign policy at the begining of his first term? Remember them basking in glory of Khatami’s ‘succesful’ ‘dialog of civilizations’ initiative? I beleive the big Gala finale of what by then had morphed into the ‘alliance of civilizations’ was held in Algeria. What a breakthrough! What a stupid idea, what stupid people. It’s amazing what kind of change can take place in eight years.
4. If Erdogan can get over the flotilla massacre, he’ll get over his failure in Syria just as well. Things are startiting to get dangerous for him in the border region: if he plays his cards wrong, he could risk having 40% of his people preceive him as hostile on a racial/sectarian basis. I don’t think he’s got a particularly robust party structure behind him either: He had personally replaced close to all of the AKP parlimentiary deputies during the last election cycle. If he falls he’ll fall like a rock. He may even see a leadership challenge in his own party from Mr. Abdullah Gul. In any case, Turkey’s not going to march into Syria as long as the Syria still has a fighting army: It would simply be too big a blow to it’s economy. It’s all up to the intelligence agencies at this point. I predict that unless Turkey begins seeing dividends by mid-winter this year(at the most), it will have no choice but to stand down unilaterally. How the hell would they go about picking up the pieces of their foreign policy at that point? I almost feel a pang of sympathy them.
5. There was all this chatter this weekend about organizing another one of these stupid ‘walkouts’. Trouble was the only participants that were succesfully berated into paying it lip service were the Australlian observer for it’s UN mission, and Moon. Shame it didn’t happen! I would have split my sides laughing.
James Canning says:
August 30, 2012 at 5:03 pm
“When you say the UN is “not democratic” do you mean that there should be no permanent members of the UNSC? The non-permanent members are elected.”
Gav James
I don’t mind democratically elected Gavners, but no unelected self-declared global kings and queens don’t you agree?
Just imagine India is a country much larger demographically geographically than the UK is how is it that UK an unelected permanent member of UNSC can veto any international resolution but India, Brazil, Germany, Japan, etc. some with larger economy can’t. Do you think that’s democratic? may be in and for UK this is democracy, but not in the eye of the rest of the world, so no matter how much you the westerners resist, this can’t last it’s just like a rotten apple sooner or later it will fall (watch out, and hope for not on your head), as the result I suspect UN in current formation will dissolve.
America’s internationally-known author, womens’ rights activist, Marianne Williamson, is a Zionist Jew and blind supporter of Israel. She considers the Islamic Republic of Iran to be non-democratic, oppressive and its government not ‘sane’. She said she has no problem with Ahmadinejad, because he doesn’t rule Iran. She has problem with Ayatullahs who rules Iran from behind the screen.
Marianne Williamson was recently interviewed by Kevin Barrett PhD on the Truth Jihad Radio. The interview, in full, can be read here.
http://rehmat1.com/2012/08/31/marianne-williamson-israel-is-not-a-democracy/
John McCain at the Republican convention in Tampa accused Obama of missing the opportunity to back revolution in Iran. What cr*p.
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/the-missed-opportunity-in-iran-lie-returns-once-more/
Nasser says:
August 30, 2012 at 4:57 pm
I am reminded of the deeply felt and anguished pleas of the late Mr. Khomeini to Muslim leaders – “Come back to dear Islam.”
Really, a country of Human Development Index of 98 causing trouble for a neighbour with Human Development Index of 118 – for what?
So that US (HDI of 4) or Saudi Arabia (HDI of 52) could admire her?
Shame , shame, shame.
humanist says:
August 30, 2012 at 3:59 pm
US, at that time, could produce men like the late FDR and Marshall.
No more.
humanist,
Neocons advance the Likudist-Israeli agenda, generally.
humanist,
You are quite right, that the neocons are relatively new to the political scene in the US, and they do work closely with other power groups to advance the Israeli agenda generally.
kooshy,
When you say the UN is “not democratic” do you mean that there should be no permanent members of the UNSC? The non-permanent members are elected.
fyi,
“The World Powers of today do not have the power that they had one hundred years ago.
…
As is, I think they will could maitain the posture of despised protectors of Southern Persian Gulf (Oil) States and Israel.”
- You are right on both counts.
James Canning,
“In the AsiaTimes piece you linked, Jeremy Salt says Turkey did not anticipate that giving assistance to the effort to overthrow Bashar al-Assad would create a Kurdish problem for Turkey in NE Syria. Surely Turkey anticipated this. (?)”
- Jeremy Salt and I too agree in this case) says that Turkey figured that Bashar al Assad was on his way out anyway. They (mistakenly) believed it was a done deal, it will all be over very soon and they wanted to bet on the winning horse.
- I do not believe the United States strong armed Turkey into taking a position contrary to their interest. Rather, Turkey just wanted to be on the winning side; and instead blundered. And no, whatever current problems they have now with refugees, region wide instability, sectarian strife, Kurds etc they didn’t expect or at least expect to go as far as it did.
Japan about to resume oil trade with Iran in defiance of EU/US sanctions?
http://www.uk.reuters.com/2012/08/30/crude-japan-iran-idUKL4E8ju0d320120830
Rep. Pawlenty (neocon abrams too) want US authorize war on Iran.
http://t.co/P7IIVSJk
Is it a coincidence that the nuclear accusations is being accelerated this week when Iran held the NAM meeting?
We have plenty of accusations the past week
* Cleaning up in Fordow accusation
* Former alleged nuclear weapons key figure resume work on nukes accusation
* IAEA conference which have focused some on Iran
* IAEA report on Iran
Mere coincidence or an attempt to discredit and distract attention from Iran prosposals etc at the NAM meeting?
Castellio, Thanks for the reference.
In my view the recent political scene in the US is [drastically?] different from the era of the New Deal. Now I see an intricate union of Military/Industrial/financial complex with the Neocons who didn’t exist as a powerful entity a century ago.
These days astonishing convoluted stuff are happening day after day. The only way I as an amateur can analyze them is this:
A small number of mentally deranged entities, who are compulsively obsessed with power, and/or money or their own tribe are controlling the events. The outcome of their decisions are nothing but grand looting, totally avoidable heinous wars that result in senseless deaths or destructions.
What can be done to stop these lunatics? I do not know. Apparently no one knows. Maybe Carl Sagan was right when he said something like “…humans are self-destructive, unless they learn how to utilise their analytical faculties…”
Nasser says:
August 30, 2012 at 12:36 pm
The current situation in the Middle East is no similar to what obtained before or shortly after WWI.
The World Powers of today do not have the power that they had one hundred years ago.
They cannot affect – in any positive manner – anything in the Middle East.
The issue is just how much influence will Axis Powers continue to have in the Middle East.
As is, I think they will could maitain the posture of despised protectors of Southern Persian Gulf (Oil) States and Israel.
I would think Moon and Feltman went to Tehran on behalf of the American side; it was not much as they were interested in NAM but rather for a possible face saving way to resolve or cooling down the Syrian mischief directly with senior Iranian decision makers, I would say same is true with Morsi, since none these participants even mentioned Bahrain I don’t believe any deal was reached.
I would think the Iranians and their allies knew and did not expect Mr. Moon, or Mr. Morsi to mention Bahrain, but rather, they did expect paying a small price (for indirectly being blamed for the continuation of Syrian crises) for publicity of having these leaders in Tehran.
So what the American and the gulf Arabs including Mr. Morsi side got, was to go to Iran and publicly in presence of the Syrian and Iranian delegation condemn Syria and her allies which is nothing new, and relatively small price to pay for Iran, what the Iranians got was to tell the world that not only we are not isolated but to resolve regional issues Americans are willing to be humiliated to come to us.
Besides Mr. Moon and Mr. Feltamn had to sit and listen to and earful condemnation of the current UN’s undemocratic system, as well as US/ Western and Israeli policies in front of majority leaders of the world. Other than that it doesn’t seem anybody’s position has changed or any kind of a deal was made.
Nasser,
In the AsiaTimes piece you linked, Jeremy Salt says Turkey did not anticipate that giving assistance to the effort to overthrow Bashar al-Assad would create a Kurdish problem for Turkey in NE Syria. Surely Turkey anticipated this. (?)
This is what the Angry Arab had to say about the picture of Ban adn Feltman with the SL:
“Arabs and Iranians are widely circulating this picture. But for me the story is that Feltman is now the real secretary-general of the UN.”
Yes, good article by Claudio Gallo. What I appreciate are his clear statements regarding the weakness of the central government of Iraq, and the search by Israel-US to heighten ethnic and religious tensions.
The main section of the Wall Street Journal today (front page) has a significant story on Iran’s nuclear programme. It states, mistakenly, that 80% U is weapons-grade.
Bussed-In Basiji,
What “monopoly” on production of nuclear energy is possessed by the West?
Decent article on the Asia Times: The remapping of the Middle East
http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/NH31Ak01.html
We shouldn’t forget that image and hard policy are two separate things managed in two different ways. At the time of Bush II, first administration, the showcase was all about axis of evil. But, the hard policy benefited Iran since it had never done before let’s say 1973. Bush II 2nd administration and Obama tried to reconcile the hard policy with a rethorical show of toughness. Maybe we are witnessing another turnaround here: keeping the hard policy combined with display of niceties.
Karl.. says:
August 30, 2012 at 11:28 am
You are right about Ban’s speech. Singlehandedly he proved to NAM members that NAM is the organization that represents their interests, not the UN. An open, one-sided assault on the host of the NAM summit, on the occasion of the transfer of the NAM chair to the host, will be eventually digested by everyone as the secretary general’s disparagement of the NAM organization.
If it weren’t for this kind of ineptitude on the part of the west and their lapdogs, Iran’s center of gravity alone would not have been so successful at pulling wondering satellites into an orbit and creating a coherent camp. Ban ceded the winning narrative to Iran. What a cod fish.
Karl,
Any attack by Israel on Iran that does not include the use of nuclear weapons or of the United States joining in would be at most a harassment operation. Military it would be absolutely useless; like Saddam’s Scuds dropping on Israel during the Gulf War. Strategically insignificant. It would accomplish nothing! In fact Iran vis-a-vis Hezbollah and its long range cruise missiles can do far more damage to Israel than the other way around.
If you listen to serious military people within Israel you get the sense that they understand as much. I realize that the Jews are committed to the image of “strong Jew” and are hell bent on restoring their collective self esteem by beating up on those savage Muslims; but Iran is just a little too far away.
In Israel warmongering TV ads is getting more common. Seriously, making fun of war?
And on top of that, it feat John Cleese.
http://www.lobelog.com/death-by-chocolate-selling-war-with-iran-to-israelis-one-ad-at-at-time
Bibijohn,
Ban basically destroyed the NAM philosophy. Weaker states should submit to demands by more powerful states was the argument.
There is so much wrong with Ban’s statement and as I said earlier, it reads like a moderate version of a statement by israeli government or any of its supporters.’
But one should neither forget the context, Ban was urged by Master Israel and Master US not to go and a campagain was level against him, discrediting him for going. So he wanted to make up and didnt want to dissapoint them so therefore we heard this speech – in fact it was probably a compromise (“if you go – you need to say this and that”), thats was not only based on disinformation (holocaust-denial, accusations of blame and noncompliance on the nuclear issue, the myth about destruction of Israel, the threat of war if Iran isnt do what being demanded by US, Israel) but rather pathetic speech.
Also interesting how Ban urge arms blockade on both parties in Syria. Not only does he equal the warminded terrorgroups trying to overthrow Syria with the Syrian state that have legal right to use force. I wonder when Ban will urge a arms blockade on Israel and Palestinians?
Also note how he refuse to name Israel when he urge parties stopping verbal threats. Only mention Israel where it benefits Israel and the warmongers. Like, that Iran doesnt recognize Israel. When did Ban condemn Israel for refusing to recognize Palestine? When did Ban condemn those that havent recognize Kosovo for example?
I mean one could go on for days dissecting this speech, like I said its wrong in so many ways.
Ayatullah Khamenei’s message of unity among the world’s oppressed nations – did not make sense to West’s so-called “anti-Israel Islamist leader”, Egyptian president Morsi, who, as I had suspected went to NAM summit to sabotage it on behalf of the US and Saudi Arabia. He was the only among the world leaders attending Tehran summit, who called Syrian regime “oppressive” in his speech. As a result, the Syrian delegate walked out of the summit in protest. Morsi expects Syrian Muslim Brotherhood to take power after Bashar al-Assad’s departure from power. Syrian MB supports armed insurgency in the country. One of its leader had attended the ‘Israeli Conference on Syria‘ in France in July 2011. The Syrian MB leadership has pledged that once in power, it will steer Syria away from Iran, Hizbullah and Hamas.
http://rehmat1.com/2012/08/30/nam-the-end-of-us-israel-imperialism/
Karl.. says:
August 30, 2012 at 10:10 am
Did you read what Ban told Iran? He basically gave approval for war. Amazing.
“a war of words can quickly spiral into a war of violence.”
———–
A fuller quote is:
“And I urge all the parties to stop provocative and inflammatory threats.
A war of words can quickly spiral into a war of violence. Bluster can so easily become bloodshed.
Now is the time for all leaders to use their voices to lower, not raise, tensions.”
http://www.un.org/apps/news/infocus/sgspeeches/statments_full.asp?statID=1635
One of the guest said the Holocaust museum is getting close to calling the Syrian deaths a genocide. Amazing how the Holocaust museum never came close to calling the deaths caused by the U.S. invasion of Iraq a genocide. The Rehm show still promoting what Israel wants in Syria . No mention of Morsi’s contact group. Hope folks go and listen to this show at some point
Big push this morning on NPR’s Diane Rehm show for more U.S. military involvement in Syria. Diane has two male guest on who are serious pro go get Assad guest. She has a woman on from UNHCR who is discussing the Syrian refugees. Why is it that Diane and team never ever covered the amount of Iraqi refugees the invasion of Iraq. Sickening sickening double standard. No mention of Egyptian President Morsi’s request for a contact group to deal with this conflict in peaceful means. Not a whisper Hope folks go over this program with a fine tooth comb. When will Diane have Flynt and HIllary on. Top about a lop sided panel and Diane is just nodding her head. NO challenges no opposing views. I am sickened
I do not believe Moon/Feltman where in Tehran to deliver any threat. The political image projected from Tehran to the world right now is pretty clear: at the minimum Iran is not isolated. This is patently the opposite of the the message the US administrations have been assiduously working on since 2005. Why, in this condition, re-inforce the image that you so obviousely opposed ?
Did you read what Ban told Iran? He basically gave approval for war. Amazing.
“a war of words can quickly spiral into a war of violence.”
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/08/20128308579560767.html
So apparently threats are ok, war is ok, but it depends on who is threatening whom and who have a “correct” justification for war. Ban’s full statement read like a moderate israeli statement.
Is Feltman Ban’s minder?
======================
I’d say no.
-Ban’s office was designated as the place for instituting the ‘de-escalation’ on April 1st.
-Feltman was put in Ban’s office to ensure US interests, and more importantly, Obama’s domestic political interests are not thrown out with the bath water.
-Ban & Feltman were sent to Iran to head off an all-out revolt by the ‘Global South’, in effect a recognition of Iran’s clout. This alone tells me we are at the final stages of a deal.
-SL’s speech to NAM, reiterating his nuclear-ban fatwa to an audience of a 150 nations’ delegations, leaves no margin for fearmongering. Not only it is silly to develop unusable weapons that only make you a target, it is now reputaionally impossible to sneak/brake out when SL has laid the marker down so explicitly and so publicly. Iran has deftly used the venue to breath life into NPT, and on behalf of Global South, Iran has rescued NPT from the West who were/are using the treaty as a way of casting suspicion on ‘nuclear have-nots.’ Iran’s SL has restored the moral high ground to the ‘Global South.’
-Feltman will be shocked and awed during his interactions with Iranian officials. He will report back Iran is not to be messed with; they fear no one but God, and the majority public whose support legitimizes them.
-Obama is scheduled to make a Reganesque “trust but verify” speech on December 6th. If Netanyahu doesn’t shutup then the speech will be given October 6th.
“If Ban goes, then Feltman goes, too”
Castellio – Thank you for your response. You seem to be saying that the protocol would have dictated this. But my question was why American Administration felt that it was time for a political public gesture by sending the architect of the US Syrian policy accompany Moon to pay tribute. You should keep in mind that all political visits to the Leader are on request/grant basis in particular for people like Moon and his staff. Feltman could have easily cought a food related illnness the same day the visit was scheduled, or even before flying to Tehran.
Feltman looks very uneasy in those pictures, how come? After all his diatribe and propaganda against Iran he didnt dare utter them face to face?
Feltman had to go so he could check that Ban really leveled criticism against Iran.
Ataune says: August 29, 2012 at 5:58 pm
Of the four men in the photo, only Feltman’s shoes are not shined.
In every hotel where I stayed in Iran, there are automatic shoe-brushes beside the elevator or someplace in a corridor.
http://www.yalibnan.com/2012/08/30/surprise-surprise-feltman-attends-the-nam-summit/
“Lebanese observers believes that Feltman’s participation in the summit could indicate that some negotiations of great importance between the Iranians and Americans will likely take place on the sidelines of the summit.”
————-
Feltman’s reminds me of the evolution of Robert Baer who after years/decades of confronting Iran in the mid-east was left with only two choices, bitterness of frustration at, or begrudging respect for the adversary, found relief in the latter.
Next, Kissinger & Brzezinski will make an appearance in the same office. It turns out Netanyahu did force Obama’s hand. He has no options left other than making a comprehensive settlement of ‘all issues’ with Iran.
“The Islamic Republic’s successful experience in resistance against the bullying and comprehensive pressures by America and its accomplices has firmly convinced it that the resistance of a unified and firmly determined nation can overcome all enmities and hostilities and open a glorious path to its lofty goals. The comprehensive advances made by our country in the last two decades are facts for all to see, as repeatedly attested by official international observers. All this has happened under sanctions, economic pressures and propaganda campaigns by networks affiliated with America and Zionism. The sanctions, which were regarded as paralyzing by nonsensical commentators, not only did not and will not paralyze us, but have made our steps steadier, elevated our resolve and strengthened our confidence in the correctness of our analyses and the inborn capacities of our nation. We have with our own eyes repeatedly witnessed divine assistance in these challenges.”
From the speech:
“I stress that the Islamic Republic has never been after nuclear weapons and that it will never give up the right of its people to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. Our motto is: “Nuclear energy for all and nuclear weapons for none.” We will insist on each of these two precepts, and we know that breaking the monopoly of certain Western countries on production of nuclear energy in the framework of the Non-Proliferation Treaty is in the interest of all independent countries, including the members of the Non-Aligned Movement.”
SL’s speech at NAM conference.
http://english.khamenei.ir//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1668
Watching these various challenges to US hegemony is a little like watching a society of non-human primates as the up-and-coming males challenge the patriarch. Little snubs become bigger snubs become outright insults, and before you know it, the boldest of the challengers is off in the bushes with one of the patriarch’s females.
A similar level of testosterone is operating on the geopolitical level, I guess — which is not to say that I don’t look forward to the dethroning of patriarchal Washington.
James Canning says: August 29, 2012 at 6:12 pm
That took a while.
Ataune – Feltman (supposedly at least) was willingly chosen by Ban as his top advisor on these issues. If Ban goes, then Feltman goes, too. He is, in fact, Ban’s American minder.
fyi,
Are you claiming the US is “committed” to war with Iran, no matter what Iran does or does not do?
fyi,
Burt and Simes correctly note (in piece you linked) that Obama allowed domestic politics to “trump” US national interests, regarding the illegal Israeli Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
Their warning about the dangers posed by convergence of neocons and “liberal interventionists” is well taken. And they note the absurd notion that seems to prevail, that the collapse of the USSR should not be ascribed to its own internal failings, but rather to the magnificence of the American way. (They put this in slightly different terms.)
Feltman paying homage to the iranian leader. The text is in Farsi but the image says it all:
http://rajanews.com/detail.asp?lang_id=&id=136223.
Why the US kept publicly haranguing Moon on his trip to Iran while it was intending since the begining to let Feltman go and pay tribute to the leader ?
Nasser says:
August 29, 2012 at 4:43 pm
I agree.
fyi says: August 29, 2012 at 1:20 pm
Realistic, maybe, but also a strangely dated article. While ostensibly dealing with the current Romney-Obama shortfalls in foreign policy, it draws a world picture not different than a decade ago. It’s as if they’re just beginning to catch up to 2001, let alone 2003 or more current.
fyi says:
Implications are quite clear…
http://nationalinterest.org/article/morality-play-instead-policy-7338
the above article states;
“China, Russia, Brazil and India harbor significant flaws and problems that limit their international influence. These include corruption…… “
cor·rup·tion
1. the act of corrupting or state of being corrupt.
2. moral perversion; depravity.
3. perversion of integrity.
4. corrupt or dishonest proceedings.
Then the article states;
“Importantly, America’s crisis did not stem from forces of nature, global trends or some inevitable historical process. It resulted from decisions made by America’s leaders, without serious scrutiny from the media or public. Another factor was mindless greed among financial manipulators who created elaborate and largely unnecessary products principally for self-enrichment, along with unchecked populism among officials and legislators who interpreted the American dream to mean that anyone should be able to secure credit “
I guess either corruption has a different definition in US, or the author is morally corrupt!!!!!
I much prefer George Friedman to Robert Kaplan. I found Friedman’s analysis of Iran, Middle East, Europe etc to be truly impressive. Kaplan’s more of a journalist than a real strategic thinker. Still a very knowledgeable man.
Photi,
Juan Cole’s comments on the 2007 neocon conspiracy to set up war with Iran should also be read (together with the Washington Post piece).
imho,
I wonder if Obama actually came away from his March meeting with Netanyahu, convinced that an Israeli attack on Iran was imminent (as claimed by Martin Indyk in the piece you linked).
BiBiJon,
I agree Kaplan’s piece is a great read. Very interesting historical sketch of the Persian Empire(s) and their geography etc etc. But Kaplans writes: “So, imagine an Iran thwart the pipeline routes of Central Asia, along with its sub-state, terrorits empire of sorts in the Greater Middle East.” Iran possesses a “terrorist empire”?
Fiorangela,
Interesting piece on Henry Sacher that you linked, concerning the wording of the Balfour Declaration in 1917. I quote: “Before it was sent by Balfour to Rothschild, the Sacher-Sokolow draft was amended – - Lord Milner insisted that guarantees be inserted for the existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine.”
Those guarantees carried over into the League of Nations Mandate for Palestine, given Great Britain after the war.
Photi,
Re: your questions and comments Aug. 27th 4:12 pm – - I think Iran is willing to stop enriching to 20. I also think Russia, China, Germany, France and the UK will accept Iranian enrichment to 5% or lower. I have a gut feeling Obama would accept Iranian enrichment to 5% or lower, but that he is prevented from saying this or even giving a hint, due to pressure from the Israel lobby.
The TRR will be replaced before too many more years, as I understand things. Iran already has enough stockpiled 20 to operate the TRR for many years.
The Israel lobby tries to prevent any dialogue between the US and Iran. And Netanyahu has pressed Obama to pledge openly not even to be willing to engage in discussions with Iran. This is the crux of the problem, in my view. And where Aipac literally is subverting the national security of the American people, with complicity of MSN etc etc etc.
Tom Friedman in his New York Times column today complains about Morsi’s visit to Tehran and once again in effect claims the presidential election in Iran in 2009 was fixed so that the “democrats” in Iran lost.
All:
A realstic assessment of US Foreign Polciy….
Implications are quite clear…
http://nationalinterest.org/article/morality-play-instead-policy-7338
kooshy says:
August 29, 2012 at 12:25 pm
It is too late.
US is committed to multiple wars across the Muslim World, including the one against Iranian power.
I do not expect any changes until 2018, at the earliest.
fyi,
Is it technically feasible (though prohibitively expensive) to build a canal connecting the Caspian with the Persian Gulf.
Humanist… in terms of current historians, you might take a look at the following, which goes a way to explain the actual conservatism of the Democratic Party and its relation to the New Deal. It is, perhaps, Kolko’s analysis of American foreign policy (elsewhere) which I find most “contextualized”.
http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/08/29/the-new-deal-illusion/
This is a very interesting video to watch
Time to Rethink Iran
Jon Snow of Channel 4 News argues it is time for the US to lead a change in the relationship of it and the UK with Iran, in the Lord Garden Memorial Lecture at Chatham House on 21 June 2012.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTpLUSyUXcQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Kathleen says:
August 28, 2012 at 10:13 pm
check this out http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/aug/28/us-israel-justice-whitewash-state-crimes
If you had time to to read only 2 things today, read:
h/t Fiorangela
http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/geography-iranian-power-robert-d-kaplan?utm_source=freelist-f&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20120829&utm_term=kweekly&utm_content=readmore&elq=aa19f92657d141efaad54b37e817f004
h/t Kooshy
http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/08/27/rohrabachers-plan-to-partition-iran/
Fiorangela says:
August 29, 2012 at 6:31 am
I understand you better now and I agree with you.
And in fact, no archeological evidence for the Kingdom of David and the Kingdom of Solomon has been found in Palestine.
Jews have done their utmost and zilch, nada, nothing.
Fiorangela says:
August 29, 2012 at 7:41 am
The assessment of Iran in Iraq by Mr. Kaplan is wishfull thinking.
Prospects of Iranian liberalization are real but have to wait for the departure of the Revolutionary generation – those men and women who are in their 50s to 70s.
In regards to Central Asia and Azerbaijan Republic – the assessment is correct; colorless iran has no attraction for those Turkic people. They are enamoured of West and Iran has nothing to offer them.
And then, their elites are against the Idea of Iran.
In regards to gas importation from Turkmenistan; I am not sure how much longer it is going to go on; a new pipleline taking Iranian gas from the South to North has been completed.
This was ffter Turkmenistan cut-off gas to Iran this past February – Iranians evidently have decided to eliminate that dependency.
The major obstacle to Iranian power is the United States; but as she and EU decline, Iran will rise.
Another hypocritical news of the day, just laughable.
West urges Arabs not to target Israel at UN nuclear meet
http://www.news.kodoom.com/en/iran-politics/west-urges-arabs-not-to-target/topic/1372862
Dont you love how criticising Israel is bad because somehow it hurts the effort according to envoys like these (whetever its to create a middle east peace or a nuclear free region).
Are these envoys not mentioned but apparently UK, US, France and perhaps Germany not aware of the brazen hypocrisy they keep projecting? One wonder of course how a nuclear free region or middle east peace could be achived if you are forbidden to talk about the only nuclear state or the only occupying state.
Although I wouldnt be surprised if arab states follow orders, as usual.
follow the money
Netanyahu comes under fire for request to revise investment portfolio
Opposition leader Shaul Mofaz (Kadima) on Monday called the prime minister’s request to change his portfolio “puzzling,” saying that the move showed “more than just a hint of his intentions.” Mofaz further said that the request showed how aware Netanyahu is of the security and economic risks involved in attacking Iran.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-retracts-request-to-revise-personal-investment-portfolio/
Martin Indyk from lobelog:Israel “cried wolf”
“The administration was convinced that Israel was going to attack in the spring. That was the official assessment, everyone ran to battle stations, mobilized, engaged with the Israelis, did whatever they could to calm them down and make it clear that the President [Barack Obama] was absolutely committed to Israel’s security and to ensuring that Iran would not get nuclear weapons. That seemed to work fine. But after that, the administration concluded that Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu and Defense Minister [Ehud] Barak were engaged in a complete bluff, and having succeeded in bluffing them, I think they were wary of being bluffed again.”
http://www.lobelog.com/martin-indyk-israel-cried-wolf/
also reported by Victor Kotsev in Asia Times: Tehran summit echoes to war chants
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/NH30Ak04.html
“The most important facts about Iran go unstated because they are so obvious. Any glance at a map would tell us what they are. “a href = “http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/geography-iranian-power-robert-d-kaplan?utm_source=freelist-f&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20120829&utm_term=kweekly&utm_content=readmore&elq=aa19f92657d141efaad54b37e817f004″> And these facts explain how regime change or evolution in Tehran — when, not if, it comes — will dramatically alter geopolitics from the Mediterranean to the Indian subcontinent and beyond.”
from: The Geography of Iranian Power by Robert D. Kaplan /Stratfor
—-
Karl.. says: August 29, 2012 at 6:39 am
Five years ago the “Iran Task Force” came to town to “educate” my friends and neighbors on how “Iran [is] A Threat to Humanity.” Patrick Clawson presented the main speech in this educational experience, sponsored by Zionist Organization of America, ADL, AIPAC, & nearly a dozen other similar organizations.
I subsequently learned Iran Task Force was a relatively new element under the umbrella of the World Jewish Congress, which in turn is financially supported by Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Nail in the coffin new right here.
AP: U.N. nuclear agency forming Iran task force
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57499146/ap-u.n-nuclear-agency-forming-iran-task-force
IAEA establish an “Iran Task Force”. Yes you heard right.
IAEA is about to set up a, bet secretive and clandestine, lobby group within the IAEA to solely focus on Iran.
First off its pretty obvious this is made and who is pushing it.
Its pushed by Israel and supporters because IAEA have not found anything of interests and arent too tough with Iran, so now this lobby group will generate insinuations, fabrications and other information that will be paint in scaremongering color and in turn will generate more belligerent IAEA reports on Iran.
Is this even legal? Either way just shows what a corrupt and biased tool IAEA have become.
fyi says: August 28, 2012 at 11:35 pm
“You are taking the Old Testament too literally.”
—-
My comment did not make reference to the Old Testament, it quoted a 1919 Atlantic Monthly article by Howard M. Sachar, who played a prominent role in drafting the Balfour Declaration, defined the geographical boundaries of the land of Israel that the Jewish people intended to redeem, and authored a history of Israel/zionism that is regarded as a standard work.
I agree that he — and zionism– take the Old Testament — rather, Torah — too seriously, but that is the essence of zionist Judaism. The Jewish scholars that I read agree on this definition of what it means to be a Jew: belief in G-d, Torah, and Israel. Torah says that God gave Israel to the Jewish people. This is Benjamin Netanyahu’s driving principle, as it was for the secular David Ben Gurion, a founding father of zionism.
—
It is my belief that the Old Testament/Tanakh, from Genesis to the exile in 537 BC, is myth and folklore — see my earlier comment referencing Joseph Campbell on how misreading and mis-teaching myths are among the most dangerous psychological harms we do to our children. Material in the Tanakh after 537 BC can be verified by sources other than the bible; some historical validity can be found for events mentioned in those books. However, because it has been called a book of divine revelation, Jews AND most Christians have a quirky way of reading the ‘history’ of the Old Testament: chronologies, economic and political forces, social relationships or even the morality of behaviors are not analyzed for their cause-and-effect relevance and lessons; rather, the working out of the covenantal promises of god to his chosen people is uppermost, and events as they happened in historical time are interpreted in a way that bolsters that covenantal relationship.
The impact of this inverted way of understanding history cannot be overemphasized, nor is it an ideological mindset confined to a bygone generation or to only the most orthodox; it is pervasive among young Christians and Jews such as Jane Eisner, editor of Forward magazine, who addressed other young Jews at a J-Street conference recently.
” BiBiJon says:
August 28, 2012 at 4:29 pm
RFI parking lot
===============
I guess everybody else just dumps comments here as a kind of personal diary. My comments have been only visible to myself (i.e. awaiting moderation) since 8 hours ago.”
This is why the rules have to change. It has killed the lively, ongoing back and forth, because we make a few comments, wait until next day to get it approved, which you suddenly have a bunch of new posts, and they discussion gets lost or sidelined.
Also, what the…? I clicked on this article,
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/national/29-Aug-2012/rift-over-iran-s-n-plan-threatens-entire-region
And the first thing that came to my mind is that Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, Ms Khar, from her picture in that page, is freaking cute!
I meant, they have NOTHING better to…
Is every western article on NAM written by morons or are they all paid crooks?
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Iran+will+lasting+kudos+hosting+country+summit/7159803/story.html
This article is full of laugh out loud stupid reasoning, but this is my favorite,
“Another is that many members will attend out of curiosity to see in the flesh this violent, theocratic Iranian state whose leaders gush with inflammatory rhetoric such as regular pledges to work for the destruction of Israel.’
Basically all these delegates and head of states are visiting this event, because they having better to do with their time, and are just curious.
The following is Scott Horton giving a speech in Tampa a couple days ago. He makes many great points about what is wrong with America.
Horton also proposes a Ron Paul/ Dennis Kucinich ticket in November. I agree. How else to guarantee a substantive debate on the TV? Without Ron Paul, the debates between Obama and Romney will be like eating crispy rice cakes, so bland.
http://scotthorton.org/?powerpress_pinw=5272-podcast
Fiorangela says:
August 28, 2012 at 3:51 pm
You are taking the Old Testament too literally.
For 90 years, more than 4 generations, Jews (and Israelis) have been digging in Palestine, trying to substantiate stories of the Kingdoms of David and Solomon.
No trace has been found.
[The Chronicle of Kins, however, seem to have had some basis in historical reality, supported by archeological research.]
Books of Daniel, Esther, and stories of David and Solomom are Romances; like Khsorw and Shirin, the Fisher King, Parsifal and so on.
Ezra reconstucted the Torah from other souces when the Great King set the Jews free; God only knows what his sources were.
Castellio says:
August 28, 2012 at 8:47 pm
Hubris.
James,
When i got done reading the WAPO story about Ms. Todd, i thought “How intense!”
The story reads like a great spy novel, worthy of a Jason Bourne trilogy, and therein lies the problem.
Is this news or entertainment? I am waiting for the disclaimer: “This story has been dramatized to brainwash the innocent.”
Interesting nonetheless and i will eagerly read other viewpoints. What may appear as a “shadow government” or hidden hand might be part of the not-so-covert but official and on-going “secret” war against Iran. Nothing is as it seems.
In my opinion so far the best news out of this Nam meeting in Tehran is that it really has pissed off the Americans and their related non sovereign client states in Europe, sometimes one wonders who’s really isolating who.
With this in mind, it seems the new talking point line, passed to and dully adopted by the western propaganda media outlets like NYT, BBC, CNN and their so called opinion columnist’s likes of NYT’s Tom Friedman is: “what’s the use and oppose of the nonaligned movement any more” since there no longer exist the communist soviet union, they would want to precipitate that the nonaligned movement was created to only resist the eastern communism and Soviet Union, or even was to be a balancing force between the west and east, here the intention is to create a perception that the nonaligned movement was not or even is not to resist western type of hegemonic colonialism, which entirely is not correct, nonaligned movant was created to resist hegemonic colonialism of any type western brand or eastern one period.
Fortunately the eastern soviet colonial hegemony is now gone, and NAM needs to continue resisting the western type to the end, that’s what propaganda script writers like Tom Friedman, are either stupid not understand (my first choice) or they think their readers are stupid enough not to understand (also my first choice), fortunately to their disappointment the rest of the word does understand why NAM is still needed even more than before.
Morsi’s Wrong Turn
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/29/opinion/friedman-morsis-wrong-turn.html
“Nonaligned against what and between whom?” asked Michael Mandelbaum, a foreign policy specialist at Johns Hopkins.”
James Canning says: August 28, 2012 at 6:18 pm
“Gangs of Aleppo”
A Syrian leader said Syria’s problem is not a civil war, it is gangs:
“most disintegrating states find themselves having to deal with “a vast surplus of young men who have no access to jobs, money, or women,” so they form gangs — roving bands of armed men who hire themselves out as soldiers when they can and otherwise take what they want from anyone too weak to resist them. Their only loyalty is to each other—to their gang. …
Young men are also drawn to fighting,” [a natural outcome of and outlet for anger]…”
Can’t help thinking that Syria was not “disintegrating” until the US applied pressure to fracture the populace. US is attempting to do the same thing to Iran, but as I read this article, it occurred to me that what Khomeini had achieved in post-revolution Iran was to unify Iran’s angry young men into a pro-Islam pro-Iran force, organizing and directing the energy toward state goals.
“Much of what we see in states struggling for their lives such as Syria is supply-side war. Fighting spreads not because of some “cause” like democracy but because idle young men see a fight and join in. [Or are paid to join in: it's paid work, after all.] “Why not? They have nothing to do, nothing to lose, and thanks to their new gang and AK-47, lots to take: money, women, and fame.
The author would do well to include the sense of belonging and camaraderie that comes from being part of a gang. This sense of belonging is one of the most potent forms of cohesion that military leaders use to ensure that their troop will defend one another, and it is also one of the most profound –even if unidentified– losses a soldier feels after the war is over. Having your ‘band of brothers’ broken up is akin to losing your first love.
“Gangs fight not only the government [and if you're Blackwater or some other mercenary, whoever you are paid to fight] but also each other and their internecine wars further weaken the state.”
Which may be why Iran maintains its Basiji force, and exerts somewhat repressive measures on them from time to time to maintain discipline.
“Mexico, where the killing fields spread as drug gangs massacre one another and any civilians or agents of the state who get in their way.
What is pertinent here is the drug component of the situation. Iran has a serious drug problem. Has it devolved to the level of a drug-gang problem as is the case in Mexico, or has Iran managed to keep it at the level of a personal pathology?
The state arose to bring order, and widening gang wars reveal the state’s impotence. In the struggle for legitimacy that lies at the core of Fourth Generation war, a state that cannot control gangs becomes an object of contempt for friend and foe alike.”
The United States acts to deliberately sow disorder among Syrians, and to attempt to do the same in Iran.
It’s extremely difficult to figure out how truly repressive the Iranian government is towards its people. Reports from US media are not to be believed; I’m not aware of places to find such reports from Iran, and it’s reasonable to suspect they would be whitewashed in any event. So, what’s the story: is Iran’s government unduly repressive, or only as repressive as is necessary to keep down gangs in a climate where western powers are deliberately trying to fragment Iran’s society?
Why no one was surprised when an Israeli court determined that Israel is not at fault for Rachel Corries crushing death. Israel’s brutal behavior and decisions have become normalized. Interesting to see which MSM and so called liberal outlets actually gave any attention to this Israeli ruling. I was surprised that Huff Po (the USAToday/People Magazine site) covered it. They had it up on the front page for about 5 hours and then took it down. They had almost 2000 comments when they took it down. You know they had to make room for more GOP coverage or the latest on Bradgelina which they will leave up for days on end
Rachel Corrie Verdict: Court Rules Israel Not At Fault In U.S. Activist’s Death
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/28/rachel-corrie-verdict_n_1835303.html
Mondoweiss had a great deal up about the ruling.
http://mondoweiss.net/2012/08/israeli-court-rejects-corrie-family-lawsuit-calls-rachel-corries-death-regrettable-accident.html/comment-page-1#comment-492453
New York Bloody Times
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/news/world/court-rules-israel-is-not-at-fault-in-american-activists-death-650856/
James googled that topic about the Navy analyst who allegedly exposed the attack on Iran plan and not much. Nothing like the Congressman get naked in Israel topic (of course few touched the pay to play issue) Someone must be trying to shut down that story about Todd the navy analyst. Hope the Leveretts dig in. Fascinating
Anyone hear anything on any of the MSM TV outlets… CNN, Fox, MSNBC ?
I recently came accross an article: America Preparing For A Post-Israel Middle East? by Franklin Lamb in Eurasia Review dated August 28, 2012. The 82 page report titled “Preparing For A Post Israel Middle East”, prepared by the US Intelligence Community, concludes that the American national interest in fundamentally at odds with that of Zionist Israel. Has any one seen this article and is there such a report?
fyi says: August 28, 2012 at 3:07 pm
FYI, to what do you contribute Maloney’s confidence in the sanctions? She seems supremely confident of the American ability to control the situation, with or without overt war.
I recommend William S. Lind’s “Gangs of Aleppo” (Aug. 28th)
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/gangs-of-aleppo/
Kathleen,
You and FYI seem the only two to comment on the conspiracy (reported by Juan Cole, and the Washington Post), apparently by Dick Cheney’s gang (plus other neocons), to provoke war with Iran in 2007.
It seems a bit surprising so little interest has been shown on this site, for Juan Cole’s report on the neocon conspiracy to provoke war with Iran in 2007. (Aug. 26th):
http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/266-32/13127-focus-plot-to-provoke-war-with-iran-thwarted-by-navy-analyst
RFI parking lot
===============
I guess everybody else just dumps comments here as a kind of personal diary. My comments have been only visible to myself (i.e. awaiting moderation) since 8 hours ago.
Akbar Etemad explains Iran’s nuclear ambitions
(Not So) Foreign Affairs starts the new season with a special interview. Akbar Etemad, often known as the father of the Iranian nuclear programme, managed his country’s nuclear ambitions under the Shah from 1974 until the Shah’s government was overthrown in 1979. In this conversation, courtesy of Swiss-German television’s news programme Rundschau, Etemad talks about the history of the programme, and offers his explanation for the current stand off between the West and Tehran:
http://worldradio.ch/wrs/programmes/nsfa/foreign-affairs-akbar-etemad-explains-irans-nuclea.shtml?32186
Gulf News says IRGC travel to Syria to help out
http://gulfnews.com/in-focus/syria/iran-sending-troops-to-bolster-syrian-regime-1.1067042
I’m interested in the cultural aspects of the conflict in the ME. Linked article mentions that IRGC commander told trainees, “We are in a culture war…” –
““Today we are involved in fighting every aspect of a war, a military one in Syria and a cultural one as well,” General Salar Abnoush, commander of IRGC’s Saheb Al Amr unit, told volunteer trainees in a speech Monday.”
In response to an earlier post about the decline of the ancient Jewish presence in Aleppo, I posted a too-long passage about Syria’s ancient queen Zenobia (possibly a figure of Esther?) but it seems to have disappeared. The passage was quoted from Warwick Ball’s “Syria: A Historical and Architectural Guide,” and traced the clash between a Syrian dynasty under Zenobia with the Roman emperor Aurelian in ~265 AD. Zenobia lost.
I compared the destruction of Zenobia’s ambitions with Rome’s conquest over Jewish rebels, to which Zionist history traces its origins — H Sacher wrote in 1919 that “THE Zionist movement dates from A.D. 70, the year of the destruction of the Temple and the Jewish State.” http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1919/07/a-jewish-palestine/303393/
The IRGC commander’s comment indicates that there is a larger battle than for resources and raw power taking place in the Middle East, a battle even larger than a religious war — most zionists are secular, although Hebrew scriptures are relied upon for ethnic-nationalist ideology by secular Israelis, as it it relied upon for spiritual/religious purposes by the religious in Israel. This tension in Israeli society has existed from its inception and is reflected in the very title given to Israel in the invocation at the end of the Israeli Declaration of Independence, according to Alain Dieckhoff in “Citizenship and Ethnic Conflict: Challenging the Nation-State.”
Dieckhoff explains that the new nation was commended to the protection of the “”Rock of Israel”: a metaphorical expression that is sufficiently imprecise to allow religious people to understand “God” when agnostics understand “the Jewish people.” ” [p. 83]
I’m not sure which of these references Ephraim Sneh understands with respect to Israel, but he is quite certain that Iran should have a “secular” government; any other form of government of the Iranian people (notwithstanding that they voted for it) “does not represent the Iranian people, in case you don’t know,” Sneh told Iran’s ambassador to the EU last February. http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/IsraelIra (very end of the video)
Sneh & Rohrabacker should team up to save California — or lead its secessionist movement. Or just
stfube quiet.Arabs want IAEA look at Israel’s nuclear capability and threats
================================================================
http://www.iaea.org/About/Policy/GC/GC56/GC56Documents/English/gc56-1-add1_en.pdf
Palestinian’s UN recognition quest on hold
http://www.abcnews4.com/story/19397269/palestinians-un-recognition-quest-on-hold
So the palestinians who have “threatend” to go to UN for a recognition for weeks, just backed off. Amazing. Just another indication how deep Palestinian Authority is in Israel/American pocket. Laughable.
All:
http://www.brookings.edu/research/expert-qa/2012/08/20-iran-maloney
Israel not responsible for killing unarmed US activist: court
“In a ruling read out to the court, judge Oded Gershon called Corrie’s death a “regrettable accident”, but said the state was not responsible because the incident had occurred during what he termed a war-time situation. “
I wonder if the german Nazi could make such claim re concentration camps during WWII wartime ??
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/israel-not-responsible-killing-unarmed-us-activist-court
James;
for your info;
Iran’s oil exports surpass 2 mbpd
incase you wish to change your song and dance.. if not, just wait till the ol’ man winter gets to NA.. I like to hear DC telling ‘folks’ to turn down their heat so they can help with the sanctions!!!
http://en.trend.az/regions/iran/2059651.html
test
No NAM coverage on aljezira??!!!??
suppose YELLOW journalism has its limitations
Karl..,
I’m curious as to what specific elements of “inernational law” you think I fail to comprehend adequately.
I have said that I personally do not have problems with Iranian enrichment to 5% or lower, or even to 20 percent in order to refuel the TRR. Since the US so foolishly in effect forced Iran to do that.
I do say Iran blunders by stockpiling. You, on the other hand, think Iran can gain leverage by further stockpiling. I say this further stockpiling plays into the hands of enemies of Iran trying to force Obama to attack. Who would disagree?
One day you are the best man at the Leveretts wedding.
One day Seyyed Javad eats your luch.
One day you walk over to the dark side and spew hooey.
Just couldn’t let this one go without a mention, seeing that he was the best man n’ all.
Many quotable lines in one article. Which one to pick?
“ So much depends, if that were to happen, on how the Iranians would choose to retaliate, and that’s where the United States comes in. If Israel were to undertake a preventive strike, then I believe the United States very quickly should signal to the Iranians that they do not have in any way whatsoever a free hand in retaliation”. ~Richard N. Haass
http://www.cfr.org/middle-east/israel-iran-military-option/p28879
Castellio says: August 27, 2012 at 3:27 pm
re: Orange County, CA Congressman Dana Rohrabacher Recommendation to State Department: Partition Iran; Slice off Azarbijan
History professor Touraj Daryaee’s tutorial on Persian history was enlightening on many levels, and the message he conveyed should be taken to heart.
But I was intrigued with his closing statement:
“Let’s save California, before others begin to call for its secession from the US!”
Is there a lobby active in Iran that lavishes money and power on Iranian lawmakers to induce them to support California’s secession from the United States?
How would YOU respond to your federal representatives if the proposal came to a vote: Should California secede from the union? Does the Union have the right or obligation to require that California remain a part of the Union? Or do citizens of the state have the right to decide their own destiny separate from the Union, if they believe that is in their best interest? “The issue is complicated.” Thank goodness there are Iranian lobbyists who can explain it to congressmen who have so many other things to occupy their days (i.e. raising the million dollars required to keep their job for another term).
Do those pesky Iranian lobbyists that prowl the halls of Congress offering free trips to Isfehan in exchange for a vote FOR California secession have a right to do what they do? Are they properly registered as agents for a foreign country? Should they be? What concern is it of theirs anyway, whether California secedes from or remains in the Union of (otherwise occupied) States of America?
In an environment where prisons are overpopulated and homeless populate church steps and steam grates, should the representatives of the American people be distracted by Iranian lobbyists clamoring for a vote for California secession? Don’t they have more important domestic issues to think about?
Ex-anti apartheid white Cape Towners ought not call NAM Summit a “Third-World Jamboree”
=====================================================================================
Frankly Tony, it rubbishes your own youthful idealism.
Also don’t exaggerate others’ exaggerations:
” To view the NAM summit as a reversal in the U.S.-led campaign to isolate Iran is to vastly overestimate that campaign’s success in the first place — and also to vastly overestimate the significance of the anti-imperialist pageantry and pablum that has been the movement’s staple since its inception.”
Read more: http://world.time.com/2012/08/28/will-irans-third-world-jamboree-hasten-an-israeli-attack-probably-not/#ixzz24rS7oDCe
Tony Karon has a way of sounding like the lone voice of reason in a loony bin, but that should not be the objective; unvarnished truth ought to be the objective.
The campaign to isolate Iran has lacked success but that sure has not been for want of trying. It is not possible to exaggerate the time, effort, resources and expenditure of political capital US/Israel have expended in pursuit of ‘the goal.’
It is in the face of this no-holds-barred scheme to isolate Iran, that Iran’s position as chair and host of a well attended prestigious summit is an unexaggerable setback.
No wonder Tony has to label it a 3rd world jamboree. If it were one, tony, would Netanyahu be trying to ban Ban’s attendence, would State department be calling Iran an undeserving host?
There’s saying in Farsi: When the cat can’t reach the meat, it meows the meat stinks anyway.
So, if you want to denegrade it as a 3rd world jamboree, do it before all that unseemly effort to scuttle the summit. When you do it afterwards, you’re just meowing in frustration.
George,
More preposterous claims from Charles Krauthammer in the Washington Post, that Iran wants to kill 6 million Jews in Israel. (Or as many of them as possible.) Rubbish.
Unknown Unknowns,
Are you arguing that the problem with Iran’s negotiations with the P5+1 is simply that they represent the five permanent UNSC members, plus Germany?
Are you claiming that a different group of major powers would accept Iranian stockpiling?
Karl..,
I notice you did not respond to Irshad, who on Aug. 25th 7:45pm asked: “Is Iran rash/stupid to follow the uranium route to a nuke”? Irshad’s assumption is that Iran is stockpiling 20 as part of plan to build nukes.
Karl..,
I do not say Iran “cannot enrich to 20%”. Or that Iran must stop enriching to 20. I do say that the P5+1 want Iran to stop enriching to 20 percent. And this is a fact, even if it is one you find annoying.
It would be absurd for me to say the P5+1 accept Iranian enrichment to 20 when this obviously is not true.
Castellio says:
August 27, 2012 at 3:27 pm
Touraj Daryaee is a well-known research scholar in academic circles inside and outside of Iran for his scholarly work on history of Iran, especially on pre Islamic period. In Sothern California where he lives and teaches he is better known by the Iranian community for his informed cultural contributions. One would need to have Rostam size balls to take on his district’s congressman (Neocon republican district) like Touraj did, specially if you are working for state funded university system in congressman’s district.
I recommend every expatriate Iranian to read Touraj’s response to Neocon congressman Dana Rohrabacher to better understand what the US’s desired goals are in implementing their Iran policy since Iran broke away from US hegemony 34 years ago. Balkanization of Iran is the only way US thinks can prevent Iran to break away again.
http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/08/27/rohrabachers-plan-to-partition-iran/
All:
http://www.cfr.org/middle-east/israel-iran-military-option/p28879
fyi says: August 21, 2012 at 10:17 am (from a prior thread)
Thank you for the information, fyi.
fyi says: August 28, 2012 at 9:20 am
FYI… can you tell us if and when that information does get presented in Farsi in a widely distributed forum in Iran? I’d like to know how knowleadgable and informed the Iranians are in terms of US-Israeli intentions.
Thanks.
Why Iran should have invited US to NAM summit
============================================
Because “the U.S. accounted for 79% of the world’s weapons sales to developing nations in 2011, up from 44% in 2010.”
Read more: http://nation.time.com/2012/08/28/theres-no-business-like-the-arms-business-2/#ixzz24qhEv8E2
Castellio says:
August 27, 2012 at 3:27 pm
Iranian propaganda organs are going to use this to the fullest extent possible.
A few more such things and vast majority of Iranians will be convinced that US is not just against Islamic Republic but Iran herself.
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/opinion/perspectives/charles-krauthammer-iran-needs-to-be-told-what-it-must-do-to-prevent-war-650443/
James asks, “What leads you to think I believe the UN Security Council permanent membership should never be changed?”
Em, because you are from another planet?
During last Saturday sermon, Rabbi Ovadia Josep, said: “When we say the blessing over the dates at our Rosh Hashana meal this year, and we ask G-d to ‘bring an end to our enemies,’ we should be thinking about Iran, those evil ones who threaten Israel. May the Lord destroy them“.
http://rehmat1.com/2012/08/28/rabbi-ovadia-declares-jihad-on-iran/
Raging Grannies message to Rep Akin
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/26/raging-grannies-legitimate-rape-song-akin_n_1831684.html
On a serious note. Some must reads:
Breaking the Silence report details soldiers humiliating and torturing Palestinian children and using them as human shields
The Report
http://www.breakingthesilence.org.il/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Children_and_Youth_Soldiers_Testimonies_2005_2011_Eng.pdf
http://mondoweiss.net/2012/08/shocking-breaking-the-silence-report-details-soldiers-humiliating-palestinian-children-beating-them-using-them-as-human-shields.html/comment-page-1#comment-492052
Israeli Settler: ‘If I see her coming, no matter what age she is 3, 4, 7, I’ll f*ck her over’. Israeli Soldier: ‘No problem’
http://mondoweiss.net/2012/08/israeli-settler-if-i-see-her-coming-no-matter-what-age-she-is-3-4-7-ill-fck-her-israeli-soldier-no-problem.html
Plot to Provoke war with Iran thwarted by Navy analyst
Posted on 08/26/2012 by Juan
Why was a Navy adviser stripped of her career?
Matthew Abbott/FOR THE WASHINGTON POST – Gwenyth Todd, a former American political adviser, now lives in Australia.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/sunk/2012/08/21/96209788-cebd-11e1-aa14-708bac2c7ee9_story.html
http://www.juancole.com/2012/08/plot-to-provoke-war-with-iran-thwarted-by-navy-analyst.html
BiBiJon,
Sensible comments by Dennis Jett that you just linked. He says: “As for Israel, Iran would have no esxcuse for threatening it if peace were made with the Palestinians.”
Unknown Unknowns,
What have I said that leads you to think I believe the UN Security Council permanent membership should never be changed?
James (you know what) Canning says:
August 27, 2012 at 2:25 pm
“Clearly JOhn Aglionby was quite right, that George W. Bush did not give a fig for the opinion (opinions ?) of NAM, before his idiotic invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Tony Blair was much more concerned about the opinion of the Attorney General. Which nearly derailed his backing of Bush’s idiotic invasion of Iraq.”
——-
James,
Over the weekend I solved a lingering family mystery: Why does my 81 year old father in law keep zapping through channels, pausing for a few seconds and frequently right before a punchline, or at the height of a cliffhanger he changes channels. I theorized that he is hard of hearing, and he really only ‘watches’ the pictures on the TV. Consequently, the very moment that there’s a pause in the scene for effect, is precisely when the ‘image’ on screen becomes too static, and boring for him and so he pushes the darned button on the remote to change the channel.
While I’m on a mystery-solving roll, I want to take a crack at the mystery that is you. How could you have read that Guardian piece, my and Castellio’s comments about it, and still claim “he’s quite right?”
John the prat is insinuating NAM’s purposelessness is induced by the self acclaimed “sole superpower” diktat: You’re either with us, or you’re doomed. And, the reference to Blair, of course is the obvious: You’re just another poodle unless you sit on a particular lap. It could not be clearer that John the prat is glorifying empire by consigning the Global South to being unworthy of attention, and carving a little role for the poodle by getting him a mention alongside Bush.
So technically, and only technically, John is right, they didn’t lose any sleep. Just as you’re right, Iran’s (20%) nose thumbing is not the best method of endearing yourself to a bully. The bigger picture, 33 years worth of it, is that Iran ain’t trying to endear herself to the bully (with or without lapdog).
But to make such obvious observations so frequently to a forum that understood the miniscule point you were making 1000s of comments ago, leads me to deduce that you are a robot and your program has gone into a loop fed by the annoyance that you cause blaming the victim, while calling the Bully’s actions reprehensible, and assigning the purest animal instincts to the poodle.
Amnesty Calls on UN to stop the US, Qatar and Turkey funding and arming Syria Rebels.
http://livewire.amnesty.org/2012/08/27/amnesty-calls-on-un-to-stop-the-us-qatar-and-turkey-funding-and-arming-syria-rebels/
James, in your view do the signals from Iran indicate Iran is willing to negotiate on the 20% issue?
In your view, is America willing to recognize Iran’s nuclear energy and enrichment program up to the 5% level, with a further recognition that this is Iran’s right under the NPT?
Are the negotiations stuck on the 20% enrichment detail, or are the negotiations stuck on uranium enrichment generally?
Given Iran’s difficulty in obtaining the necessary fuel for its research reactor this time around, does it make sense for Iran to stockpile the fuel so that it will be a long while before ever again having to return to this level of uranium enrichment?
If the US is genuinely concerned about Iran’s enrichment to 20%, why doesn’t the US show more of a willingness to negotiate about it?
Isn’t the problem that “negotiating” with Iran would be a tacit recognition of the Islamic Republic’s legitimacy as nation-state?
If this is the problem, that America will not recognize the Islamic Republic’s legitimacy and so therefore cannot agree on tea, let alone 20%, what good does it do to point out anything other than America’s unwillingness to recognize the Islamic Republic of Iran’s right to exist? Until this changes, nothing can be agreed upon. Instead of addressing this head-on, your solution is to give in to the lunacy and “advise” Iran to stop 20% and get nothing in return. This is weakness James, and you can bet the farm Iran capitulating here so will only embolden those who want to make war,.
Iran has shown its willingness to negotiate on the details of its civilian nuclear program including a willingness to negotiate on the 20% enrichment level. The US has given no such signals that it is willing to compromise. Therefore the US is a fault the current failure of diplomacy.
James Canning says: August 27, 2012 at 1:22 pm
I think Iran is too polite to tell the P5 + 1 countries to screw themselves.
But they should.
James,
Did you even read my post? It doesnt seems like you did.
I just said:
Its seems that you dont have any interest in a debate. Since you keep ignoring what users here tells you
and
You say Iran cant do this, Iran cant do that because “US says so”. Why is it so problematic to understand that US nor any other state is above international law?
And you just made a clear of such example by your reply by saying ‘Russia says so/China says so’ implying Iran must do what other states demand.
Again, why dont you recognize international law? You live in a world, and obviously want to keep it, where powerful states rule the world. This is an obsolete, imperialist view.
Again, you must realize that states dont want to be ruled by others and thats why there is also something called international law that you repeatedly keep undermining with your flawed basis of argumentation.
I think this an important article, as an American politician openly calls upon the State Department to partition Iran. This is the continuing policy behind the once discredited but now re-emergent believers in the New American Century (PNAC). There is fresh wind in their sails.
http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/08/27/rohrabachers-plan-to-partition-iran/
James,
Did you even read my post? It doesnt seems like you did.
I just said:
Its seems that you dont have any interest in a debate. Since you keep ignoring what users here tells you
and
You say Iran cant do this, Iran cant do that because “US says so”. Why is it so problematic to understand that US nor any other state is above international law?
And you just made a clear such example by your reply. By saying ‘Russia says so/China says so’.
Again, why dont you recognize international law? You live in a world, and obviously want to keep it, where powerful states rule the world. This is an obsolete, imperialist view. The interesting thing is that you dont seems to comprehend this and thats problemtic becuase your argumentation will then just go in circles. The solution for you is to begin to recognize the international law.
Again, you must realize that states dont want to be ruled by others and thats why there is also something called international law that you repeatedly keep undermining with your flawed basis of argumentation.
BiBiJon,
Clearly JOhn Aglionby was quite right, that George W. Bush did not give a fig for the opinion (opinions ?) of NAM, before his idiotic invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Tony Blair was much more concerned about the opinion of the Attorney General. Which nearly derailed his backing of Bush’s idiotic invasion of Iraq.
fyi,
Yes, neocon warmongers conspired to set up war with Iran during the second term of George W. Bush. And obviously this had nothing to do with Iranian enrichment to 20 percent. Dick Cheney was off his head, and thought the US could smash any country in the Middle East defying the neocon agenda.
Power of neocon warmongers within Republican Party even though few voters back their stance.
“Times: Neocon Power, Despite Few Voters in Favor, Lives On”
http:www.theamericanconservative.com/times-neocon-power-despite-few-voters-in-favor-lives-on/
“Netanyahu [demanded] that Washington publicly break off negotiations with Iran”, reports Philip Giraldi.
Karl..,
The Soviet Uniopn concluded, in late 1990, that if Saddam Hussein was determined to be an idiot, there was nothing the USSR could do for him.
Karl..,
You appear to have difficulty grasping the fact Russia and China want Iran to stop enriching to 20 percent. FYI even claimed both countries want Iran to stop all enrichment. FYI is mistasken on that, but not regarding enriching to 20.
Name a single person psoting on this site who agrees with your apparent contention Russia and China do not object to Iran’s stockpiling of 20 U.
Dennis on Dennis
================
One of Flynt’s academic colleagues has good piece up:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dennis-jett/liked-iraq-love-iran_b_1832020.html
“Afghanistan: Leave it or Lose it – - Washington’s drawdown is a myth, but green-on-blue attacks may hasten our exit”
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/afghanistan-leave-it-or-lose-it
yemi,
I listed the countries that comprise the P5+1. Because the P5+1 are engaged in the negotiations with Iran. Surely you recognised this?
If you think Iran should tell the P5+1 countries to screw themselves, just say so.
Rehmat,
Did Israel “have a sword at its neck” immediately prior to the Israeli attack on egypt? Or is this just the story line put out to obscure the fact Israel started that war?
M. Ali,
The Financial Times today noted the brief visit Morsi will make to Tehran for the NAMN conference, but quoted him as saying Iran is part of the solution to the problem of unrest in Syria. (But Morsi supports overthrow of Asssad).
BiBiJon says:
August 27, 2012 at 10:22 am
The Guardian Commentary is not completely wrong.
NAM, just like UN, UNSC, NATO, and other artifacts of the Peace of Yalta has to find a new purpose not that the Peace of Yalta has ended since 1991.
I think we are in a state of flux and the implosion of the Fiance Capital of US and EU makes NAM a useful forum – like UN.
The concerns of Christian states of North America and Europe is to maintain their ascendancy in face of their structural problems.
The concerns of the NAM states is development, something that the end of the Cold War has made even more urgent.
Therefore, NAM states and US-EU Axis as well as Russia have very little in common.
The governance of the world since the Collapse of the Soviet Union by Axis Powers clearly indicates this gap: Wars against Yugoslavia, War against Iraq, Cold War against Iran, etc.
So, NAM faces a challenge but so does US-EU Axis and all those who hnag their hopes on UN.
M. Ali says: August 27, 2012 at 6:51 am
The Republican convention in Tampa is subsidized by US taxpayers. If I recall correctly, our contribution is about $36 million. The podium alone, of which Romney’s operatives are extremely proud, cost about $600,000.
The GOP did what westerners think is the thing to do: they married wealth to power and laid it at the feet of the god of their ideology.
But they failed to account for Nature’s god, the weather.
Fortunately, however, Republicans have mastery of twitter. They can ‘tweet’ to thousands of people at one time that “Because we were so stupid as to schedule a conference in the middle a hurricane zone during hurricane season (because we really really need those Florida votes), and because a hurricane had the temerity to occur, Republican Convention Opening Day has been postponed.”
Stay tuned for tweet updates.
PS No refunds on the podium.
Can the Gulf countries be more disgustingly uncle tommish?
“Non-Aligned Movement summits no longer serve a purpose” as a headline doesn’t come from a republican US paper or a Israeli one, but an arab one.
http://www.thenational.ae/thenationalconversation/comment/non-aligned-movement-summits-no-longer-serve-a-purpose
Shameless people
One question about NAM, which Im confused, due to confusing articles. Was Iran voted in the leadership position, or is it a rotating leadership position?
Bibijon, on your Guardian posts, I’d like to add some comments,
I always look at the Comment Is Free section of the Gaurdian posts. I love the articles, not for how good they are, but how BAD they are. They write exactly they way you expect them to write, not one iota of new thought. In 2009 election protests in Iran, comment is free’s Iran section had millions of articles. Everyone and their dog had an opinion.But now?
Silence.
The last article on Iran is dated 18t of August, a week ago, when in 2009, it used to be more than one daily.
And the one on 18th of August?
“Israel could attack Iran without causing a major war in the region ”
14th of august: ” Israel and Iran: lethal game of bluff ”
9th of August: ” Israel and the US would come to deeply regret air strikes against Iran ”
So last three articles, spanning three weeks is basically ISRAEL WAR, as if thats all Iran. You know, fuck Israel, and fuck their threats. No official in Iran even takes them seriously. If they really were concerned there would be a war from Israel, wouldn’t they be deploying defensive measures all around Iran? Maybe placing anti-aircraft guns at the top of all the buildings? But no, no one gives a fuck.
And before the 9th of August, we have two articles on Standard Charter, and on 8th of August, we have a completely moronic article about an Internet meme that has something to do with a NASA scientist with an Iranian name who had a mohawk,
Alright, let’s try this again. The sensors are FAR too touchy, as far as I am concerned. Can’t a person call a spade a spade in this here town anymore? Jeeeeeee-zus. Well, I changed the offending word (which I had disguised, albeit thinly), so I hope that will do it. Unless “stupid” is too provocative.
James Canning says:
August 26, 2012 at 12:38 pm
Curiously enough, many of the neocon warmongers in the US would like the US to get out of the UN.
That’s a good idea. As long as Uncle takes his two Europoodles with him. Then we can defang those two other ace-in-the-holes, Russia and China, and revamp the general assembly into a representative and working body. The problem with people of your mindset, stuck in the 19th century, is that you see no problem whatever with the current state of that absurd institution. The good news is that the world has changed, and that change favors those who yearn for change.
*
hans says:
August 26, 2012 at 9:28 am
I hope you are right, hans-sahn. And I think you are, to some extent, anyway. But the kind of change that I had in mind and which I think is needed for change at the political level, comes very slowly, if at all.
For example, those stupid Bahrainis have probably learned the lesson that they perhaps should not have bandied the Saudi flag when they prevented Iran from proceeding to the World Cup a decade ago. But they have yet to learn the much more important lesson that they are not about to get anywhere without religious leadership, and they are not about to have that leadership without their first abandoning their stupid akhbari ideology. Similarly, our stupid Sunni brethren are not about to make any fundamental changes in terms of bringing about equity and justice to their people without first abandoning their stupic ‘might-makes-right’ ideology, not to mention the need to open the Gate of Ejtehad.
As the Great Sage Forrest Gump once said, “Stupid is as stupid does.”
fyi: public prayers are not “state-sponsored” as you put it. As a matter of fact, your whole presumptive framework of state vs. private religion only obtains in states where you have a separation of church and state. Where you do not have such a schizophrenic fragmentation, when people gather in public to worship, as they do every noonstead and at every twilight in every mosque, it is neither state-sponsored nor private, nor any category in between. It is just people gathering to worship their Maker in communion, and trust me, they curse the abomination of the Zionist Entity for what it is. That’s all. And millions of us do it at home too. Don’t you? Whyever not?? :o) Or do you “turn the other cheek”? LOL
BiBiJon says: August 27, 2012 at 10:22 am
That’s an interesting piece of history that you referred to. Thanks.
What the writer ignored then, and probably ignores now, is that the struggle against imperialism during the Cold War has continued as a struggle against Imperialism after the Cold War.
And the very moment he gives for thinking the NAM over (the invasion of Iraq) was precisely the moment when the need for NAM was most evident.
Question to the floor…
–
I can’t quite ascertain who voted what on Syria’s expulsion at OIC conference in Mecca( no vote by country stat), but it appears that only Iran and Algeria opposed it. Mahdi seems to agree
The question is: if Egypt voted for expulsion of Syria, how can Morsi play it both ways, wanting to help resolve the crisis/dropping the ‘bombshell’?
“Then came the bombshell. Morsi proposed that a contact group should be formed to resolve the Syrian crisis through peaceful means, discussion and reconciliation. And, pray, who would form this group? Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey and Iran” ~Leveretts
P.S. On the Guardian of prejudice, and all things bigoted
============================================
The link http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2003/feb/27/worlddispatch.johnaglionby?INTCMP=SRCH
P.S. On the Guardian of prejudice, and all things bigoted
========================================================
Back in February 2003, when John Aglionby was “Searching for a purpose” for NAM, and musing that “As a relic of the cold war, the Non-Aligned Movement is trying to find a credible raison d’être for the 21st century,” he opined that:
“It is extremely doubtful George W Bush or Tony Blair were, or will be, kept awake at night worrying about the heavy criticism they both took at NAM or wondering how the movement is going to stop their seemingly unstoppable march to war.”
Well, dear prat, John Aglionby, little did you know that “raison d’être” was spectacularly provided by those two unstoppable war criminals marching right on to destroy Iraq and put the world on a knife’s edge ever since. Little did you know that those war crimes would touch off a string of revolutions unseating your favorite despots; little did you know that their ignominious defeat in Iraq would leave the west with only 2 choices of direction: militarism, and militarism, and only one possible outcome: defeat.
M. Ali says:
August 27, 2012 at 6:51 am
Thanks for your excellent critique of that real bacchanal of nonsense over at PBS’ Tehran Bureau.
I think absolute silence too can be a form debauchery. I’ve been checking the Guardian for any coverage of the NAM summit. Up until Aug 2rd, nothing, total silence.
Think about this for a moment. The Guardian newspaper has nothing to say about Iran’s nomination and subsequent election to be the president of NAM; Has nothing to say about the new relevance/irrelevance of NAM; Nothing to say about Hague’s threats/boasts of isolation on the one hand and a 150 countries showing up in a peaceful Tehran conference. Guardian actually has a “World” section, and the non-aligned movement’s summit has not been covered, at all!
And, finally, we get a report on who’s not attending: “Kim Jong-un to miss Iran summit and send figurehead instead”; “Meeting of non-aligned developing nations was expected to be first trip abroad for North Korean leader”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/aug/23/north-korea-kim-jongun-iran
Get that? New term: ” non-aligned developing nations.”Developing?”
Note to all “developing” persons: Your aspirations, concerns and input are very close to Hague, and the Guardian’s bosom.
Unknown Unknowns says:
August 27, 2012 at 2:24 am
I was referencing the prayers at home, not state-sponsored ones.
Tehran Bureau also looks for things to find fault in NAM conference,
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2012/08/opinion-tehran-summit-of-non-aligned-states-an-opportunity-for-potent-protest.html
”
Among various expenditures, the website noted the 120 billion tomans (approximately $100 million at the official rate of exchange) that have been spent on building renovations; the purchase of 200 Mercedes-Benzes, each priced at 350 million tomans (for a total of around $58 million), along with hundreds of other vehicles; and the rental of two entire highrises, as well as dozens of additional luxury apartments. According to Kaleme, a company owned by a Mr. “Gh.,” said to be associated with Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s chief of staff and close confidant, has been contracted by the Iranian government to transport summit guests during their stays in Tehran — up to 10,000 visitors, including the delegations and journalists, are expected to attend. ”
Iran is hosting its biggest conference in, not only its revolution, but recent history, and spending 100 million is a controversy? I love the number guy, so divide that by population, and we’re all contributing 1.5 USD for our guests. I, for one, will proudly spend 1.5 USD for our esteemed guests! Plus, the money is spent mostly for the roads and such, thats to be used for our people later on. When Ahmedinijad visited our small town last year, the municipality worked overtime to make our city more presentable.
“The six-day period during which the summit will be held has been declared a holiday in Tehran, at an estimated loss to the nation of $5 billion.”
Some government agencies are closed, but private sector is open, and banks will have certain branches open, and customs are also open. So, no, its not a full holiday, but it will be controlled to ensure security and best handling of the conference.
“Aside from the economic loss that will result from the holiday, the total direct cost to the nation of holding the NAM summit may approach $1 billion. By comparison, Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najar said that 60 billion tomans (around $50 million) have been devoted to help the tens of thousands of survivors of the two major earthquakes that struck East Azerbaijan province less than two weeks ago”
I’m not sure where the 1 billion came from, but I’m disgusted how they use the earthquake to attack Iran. They were doing this from the first day of the earthquake, using it to win some political points. Its saddening, when it is the Iranian government and the iranian people who are helping their countrymen, and the exiles just talk about it. Money can always be used for something else. Can I argue that the PBS should cancel its budget to Tehran Berueu, and instead give the money to a few children in Iran?
The Earthquake victims have received a significient amount of assistance, and applauds to both the government and the people and Iranian companies. Our company collected the money from its staff and contributing some of its own money, and we’ll be buying needed items and sending it to them the end of the week.
To mix the two is unfair and wrong.
”
All of this is happening while Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ordered the development of what he has called the “resistance economy,” one in which waste is avoided and belts are tightened to counter the effect of the economic sanctions that have been imposed on Iran. ”
What Iran is paying is minor compared to the huge opportunity it represents the Iranian country and public.
”
The democratic opposition, and in particular the Green Movement, should use the summit as an opportunity to raise its voice, make the NAM’s member states unavoidably aware of the political and social repression in Iran, and rejuvenate the movement, many activists say. ”
If they do this, they need to be treated it with extreme harshness. that would be the equivalent of a father inviting respectable guests at his home, and the daughter using that opportunity to make a scene and embarrass the father.
iranian issues are Iranian issues, and to be handled by Iranians. No slavementality of trying to attract attention of foreigners.
”
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has been tasked with providing security for Tehran during the summit. That itself is indicative of the ruling elite’s concerns about the potential the event holds for the Green Movement.
”
When heads of states visit a country, there will be strong security. Thats not out of fear of the Green Movement, but real terrorist concerns. When Bush visited UAE, the whole city was closed off for two days.
”
Several political groups in the diaspora (see, for instance, here and here), as well as political and human rights activists, have written either public letters to the NAM leaders, or sent letters to their offices around the world
”
“in the diaspora” says it all
”
Social networks have called on the residents of Tehran to remain in the city and for people elsewhere around the country to head to the capital and crowd the streets,
”
WHen will the west know that there is no such thing as the facebook revolution or the twitter revolution. Revolution comes from the people, not calls for revolutin from westeners writing from blogspot and wordpress sites.
So for posting a million times, but please remove moderation. Make it so we have to register an account, and then ban the account or something. I used to like coming to work and checking replies to comments and the ongoing discussing while working.
Ooh, I wonder what our favorite anti-Iranian blogger will say about this summit. He and his team love to find anything bad about Iran. If Iran finds the cure for cancer, EA would say it is beniffiting the revolutionary guards. If Iran invest time travel, they’d say, they only did it, so they couldback in time and kick activists in the balls.
So what would they say here? But black lining in the clouds would they find?
Here are my favorite tidbits,
Morsi coming to Iran? Pfft, not important, “A spokesman for the Egyptian President has said, ahead of Mohamed Morsi’s visit to Tehran for the summit of the Non-Aligned Movement, “The matter (of restoring diplomatic ties with Iran) is out of the question at this stage.”
Morsi will be the first Egyptian head of state to visit Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Al-Ahram also downplayed any significance, saying that Morsi will spend only four hours in Tehran on August 30, long enough to hand over the Presidency of the NAM to Iran. The site added pointedly that the Egyptian President will stop in Tehran on his way back from a 36-hour visit to China.”
Lets remind everyone about Mousavi, because he is such an important figure in these coming days “The House Arrests. Prominent Tehran-based analyst Sadegh Zibakalam has said that the house arrests of opposition figures Mir Hossein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard, and Mehdi Karroubi are “useless” and that Mousavi’s popularity remains unchanged: “Mousavi and Rahnavard cannot be eliminated from people’s minds.”"
Lets politize the earthquakes, “Blogger Hossein Ronaghi Maleki, arrested earlier this week while trying to help victims of the East Azerbaijan earthquake, has reportedly been transferred to Tabriz Prison on charge of “distributing contaminated food”.”
Lets pop another boner at the currency even though the real devaluation occured 8 months ago, “The Iranian Rial is close to its all-time low, set early this year, vs. the US dollar. Mesghal, the leading currency website, puts the Rial at 21910:1, while the Iranian Students News Agency reports that the currency broke the 22000:1 level.
The official rate for the Rial is still set at 12260:1.”
Mousavi mousavi mousavi, ” The Green Messengers of Hope is the latest group of activists to call on delegates attending the Non-Align Movement summit to raise the case of detained opposition figures Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, asking Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi — the nominal head of this week’s proceedings — to enquire about the situation of the two men”
This paragraph is excellent, I love it, because it shows how EA writes,
“Iran has been signalling for weeks that it will use the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Tehran, scheduled for 26-31 August, as the display case for its leadership. The Islamic Republic — facing the economic tensions at home, pressure over its nuclear programme, and the effects of the Syrian crisis — is trying to counter its isolation with the message that it is in the vanguard of the fight against Western domination.”
Mention the Islamic republic, and then wham, describe by it by saying, it faces econmic tensions at home (the west has been saying this since the revolution), pressure over its nuclear programme (pressure over its soverignity for two hundred years), and the effects of the Syrian crisis (on Iran?). Counter its isolation? Why does it have to counter its isolation when it was voted in to leadership position by 2/3rds of the countries in the world, and 55% of the world’s population. That is, countries representing the majority of the world, have voted in iran. How, in any sense of the word, does that mean isolation??
And, “The challenge for the Islamic Republic, however, is to convert next week’s show into something more than short-term propaganda, and other headlines point to the scale of the task. Beyond the rather mundane “NAM Set to Put Economic Role on Agenda” and “NAM Summit, Chance to Resolve Regional, Global Issues”, ”
As we southern iranians say, “kooneshun misoozeh”, their asses are burning!
However, whats interesting about the WP article is that the large number of comments on the article itself are against it.
I noticed this. A week ago, the Washington Post, had an article calling NAM “bacchanal of nonsense”. What amazing arrogance,
“By attending the Tehran conference, Mr. Ban will dignify a bacchanal of nonsense, undermine the work of the Security Council and probably get nothing in return. “”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-significance-of-tehran-summit/2012/08/21/d4147cfe-e9f1-11e1-866f-60a00f604425_story.html
However, it is interesting the backlash it has received, not from the western media, but mainly from NAM media,
http://www.google.com/#hl=en&sclient=psy-ab&q=%22bacchanal+of+nonsense%22&oq=%22bacchanal+of+nonsense%22&gs_l=hp.3…208841.213552.2.213771.8.8.0.0.0.0.1748.5883.6-2j1j2.5.0.les%3Beqn%2Crate_low%3D0-035%2Crate_high%3D0-035%2Cmin_length%3D2%2Ccconf%3D1-0%2Csecond_pass%3Dfalse%2Cnum_suggestions%3D1%2Cignore_bad_origquery%3Dtrue..0.0…1c.c9psBFFvWj4&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=39ecb6b45886a9c8&biw=1440&bih=758
In western media, they’ll look for one or two half sentences in Salehi’s opening statement which don’t represent the atmosphere of his speech, so it is better to first link the whole statement,
http://www.tehrantimes.com/component/content/article/100887
and post a few of my favs,
” In our international community not every nation shares similar value and opinion. To live in peace and harmony the diversity within the global society should be acknowledged and respected”
“. Hence, the need for a home-grown, locally-owned and all-inclusive political process in each country concerned, based on a case-by-case procedure, must be realized in order to allow the genuine and independent political forces to engage in comprehensive dialogue towards achieving the goals of national reconciliation and development in a safe and sound environment free of foreign intimidation and manipulation. Foreign intervention in the wave of unrests that sweeps our region is unacceptable and would hinder the genuine and inborn democratic processes in concerned countries and the inalienable right to self-determination of their respective nations.
”
” Human rights also should not become subject to selectivity, politicization and application of double standards, any abuse of the UN human rights mechanisms for unjust political expediencies reduces this highly valued concept into a small and cheap tool of foreign policy implementation for certain States. “
This user comment from a news article is interesting,
” is also interesting to note that ALL “white” (Europe, Russia, US, and Israel) countries are NOT members of the Non Aligned Movement, and that 2/3rds of the UN membership and 55% of the world population IS part of the Non-Aligned Movement. And if you include “observer” status countries – which includes China and Brazil – their movement represents 80% of the world population – a clear SUPER MAJORITY.
This begs the question of why what the vast majority of the world thinks is not given more credence by white countries that “claim” to be democratic in which the majority (not just the majority of white folks) is supposed to rule?
“
Anonymous Lurker posted a link which I want to highlight this paragraph,
“Well, frankly, I interact quite a bit with people at the ambassadorial level from many of these countries, people who are involved in the NAM network, and the fact is that many of them will tell you quite candidly that they are mainly afraid of the United States but don’t admire U.S. foreign policy. In other words, they don’t take seriously this form of, you know, what you might consider a, you know, suffocation of countries around the world, whether it’s Cuba in the Western Hemisphere or it’s Iran. You know, these ambassadors look at this form of foreign policy as very destabilizing, very dangerous, and when they have to make allowances for the United States, it’s often simply as a consequence of U.S. power, not as a consequence of their admiration for the kind of diplomacy that the United States does. And I think this is also a point that people don’t often consider, which is that the United States diplomatic service has for a very long time lost the faith of diplomats elsewhere, who don’t—who look at United States and say, these people are simply not serious”
Thinking about NAM being in Tehran and Iran being its presidents for 3 years gives me goosebumps. This is amazing. There are 193 countries at UN, and around 150 at NAM, thats 2/3rd of the UN countries.
A lot of us were predicting Iran as a strong regional player in the future, but I think, it has exceeded our own expectations, because Iran will not only be a strong regional player, but a strong WORLD player, and not in the future, but in the now.
I think we will see some great things in the coming years, and decades later, our children and our children’s children might scoff and pity for the state the world used to be.
Fior-jan:
First off, thank you for that wealth of information on that sick man, Feltman. You are an indefatigable researcher extraordinaire! I wish they had rejected his visa request. And as you probably know, Iran has been playing host to literally millions of Afghan refugees from the Taliban- and US-imposed wars on their country. I think it is true to say that while Iran is not about to become a Mecca for visitors in the near future, it has always been and will always be a place of refuge for those seeking it.
fyi: What I found interesting about the article by Shlomo you linked to was the fact that the backdrop of the article seems to be a ‘nuclear winter’ scenario, but even more interesting is the apparent fact, judging by the right seam of the scroll, that it has been written on toilet paper.
Waste not, want not.
fyi says, “[The prayer of Iranians] has not yet become “O God! Destroy Israel”.”
It seems it has been quite some time since you attended congressional prayers in Iran.
Mr. Karim:
The angels evidently were absent during the last offensive at Faw Penninsula. The artillery fire had created a wall of metal through which no attacker could enter and survive.
The remnants had to walk over bodies of the the dead during the retreat.
But not everything that Mr. Firouzabadi stated in that youtube posting was false.
The stuff about “kadkhoda” etc. is accurate to a certain extent.
All:
Here is Truth from the Horse’s mouth:
http://www.iranedge.com/yestobombing.htm
Richard Steven Hack says:
August 26, 2012 at 8:02 pm
Humble people in Iran routinely end their prayers by stating: “O God! Destroy enemies of Islam and Iran.”
This is not Iranian Government propaganda; it is there without people even noticing it.
It has not yet become “O God! Destroy Israel”.
Israelis, evidently, are pre-empting Iranians in this case.
No matter; they could get their religious war.
And all the might and power of the United States will be unable to protect them.
Barak: ‘Iranian threat a sword on our neck’
Israeli warmongering defense minister Gen. Ehud Barak told the annual conference of the Institute for National Strategic Studies in Tel Aviv on Tuesday that Israeli leadership felt like the “Jewish State had a sword to its neck prior to the 1967 Six-Day War”, and felt their was no choice but to act. He suggested that the “Iranian threat” may have come to this point, or be nearing this point.
http://rehmat1.com/2012/08/27/barak-iranian-threat-a-sword-on-our-neck/
Fyi: Re your post on Rabbi Ovadia…
Rabbi Ovadia to Decide: Bomb or Bombing?
http://www.iranedge.com/rabbiovadiatodecide.htm
And they call the Iranians “mad mullahs” while the fanatics in Israel consult a war mongering rabbi…
American democracy today…http://truth-out.org/video/item/11069-inside-karl-roves-secret-kingdom-craig-unger-on-stolen-votes-political-attacks-billionaire-ties
James Canning says:
August 26, 2012 at 12:46 pm
Mr JC
So you mean these aforementioned countries by you are the only countries on this earth?
And you mean the criminals among these countries should continue to enforce their wishes on all other countries in the world as they wish?
Infact, i am so concerned with the way you think and analyze issues in general.
If defying these criminals means end to servitude and there would be freedom for all but not only Iran, so shall it be.
Remember that Iran taking this course would surely collapsed those criminals gradually and as such Victoria Acerta!
Thanks.
James,
Its seems that you dont have any interest in a debate. Since you keep ignoring what users here tells you. This has been going on for atleast 1 year now.
Dont you see how flawed your views are, not a single user here nor any other external figures agrees with you (besides netanyahu and a bunch of other warmongers)? You keep talking and blaming “israel lobby” but you have a very similar same view as them when it comes to Iran.
You say Iran cant do this, Iran cant do that because “US says so”. Why is it so problematic to understand that US nor any other state is above international law?
I want a clear answer now on this.
The Jerusalem Post: ‘Isolated’ Iran boasts attendance of leaders, kings at NAM
. . .The Iranian press also used the convention to demonstrate how the country is anything but isolated.
“Tehran to Host 2 Kings, 27 Presidents, 7 PMs for NAM Summit,” was the headline to a story on the summit on the official Fars news agency on Saturday. The headline left out perhaps the most prized participant – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The report said that in all 100 states have announced their participation at different levels. There are some 120 countries in the movement.
One Israeli government official lamented that the summit in Tehran gives the Iranian regime a chance to “showcase that it is not isolated, to say there is no serous diplomatic pressure, and to give the regime a chance to show its own people it has friends and allies.”
http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=282669
“Plot to Provoke War With Iran Thwarted By Navy Analyst”
Fascinating account regarding the neocon conspiracy to set up war with Iran.
http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/266-32/13127-focus-plot-to-provoke-war-with-iran-thwarted-by-navy-analyst
Unknown Unknowns says: August 26, 2012 at 5:54 am
“What if the observer countries to NAM, such as China and Brazil and Mexico and the Ukraine joined NAM, and Russia applied for and was given membership, and they all seceded from the United Nations, leaving the barbaric rogue states of the “International Community”, that is, NATO, with the dictatorial security council to dictate to its own, and the NAM with the administrative instrument of a democratic forum to bring about “Lasting Peace through Joint Global Governance”. And what if it happened in the next three years of Iran’s presidency of NAM? Elahi ameen.”
—
In a recent NIAC message, Trita Parsi observed that Iranians are not accustomed to the role of immigrants; their experience as an immigrant community in the US is relatively new.
How about the converse:
If Iran becomes the locus of “Lasting Peace through Joint Global Governance,” is Iran prepared to welcome the many refugees from destabilized western nations — like USA– who seek a haven of peace?
Don Bacon,
you are probably aware of Jeff Feltman’s many contributions to Pieces in our Time, but just for the record –
Feltman’s diplomatic career:
-1991 to 1993, Feltman served as a special assistant to Deputy Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger, . . .coordinating U.S. assistance to Eastern and Central Europe. studies Arabic at University of Jordan
-1995, begins three-year tour at the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, covering economic issues in the Gaza Strip
-1998-2000, chief of the political and economic section at the U.S. Embassy in Tunisia
-2000-2001 – special assistant on peace process issues to Ambassador Martin Indyk at Embassy in Tel Aviv
-August 2001 – December 2003 – U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem, first, as deputy and then as acting principal.
-January to April 2004 – volunteered to serve at the Coalition Provisional Authority office in Irbil, Iraq
-July 2004 – January 2008 – United States Ambassador to Lebanon
Feltman’s tenure in Lebanon was marked with controversy from the time he arrived until his his departure — when his convoy was bombed, killing several– and beyond. He was accused of partisan interference in Lebanon’s affairs. During his tenure, Rafik Hariri was assassinated on Feb 14, 2005, triggering a mass protest a week later that US embassy in Lebanon officials suggested be called the “Cedar Revolution” rather than an intifada. The revolution persisted for about a month,
http www dot nowlebanon com/Sub.aspx?ID=169&MID=26&PID=25&FParentID=23&FFParentID=3
until “February 28, 2005 [when] the government of Prime Minister Omar Karami collapsed under pressure brought on by the Cedar Revolution protests. The month-long campaign culminated in a massive turnout of over one million on March 14 in response to the pro-Syrian rally of March 8. The March 14 demonstration – the largest ever held in Lebanon – persuaded Syria to announce that it would withdraw the remaining 14,000 troops out of Lebanon.”
On April 26 2005, Syrian troops who had been in Lebanon since 1976, bid “So long” to their Lebanese billet. http www dot nytimes dot com/2005/04/26/world/africa/26iht-web.0426syria dot html
On July 12, 2006, Israel began a ground invasion of Lebanon; the next day, Israel imposed a naval blockade on Lebanon which it maintained until Sept 8, 2006. Israel’s military assault on Lebanon was ended with a UN-brokered cease fire on Aug 14, 2006.
During that assault, leaked cables revealed that
“[Lebanese parliament] speaker Nabih Berri suggested the conflict was an opportunity to deal a serious blow to the Iranian- and Syrian-backed group. “Berri condemned the ferocity of Israel’s military response but admitted that a successful Israeli campaign against Hezbollah would be an excellent way to destroy Hezbollah’s military aspirations and discredit their political ambitions;” read the cable, filed by former US ambassador to Lebanon Jeffrey Feltman.” http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/09/05/leaked-cable-lebanon-speaker-pleased-with-2006-israel-raids/
Feltman concurred with then-secretary of state Condi Rice in celebrating the “birth pangs of the new Middle East.” :http www dot informationclearinghouse dot info/article14146 dot htm
-For the first three weeks of 2008 (the closing weeks of Bush administration), Feltman served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Office of Near Eastern Affairs
Occupying his down-time, on Feb 1, 2008 Feltman testified before the U S State Department Commission on International Religious Freedom, sitting to discuss impairments of religious liberties in Iran. http www dot uscirf dot gov/countries /2092.html?task=view
Of particular interest to me were two of Feltman’s responses to questions from the panel. First, Feltman stated in his prepared remarks that
“Jews in Iran frequently face official discrimination. Anti-Semitic government statements, conferences, media programming, books, and other publications – blurring the lines between Judaism and Zionism – are commonplace and fosters a hostile atmosphere for Jews. Two synagogues in the country were attacked,”
Then, Committee member Preeta Bansall addressed this question to Feltman:
You mentioned Iran’s role in terms of, I think you called it a leading state sponsor of terrorism around the world including Lebanon, Iraq, Palestine, and Israel. And I wondered, has the State Department or the United States government engaged in any analyses of educational materials that are taught within Iran. This is a problem, obviously, in terms of Saudi Arabia. You mentioned anti-Semitism and some of the other problems within Iran.
To your knowledge, has the State Department looked at any of the educational curricula both within Iran and maybe insofar as it might be sending some of that outside?”
To which Feltman responded: “Madame Vice Chairman, I will admit that I’m not right now, today, aware of the answer to the question. I will note that we do have – that we do not have great statistics on things like anti-Semitism in Iran.”
In other words, Feltman’s earlier testimony that Jews in Iran face discrimination and that antisemitism is “commonplace” was, apparently, based on something other than solid information.
Feltman continued, addressing Bonsal’s query about what Iranians teach their children:
“I expect the textbook curricula would be along the same category in part because it’s very difficult for us, for the scholars and the NGOs in Iran, to report back to us. There are certain dangers. So we have less visibility on some of the issues inside Iran than we would like and that we have in some of the other countries. But I will look into the question of textbooks.“
This last statement is, in my view, extremely important, for reasons that I will elaborate below the remainder of the Feltman chronology (or in a follow-up comment).
-December 2008 – named Acting Assistant Secretary of State for the Near East Bureau by Obama administration
-February 2009, State Department envoy to Syria along with White House aide Daniel Shapiro. http www dot washingtonpost dot com/politics/jeffrey-d-feltman/gIQAFKuy9O_topic.html
-Jan 4 2011 Tunisian flower seller Mahmoud Bouzazi self-immolation sets off street protests in Tunisia; Hillary Clinton sends Jeffrey Feltman to manage affairs.
-Jan 25 2011 “Key diplomat says U.S. approves of Tunisia ['Jasmine revolution'];
Jeffrey Feltman, assistant secretary of State for Near Eastern affairs, says Washington has offered Tunisia ‘whatever support is appropriate and requested’ in conducting a nationwide election.
http articles dot latimes dot com/2011/jan/25/world/la-fg-tunisia-envoy-20110126
-Jan 25 2011 Protests erupt in Egypt’s Tahrir Square; young Egyptians wary of Clinton, Feltman involvement. http mrzine dot monthlyreview dot org/2011/jahjah260111 dot html
-Feb 22 2011 “Libyan forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi are waging a bloody operation to keep him in power, with residents reporting gunfire in parts of the capital Tripoli and other cities, while other citizens, including the country’s former ambassador to India, are saying that warplanes were used to “bomb” protesters.” http www dot aljazeera dot com/news/africa/2011/02/201122261251456133 dot html
- Mar 15 2011 “Hundreds of Syrians have staged a rare protest in the capital, Damascus, calling for democratic reforms and the release of all political prisoners.
Six protesters were reportedly detained by the security forces, a witness told the BBC Arabic Service.
The AP news agency said government supporters later broke up the rally by punching and attacking the protesters.
A Facebook group, The Syrian revolution against [President] Bashar al-Assad 2011, is said to have called the march.” http www dot bbc dot co dot uk/news/world-middle-east-12749674
-May 23 2011 Feltman travels to Benghazi, Libya to meet with Transitional National Council (TNC)
http iipdigital dot usembassy dot gov/st/english/texttrans/2011/05/20110523105956su0.7835003 dot html#axzz24gOu4oeM
-Oct 20 2011 Qaddafi killed. http www dot bbc dot co dot uk/news/world-africa-15389550
-Oct 20 2011 Hillary Clinton reacts to Qaddafi’s death http cbsnews dot com/8301-503544_162-20123348-503544/clinton-on-qaddafi-we-came-we-saw-he-died/
Jeffrey Feltman’s children: Al-Qa`idah in Lebanon —
“May 22 2012: the US government has sponsored and cultivated (directly and indirectly through the Hariri camp in Lebanon under the umbrella of March 14 movement–dubbed “pro-Western” in the Western press) Sunni Salafite groups, including those with a Jihadi bent. In their eagerness to prop up rivals and opponents to Hizbullah, the US has midwifed the rise of various Salafite groups in the country. Some, of course, are parts of Al-Qa`idah. Of course, this won’t be the first time the US has done such a thing”
(recall that in a panel discussion three months earlier, Ephraim Sneh quite confidently told moderator Aaron David Miller that “the conflict in Syria will spill over into Lebanon.” However did he know? :http www dot c-spanvideo dot org/program/IsraelIra)
the sun is shining. gotta take a break.
fyi,
Once again you appear to argue that Iran can evade the current sanctions, and presumably evade further sanctions, and continue to stockpile? You talk of fantasies on the part of some foolish Americans. . . True. However, if you think Iran can stockpile to its heart’s content, you are wildly mistaken.
All:
Another step in the direction of explicit religious war:
http://forward.com/articles/161735/rabbi-prays-for-irans-elimination/
All:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/sunk/2012/08/21/96209788-cebd-11e1-aa14-708bac2c7ee9_story.html
[Note that this had nothing to do with 20% enrichment...]
great interview by the Real News Network
(link via a blog you should all be reading)
120-nam-countries-head-to-iran-despite
http://vineyardsaker.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/120-nam-countries-head-to-iran-despite.html
One of the many points in the interview was that Iran was *elected* to be the chair of the NAM – US coercive diplomacy notwithstanding. How’s that for a clear message?
Maybe Hilary Clinton should be fired for only managing to stop some countries from sending top-level delegations :)
btw does anyone know when the SL is addressing the conference?
fyi,
Russia and China made clear that they did not expect the sanctions to alter the behavior of Iran. They time and again said the sanctions were counter-productive. So, in fact they expected a continuing stand-off. But China pointedly earlier this year warned Iran against attemtping to close the Strait of Hormuz.
fyi,
Russia and China oppose Iran’s continuing enrichment to 20 percent. They would accept Iranian enrichment to 5% or lower. Why would you claim otherwise?
yemi,
I think the American Revolution was an unfortunate and unncessary civil war.
Are you claiming Iran must conti8nue to enrich to 20 and to stockpile more and more 20% U, to demonstrate it is a sovereign nation? I think it is obvious that defying the wishes of Russia, China, Germany, France, the UK and the US, for the sake of being defiant, is not in Iran’s best interests.
Unknown Unknowns says:
August 26, 2012 at 5:54 am
States are like thugs; cunning but not smart.
They cannot be herded into any form of collective governance – you can look at the history of so-called Crime Families in US, Italy, Spain or elsewhere to see that.
At any given moment, some of the thugs would be working to undermine the “Collective Structure of Governance”.
Furthermore, historically, Peace has had to be forged and maintained among states/thugs.
These episodes of peace have been predicated in a distributive system of tribuet and booty in which everyone got something.
But since the world is always in state of flux, change is inevitable and peace would require constant maintenance; ergo war.
That is yet another empirical evidence for the Fallen Nature of Man.
Be as it may, a global governance clubd, consisting of thugs, is the most dangerous delusion of mankind.
Once such a collective governance structure has been corrupted or otherwise hijacked by evil or unscrupulus men and women, there is no escape.
Best is the current system in which power is devolving from Big Thugs to small thugs.
Perhaps if all the small thugs arm themselves with WMD, then a sort of equilibrium of death can be established; any move against a thug will cause the belligerent to become cripple.
Sort of like some insects whose flesh becomes poisonous to predators.
Unknwon Unknowns,
Curiously enough, many of the neocon warmongers in the US would like the US to get out of the UN. And Israel attacks the UN fairly regularly.
Gives a bit of background on the NAM…
http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=8736
Unknown Unknowns says:
August 26, 2012 at 1:12 am
The state of affairs will continue in the mess that it is in now until the Sunnis ally themselves with their Shi’a brothers against the Wahhabi/ Salafi takfiris
It is already happening in the Latika Province and especially in Allepo, do not dispair, the awakeing is in full momentum ( i mean the Ninth wave). It is now the turn of the weather to destroy what it considers the street bully.
My hearts bleeds for you Syrians but at the end you will have contributed to a world much more
in harmony.
What if the observer countries to NAM, such as China and Brazil and Mexico and the Ukraine joined NAM, and Russia applied for and was given membership, and they all seceded from the United Nations, leaving the barbaric rogue states of the “International Community”, that is, NATO, with the dictatorial security council to dictate to its own, and the NAM with the administrative instrument of a democratic forum to bring about “Lasting Peace through Joint Global Governance”. And what if it happened in the next three years of Iran’s presidency of NAM? Elahi ameen.
James Canning says:
August 25, 2012 at 6:55 pm
Mr JC, i am so concerned about the type or class of friend you are to Iran.
A friend of Iran ,just like you who wants Iran to lose her sovereignty and rights because of false allegations and western pressure.
I tend not to understand you at all many a times.
I want you to know that you can never have peace being a slave.
Why did USA kicked the British Empire out of there land not peacefully? Because, they were just like a slave to their master and they needed full rights, freedom and Sovereignty.
As you can see in Africa and other parts of the world, being a slave hinders progress and development. Till today Africa is still a modern slave to the westerners because they cannot even resist these criminals an iota.
As long as Iran fights for her freedom and sovereignty on this logical ground they are pursuing, in the long run they win everything.
And be reminded that if losing rights and Sovereignty to un-peaceful westerners to achieving peaceful solution is what you are advocating for, you are seriously getting it wrong, because you cannot achieve peace without freedom, rights and Sovereignty.
And i will like to say that your notorious 20%U enrichment issue of Iran is no issue at all because it is their right and every other country’s right likewise and taking this right from them they become slave.
Thanks.
Humanist – off hand, assuming i know what you mean… no, but if I think of one I’ll let you know.
BibiJon asks her President to “sign the deal preempting US credibility and leadership being flushed down a toilet.”
I’m sorry to have to be the one to break it to you, Bibi Khanum, but the *only* reason he is “POTUS”, as they say, is that he is a whore of demonstrated reliability. Your country does not produce statesmen anymore, Bibi Khanum; and if it does, those who have kidnapped it will ensure that he or she will meet an untimely death in short order- before you can say Paul Wellstone, in fact.
There is a war going on, and it is between the evil minority that has taken over the West and their evil minority whom they have ensconced in the Islamic heartland, and the good but mainly dormant majority in both. The state of affairs will continue in the mess that it is in now until the Sunnis ally themselves with their Shi’a brothers against the Wahhabi/ Salafi takfiris (as opposed to the other way around), and until the enlightened left in the West fully and unambiguously allies itself with the indigenous and authentic (as opposed to CIA-inspired) forces and movements in the Middle East, as opposed to complaining about the NeoLibCon disaster but failing to defend even basic sovereignty rights of an autonomous nation such as Iran.
We have done our part and continue the struggle in the ditches of the front lines, and we await the arrival of supplies and reinforcements and materiel and personnel both from our Sunni brethren and from our enlightened brothers and sisters in the West, who by and large share our values of equity and justice and whom we consider to be our kindred in spirit. The atrocities which are carried out in the Middle East are aided and abetted by your tax dollars, under the watchful supervision of a whore who crossed over to the dark side when he was recruited by his Harvard professor Zbig back in the day. The situation is far more dire than asking this harlot to send his handler to sue for peace. It is a cosmic war against his handler’s controllers and the straight-evil system of human enslavement which they have set up.
Irshad says:
August 25, 2012 at 7:45 pm
1. Yes.
2- None by Iran
3- They use both – given the shorter half-life of plutonium, it is harder to maintain as a bomb core – on the other hand, its higher denity makes it smaller.
4- In applicable – Iran is also building a plutonium-producing reactor in Arak
BiBiJon says:
August 25, 2012 at 2:51 pm
China, US, EU, India, and Russia all agreed among themselves that Iran should have no domestic nuclear enrichment.
They used IAEA as a disarmament agency to reach that goal and when that failed they went to UNSC and took the sanctions route.
When that failed to break Iranians’ will to resist, the Axis Powers started using the Iranian nuclear file to destroy the Islamic Republic. At that point, the Russians and the Chinese parted company with US and EU; sometime in late 2010.
Russia definitely had harmed Iran by agreeing to the UNSC sanctions for a price; clearly neither the Russian leaders nor the Chinese nor the Indians expected a prolonged standoff.
Iranains also repeatedly rejected Iran-specific obligations beyond NPT.
My sense of this is that at some point Iranian leaders told Russians that they either finish and deploy Bushehr reactor or else Iran will withdraw from NPT.
I also suspect that No=bligation-beyond-NPT has been conveyed to P5+1 and has been rejected by them.
The UNSC sanctions against Iran together with US an EU sanctions will remain “on the books” for many decades until they become worthless.
The world changed in 1991, and again in 2011; this second one being what saved Iran.
humanist says:
August 25, 2012 at 4:24 pm
Take a book surveying Roman, Ghaznavi, and Ottoman histories and you will see that nothing has changed.
Look at the history of India between 1875 to 1900 – 3 major famines in which the English rulers of India hastened the death of millions by their policies. Among them Elgin, Strachey, and Curzon; literally worse than Buchenwald. And all the time, during that 25-year period, they made sure England profited.
The chief difference between Americans and these others is this: Americans Imperial project is not necessitated by domestic poverty and the desire for plunder – its actually enabled by domestic wealth in search of a Fantasy world.
The Islamic Repbublic has its own “operational mechanism” on Syria–
from China.org.cn:
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said Saturday that Iran will present a ” comprehensive” proposal to solve Syrian crisis and it will be discussed on the sidelines of the 16th Non-aligned Movement (NAM) meeting to be opened in Tehran on Aug. 26.
On Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi said that the Islamic republic would present an “acceptable and rational” proposal on Syria crisis at the upcoming NAM summit. “We believe that the proposal is acceptable, rational and principled and will include all parties involved in Syrian issues, ” Salehi said, adding that “it will be very difficult to oppose it.”
Head of Iranian Majlis (Parliament) National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, set foot in the Syrian capital Saturday in a two-day visit, during which he will meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and other members of the Syrian government. Boroujerdi told reporters that Syrian Prime Minister Wael Halki will take part in the upcoming NAM summit in Tehran.
Boroujerdi expressed optimism and said that “soon we will see a solution to the current problems.”
http://www.china.org.cn/world/2012-08/26/content_26335550.htm
@ BiBiJon
I like your “roar of approval” piece and I hope to see it come true. It’s visionary. It might readily work if Obama were a man of character, instead of simply a character. It might work anyhow despite his weakness of character and the customary US disapproval of taking orders from world organizations (it only works the other way).
I expect that it will be an historic occasion, especially for Washington, no matter what actions might result from it. Iran will no longer be “isolated” which has been a major policy contention, and the UNSC is no longer “the world.” Also the US media will have their work cut out, spinning it, while Netanyahu just spins. Wonderful.
A question for all:
1. Is highly enriched uranium used to build a nuke?
2. If yes, how many nukes have been built using HEU?
3. Do any of the nuke weapon states use HEU to build nukes or do they use plutonium?
4. If no to 3, is Iran been rash/stupid to follow the uranium route, rather then the plutonium route to a nuke (lets assume she wants a nuke)?
Thank you
BiBiJon,
I regard muyself as a friend of Iran. A friend aware that other “friends” of Iran encourage Iran to make mistakes.
BiBiJon says: August 25, 2012 at 2:51 pm
Dan Joyner sounded an optimistic note about Mousavian’s proposal, but Cyrus Safdari brought him back to reality with the observation that in 2004 Iran made substantially the same proposals. Quoth Safdari: “This and other Iranian compromise offers were ignored by the US because ultimately the issue is not really about the “Iranian nuclear threat” — that’s just a pretext, just as “WMDs in Iraq” was just a pretext cooked up to justify a war. The last thing the US wants is to resolve this standoff peacefully whilst leaving the regime in place in Iran.”
So the new US trained military leader i Egypt call Israel for collaboration against terrorism.
Official: Egypt tells Israel tanks needed in Sinai
http://www.news.yahoo.com/official-egypt-tells-israel-tanks-needed-sinai-213619593.html
Dear White House:
In a short time Iran will propose to the 120 nations gathered in Tehran that she is willing to suspend 20% enrichment, adopt zero stockpile policy, and sign up to the additional protocol. In return Iran will ask that her rights under NPT be respected.
This announcement will be met by a roar of approval from delegates representing the majority of the world. Countries from Africa, the Americas, Europe and Asia, Muslim, Hindu, and Christian will be staring at your Nobel Laureateness, Pres. Obama, for a response.
Think hard, and–given shortness of time– think fast. Send Kissinger and Brzezinski to Tehran; sign the deal preempting US credibility and leadership being flushed down a toilet.
One final irony
===============
is that when the Cold War between the US and Soviet superpowers ended 20 years ago, some analysts believed that the Non-Aligned Movement would become redundant, an organization no longer with purpose. Two decades on, the NAM is rising to the occasion with more relevance than ever and is perhaps realizing its true moment of merit for the cause of world peace and solidarity.
From http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=32473
fyi,
Thank you for your info on segments of history relevant to my commentary.
What I had in mind was to outline the arrogance, immorality and criminality related to actions such as regime change, covert and overt intervention in affairs of other countries and so on. These are supreme crimes but the sheeple, especially in the West, are indoctrinated to perceive them as common routines.
Also I tried to describe my amateurish understanding of why US treats different countries differently, ignoring their moral or criminal standing on the world scene. I am aware this is complex subject and I hardly scratched its surface.
Castellio,
Do you know of any [new] book written with Howard Zinn’s detailed style on post WWII US Foreign Policy?
Oh jeebus!! Feltman going to Tehran!
aaaaaggggghhhhhhh
@ Castellio
“Are you completely new to Feltman’s history or are you being sarcastic?”
I know nothing of Feltman’s history. I’m evaluating what he said recently at the UN. Something wrong with that?
@BiBiJon
“they could simply expel the IAEA inspectors and make the dash”
I’ll kick myself for bringing this up (you know why) but the principal difference between 5U and 20U, it seems to me, is the number of months it would take Iran to further enrich its uranium, build (assuming it has the designs) and test (essential) a nuclear warhead and then produce more such warheads assuming the design passes the test. So is it seven months (5U) or six months (20U)? Twelve months or ten months? Big whoop.
So much for “the dash.” We can assume that the US & friends will not be sitting idly by while all this happens, whether it be 5U or 20U. (I’m already feeling pangs of regret.)
Don Bacon writes: “To Feltman’s credit, he sounds better than average on I/P.”
Are you completely new to Feltman’s history or are you being sarcastic?
Marveling at WaPo’s David Ignatious’ logic
=========================================
Mousavian also notes Iran’s willingness to allow much wider inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) into what are known as “possible military dimensions” of the Iranian nuclear program. This transparency proposal would allow the IAEA to monitor any possible breakout, but U.S. officials caution that, if the Iranians decided to go for a bomb, they could simply expel the IAEA inspectors and make the dash.
From http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/david-ignatius-seeking-to-cool-war-fever-over-iran/2012/08/21/ab6f110c-ebcb-11e1-9ddc-340d5efb1e9c_story.html
Isn’t expelling the IAEA inspectors the first sign of a possible breakout? Just asking.
James Canning says:
August 25, 2012 at 1:08 pm
“Bear in mind that you are one of those who encourage Iran to make it easier for enemies of Iran to claim Iran has a nuclear weapons programme.”
While bearing that in mind, forever, any chance that you, and the enemies of Iran drop dead from natural causes? Just wondering.
This is interesting. The UN has banned the export of nuclear-related materials to Iran and also banned the export of conventional military materiel to Iran, but now the UN claims that Iran is banned from exporting military materiel as well.
I don’t think so. (I’m open to correction.) I believe the situation is rather that the US and its puppets don’t recognize any earthly limits to their sanctions binge, even though such foolishness has accelerated Iran’s nuclear program.
Aug 22, 2012 — The U.N.’s political chief Jeffrey Feltman said Iran’s delivery of weapons to the Syrian government was an apparent violation of U.N. sanctions banning arms exports by Tehran. He raised the issue in Wednesday’s monthly Mideast briefing to the U.N. Security Council.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/UN-says-Iran-arms-to-Syria-violate-UN-sanctions-3798926.php#page-2
Jeffrey Feltman recently left Clinton’s State Department to [its UN branch, er] become the new UN Under Secretary General for Political Affairs. Reportedly Feltman will accompany UNSG Ban Ki-moon to Tehran as his US minder. Hey, let’s be optimistic, perhaps Clinton wants a legacy event before she departs State this year. (Any accomplishment with Iran would make a total of one.)
To Feltman’s credit, he sounds better than average on I/P.
“We are concerned that we have not yet seen the progress required for sustained negotiations that could lead to successful outcomes,. . .We continue to be concerned by the ongoing policy of demolitions and forced evictions implemented by the Israeli authorities in Area C and East Jerusalem,” he stated, adding that he was also concerned by the continuous restrictions imposed by the Israeli authorities on humanitarian assistance provided to those Palestinians affected by the demolitions of their homes. Nevertheless, the Under-Secretary-General emphasized that the primary path forward to resolving the continuing regional impasse remained the two-state solution.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=42724&Cr=Palestin&Cr1=
fyi,
You think the IAEA is trying to “disarm” Iran? I would agree there may be an effort to get spies into Parchin, but surely the IAEA does not seek “disarmament” on the part of Iran.
“Saudi prince to represent Riyadh in Tehran NAM summit”
http://www.presstv.com/detail/2012/08/25/258099/saudi-prince-to-attend-nam-summit/
BiBiJon,
Bear in mind that you are one of those who encourage Iran to make it easier for enemies of Iran to claim Iran has a nuclear weapons programme.
Unknown Unknowns,
From what country would come the Muslim armies that in your view will conquer Israel and achieve the relocation of the Jews to other countries?
Don Bacon,
The Washington Post should draw a distinction between Iran’s enriching to 20, and Iran’s enriching to 5% or lower. But it does not do so. Why? Israel demands that Iran stop all enrichment. I think the Washington Post would prefer the American people not comprehend the degree to which Israel undermines their national security.
Don Bacon,
China loses from higher oil prices. Russia benefits. Both countries want Iran to stop enriching to 20.
Proposal: No-flies zone around certain mouths
============================================
Don Bacon says @ August 25, 2012 at 10:53 am “There’s a lot of talk about a no-fly zone in Syria”
Billary, and Davutoğlu attract an awful lot of Scathophagidae because of the nature of things they spout. Purely for hygienic reasons can the UNSC consider imposing a no-flies zone in their immediate vicinity?
Speaking of delivering the party line, nobody does it better for every new US war that the Washington Post. They do have a way with words, I admit. Here’s WaPo’s most recent fable complete with pure verbal artistry including “passing strange . . .thumbs its nose . .festival of resistance . . .end their quest for nuclear weapons.” And of course that old, dependable chestnut: “wipe Israel off the map.” Can’t forget that one. It’s all baloney, but better-written US propaganda one won’t find anywhere. The New York Times must strain to keep up.
The Post’s View[sic]
U.N. chief should boycott Tehran conference
By Editorial Board, (excerpts)
. . .All of which makes it passing strange that Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations Secretary General, might appear in Tehran to attend the conference of the Non-Aligned Movement, which opens Aug. 26. Already, the street lamps are being painted and hotels prepared for the arrival of heads of state as the Islamic republic thumbs its nose at Western sanctions and isolation.
The conference promises to be a festival of resistance to the United States, the United Nations Security Council and Israel. Nuclear weapons? Iran has signaled plans to use the conference to defend its right to enrich uranium, which it claims is for peaceful purposes. Sanctions? Iran is busy repainting tankers in the Persian Gulf to evade restrictions on oil exports, concealing money transfers and importing illicit materials for its nuclear program through third countries.
Perhaps Mr. Ban entertains a hope that he can single-handedly persuade Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to end their quest for nuclear weapons.
More likely, Mr. Ban will be forced to endure public lectures from the Iranian leaders about their right to enrich uranium, and rants threatening to wipe Israel off the map.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/ban-ki-moon-shouldnt-waste-time-on-tehran-conference/2012/08/14/362878f6-e64f-11e1-8741-940e3f6dbf48_story.html
Bussed-in Basiji,
I did not know that about Shariatmadari. It is exactly that kind of brutality that is going on in the dungeons of the House N!@@#&s, as in the House of Saud, the House of Khalifa, and the House of Sabbah, while their master, the House of Rothschild, smiles and nods at them to carry on.
I have tried several times to post a site that I think shares important information on Iraq today and its current oil situation, but every time I do my message is mechanically disallowed.
So, I will not post the url, but will tell you that a recent article by Greg Muttitt over at tomdispatch dot com, dated August 23, is well worth reading.
@BiBiJon
Not only does PBS (like other media) present falsehoods, it also doesn’t present the other sides of the issue. Only the US side. But that’s nothing new, which is why fora like this are valuable and why the Leveretts are patriots.
from Norman Solomon:
Dan Rather, an iconic US journalist: “Look I’m an American. I never tried to kid anybody that I’m some internationalist or something. And when my country is at war, I want my country to win, whatever the definition of ‘win’ might be. Now, I can’t and don’t argue that that is coverage without prejudice. About that I am prejudiced.” So Dan brought us through the criminal war against Vietnam and the Nixon presidency. — from Norman Solomon’s “War Made Easy” — How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death.
The simple fact is that if PBS and other media talking heads don’t deliver the party line they are out of a job. Gone. Dismissed. Fired. It’s in the book.
The Sixteenth Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) will open in Tehran on Thursday 30 August 2012. A provisional list of delegates and other participants will be distributed at the beginning of the Senior Officials meeting. This list will be issued on the basis of the registration forms received by the Secretariat of the host country, prior to the beginning of the meeting up to 16:00 on Saturday, 25 August 2012.
Honorable Heads of States and Foreign Ministers are encouraged to limit their interventions to approximately 700 words (a statement of a maximum of seven minutes) in such discussions.
Statements might focus on the theme of “Lasting Peace through Joint Global Governance”. Delegates may opt for group or regional statements, in lieu of individual statements.
http://www.nam.gov.ir/Portal/Home/Default.aspx?CategoryID=aeca0e23-61d5-4889-841d-09ba76bb0356
[I'm told that Iran considered the theme of “Lasting War through US Global Governance” but discarded it.]
correction:
…will be there looking them in their eyes…
I just finished watching Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven, in which the foolishness of the NeoCons of their day lost Jerusalem to Salaheddin. Whereas I thought it unlikely, I do believe now that this war is probable, and that in the event, al-Qods shall be liberated, inshallah.
Let the final battle scene where the King of Jerusalem sues for peace terms with Salaheddin be a lesson to the West. In other words, unlike Salaheddin’s Christian’s counterparts who slaughtered every man, woman and child when they conquered al-Qods, we, like Salaheddin, inshallah, shall give the Jews quarter, but not on their thieving and racist terms. Which will amount to the same thing in practice as Salaheddin’s terms, which was safe passage to Christian lands, because none of these colonists will want to hang around the outpost when they can’t lord it over the natives, and when the land and property they stole is given back to their rightful owners, and when the millions of people whose rightful return they had prevented, will be their looking them in their eyes every day, shaming them for the grotesqueness of their crimes against humanity.
Elahi ameen.
P.S. PBS News Hour last night
============================
Note to PBS:
———–
That Iran’s is a “nuclear weapons program” because it walks and quacks like one is Bibi Netaniyahu’s line. POTUS however, regards embarking on, let alone “expanding a nuclear weapons program” as a RED LINE, which puts the US and Iran at indefinite peace seeing as IRI, guided by her SL’s religiously binding decree has no intention of crossing any red lines. This perpetual peace is a source of perpetual annoyance for Israel.
I am not without sympathy. If US Congress gives apartheid pipsqueak’s prime minister more standing ovations than any living or dead POTUS, then hey what is Compress-funded, Zionist financed PBS to do? With luck this will be PBS’ wining line of defense at the International court for high crimes against humanity, and Woodruff won’t have to spend the rest of her days in a cell consumed with self-disgust.
Note on propaganda
—————–
Just like a freshly planted seed, all else you need is pure water and occasional application of manure. So yes, PBS plants the seed — introduces the segment as a “nuclear weapons program”, the rest of the discussion can be as pure as water interspersed with bits of horse shit, and the tree of falsehood will grow in the viewers’ hapless minds.
There’s a lot of talk about a no-fly zone in Syria and air attack on Iran. The modern jet fighters that might be used have many kinds of electronic devices that help them avoid all conventional air defenses. Is there any foolproof defense against such illegal attacks?
An interesting new possibility for air defense is electromagnetic pulse (EMP) technology. An electromagnetic pulse (sometimes abbreviated EMP) is a burst of electromagnetic radiation. Traditionally it has come from a nuclear explosion, but new technology allows it to be delivered by a missile.
Remember the F-4 Turk air force Phantom that was downed in Syrian airspace in June? news reports: When the plane was retrieved from the sea there was no evidence that it was shot down by an anti-aircraft or other types of missiles. No holes, no chemicals, no nothing.
Masum Türker, chairman of Turkey’s Democratic Left Party (DSP), has claimed that it was a Russian warship, and not Syria, that shot down a Turkish aircraft over the Mediterranean on June 22. According to Türker, the Turkish jet was downed by a new-generation electromagnetic missile shot from one of the Russian warships which was in the region at the time of the incident. “New-generation missiles do not explode, but block the electronic systems,” Türker told Today’s Zaman in an exclusive interview.
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-289198-dsp-leader-russia-downed-jet-with-new-generation-missile.html
Remember the stranding and fire aboard the cruise ship Carnival Splendor back in Nov 2010? Dec 11, 2010 — Carnival Splendor stranding baffles marine experts — Marine experts are questioning whether there was a design flaw in the Carnival Splendor cruise ship, which lost power after an engine fire and was towed to San Diego on Thursday with nearly 4,500 people aboard.– Clark Dodge, former chief engineer for Washington State Ferries, said large passenger vessels are designed to ensure that such a fire doesn’t cause a loss of all power. . .”What happened makes no sense to me,” said Dodge, a consultant. “If things were designed properly, all the power shouldn’t have gone out.” . .Dodge said he’s confident that Coast Guard and NTSB investigators will pinpoint what went wrong.
http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/2010-11-12-cruise-inside_N.htm
It’s a huge ship, I’ve seen it at dock in Long Beach. I stayed at the Queen Mary “hotel” docked nearby, and the Splendor dwarfed the Mary. Did the Coast Guard figure out how this huge ship lost all its power? Nope, it merely chastized Carnival for some bad procedures and for fire negligence.
http://www.examiner.com/article/coast-guard-blasts-carnival-splendor-for-fire-negligence
Then there’s this. Nov 10, 2010 — A new report circulating in the Kremlin today prepared for Prime Minister Putin by Director Anatoly Perminov of the Russian Federal Space Agency states that an Arkon-1 military satellite monitoring the western coastal regions of North America detected an “EMP anomalous event” occurring on November 8th at 0600 Pacific Standard Time (-8 hours GMT) that bore the “direct signature” of a YJ-62 subsonic anti-ship missile fired from a Chinese People’s Liberation Navy Type 041 submarine (NATO code name Yuan-Class) known to be patrolling approximately 200 kilometers off United States coast.
The “immediate effect” of the Chinese Navy’s firing of their EMP missile, this report continues, was the “catastrophic crippling” of the US based cruise ship Carnival Splendor that stranded its nearly 4,500 passengers and crew in a “dead in the water” boat and prompting the Americans to send the US Navy’s Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier, warplanes, and supply aircraft to protect it from further attack after all of its electronic systems were destroyed.
http://www.whatdoesitmean.com/index1421.htm
opinion (h/t Alexander):
Some of the dual-purpose technology Iran are being suspected about are probably part of advanced EMP research, and there is probably some cooperation with Russia on EMP device development. Taking out civilian technology with EMP has reached a point of highly useful applications, even strictly military western technology is probably not hardened sufficiently to not be susceptible to a run-of-the-mill EMP device.
Again, remember all those modern jet fighters that might be used have many kinds of electronic devices that help them to fly and to avoid all conventional air defenses. But they couldn’t avoid EMP munitions which would fry everything electronic in every attacking plane and bring them down. The F-4 didn’t avoid it, and two pilots lost their lives. And ships are vulnerable, too, like the two aircraft carriers hovering around Iran all the time.
A concerned world citizen says:
August 25, 2012 at 4:02 am
IAEA is not a disarmament agency,
It is exceeding its mandates.
It is illegal.
Iran should continue ignoring it; she can never satisfy IAEA unless and until she gives up her sovereign rights.
Well, let US, EU, Israel and others have the decency to go to war to do so.
test
The new Iran quarterly report is not yet up on the IAEA websire (as usual).
http://www.iaea.org/newscenter/focus/iaeairan/iaea_reports.shtml
Rd. says:
August 24, 2012 at 7:57 pm
“On the occasion of ‘Yellow: Journalism’ PBS News hour (PBS Yellow Hour) just had a segment on “New Evidence of Underground Centrifuges in Iran”
No coverage on their web site yet?!?!??! Must have been a last minute propaganda piece to try and take the spot light from the NAM meeting in Tehran!!!”
————
It is now on their Website. The News Hour began with its usual summary of reports which began with Judy Woodruff saying:
“New evidence surfaced today that Iran may be accelerating its nuclear weapons program.”
Then Judy introduces the segment thus:
“New concerns were raised today that Iran is expanding its nuclear weapons research and fuel production ….” http://www.pbs.org/newshour/video/index.html
Fairly unambiguous so far. According to PBS it is a nuclear weapons program, and it is expanding. But the yellow journalists that they are, the actual segment is summarized on the PBS website as:
“Reports of Iran’s Nuclear Progress Aggravate Tensions Between Tehran and West”
“With Iran pushing ahead with its nuclear program in spite of economic sanctions and diplomatic efforts, regional actors and the West are at a stalemate. Margaret Warner talks to Leonard Spector of the Monterey Institute of International Studies about the tensions between Iran, Israel and other key players.”
Wow. Now it is a “nuclear program” not a “nuclear weapons program” as it was introduced on the air by Judy Woodruff.
The rest of the segment is a yellow, one-sided assessment of Yukiya Amano’s leaks, and the apartheid pipsqueak’s supposed concerns and allegedly real fantods.
PBS gets Leonard Spector to have a field day with the field all to himself to insinuate, and suggest and brainwash at will with no Robert Kerry to tell him how ridiculous the charges are.
Consensus on such matters are engineered by a small vociferous group who through repetition shouted at an ill-informed and largely disinterested public create a widely held but false opinion. Then News Hour deliberates on what key phrases to use and they hide behind the fact that a consensus opinion exists among a majority of their viewers and therefore they’d better cut the (nuance) crap and call it a “weapons program,” and not bother give largely disinterested viewers a headache by any mention of contradicting information.
I’ve come to appreciate this engineered consensus view. As I have come to appreciate James Canning’s contributions to the same. It makes the NECON virus’ host, the US appear irresolute, indecisive, and utterly incompetent. I hope that a proud America will eject the neocons whose impractical maximalists’ positions based on preposterously jaundiced views of ‘others’ is destroying American credibility in the world.
UU,
Slight correction: this hageer echoes their sentiments :-)
When Aghaye Shariatmadari was imprisoned by SAVAK, one of the ways they tortured him was they kicked him in the mouth so much that all his teeth were either knocked out or broke. For the dozen or so broken teeth left in his mouth, they then sent the “dentist” who informed him that he is only allowed to pull one broken tooth per month. And so it happened for months- one broken tooth per month- until he pulled out all broken teeth.
Empty,
The Israeli soldiers were not hallucinating.
Karim-jane azize golam,
You have no clue about war. Unless you were a soldier fighting in the war, you don’t understand war. So let’s be clear azizam, were you a soldier in the war?
Anyone like the dear defense minister who was in the war, saw hundreds of miracles every single day. Don’t worry azizam we’ll take care of it when the war starts, while you can go apply for the Canadian visa (Canadian embassy: corner of Kh. Shahidan Sarafraz and Kh. Shahid Motahhari). No, really please, it will be our pleasure.
fyi,
Slight correction: first you win the war in your heart, then this manifests itself in the physical dunya.
As the Holy Quran says in the context of jihad: “…He sent down sakinah to the hearts of the believers so they can add iman to their iman…”
James,
Iran will win the war against the US and Israel if they start it.
In the case of the Zionists, winning means making the occupied territories unviable for as many Zionist settlers as possible. The Israelis themselves say that Iran’s POSSESSION of a nuclear weapon- not its USE- is enough to end the Zionist project. So it will not take what you suggest to end that project.
Winning in terms of the US means raising the long-term political, financial and human cost of US military action/presence to a level that is not sustainable in the long run. And remember we have a very long “long-run”. We mourn every year for the martyrdom of our beloved Imam (as) 1,400 years ago. We’re in it for the “long-run”.
Also, the US will use whatever excuse it wants if it wants to attack. Our actions have very little effect on that. Got that? Should I repeat that? As the SL said: if (the excuse) it’s not nuclear energy, it’s human rights and if it’s not human rights it will be animal rights.
Was that clear and interesting enough for you?
RE: Are you serious? Did you even watch the video (I assume that you understand Farsi). If not, this is exactly what he said: “In the war with Hezbollah, Israeli soldiers were running away from the front. When their commanding officers asked them why they are running way, they said that on the battle field they saw white figures riding horses and attacking them with swords. No matter how much they shot at them with machine guns, they kept coming and would not die. Israeli soldiers were begging their commanding officers not send them back to the front.”
How did it become the Iranian’s fault that the Israeli soldiers were hallucinating? As for the video, all you can state is whether or not such exchange happened between the Israeli soldiers and their commanding officers. That’s it.
RE: I was in Iran during Iran-Iraq war
Fish swim in oceans. That doesn’t make them marine biologists.
Further to the esteemed Bussed-in Basiji’s comments to the Gavner, no less a personality than Seyyed Hasan Nasrallah and Hossein Shariatmadari echo his sentiments (from the latter’s editorial, linked earlier)”
Israel’s recent rhetoric of war is psychological warfare. If not, then the Zionist regime is in for a shock, because it will unintentionally make Iran’s dream come true – a dream also shared by other Muslims. Hezbollah Leader Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah talked about this dream in an address on the international Al Quds Day.
He said: “A Zionist military strike on Iran will end Iran’s 32 years of waiting to destroy Israel once and for all. It’s a golden opportunity that Tel Aviv will unwittingly give Iran after 32 years.”
It was also interesting to read this little factoid in the same editorial:
“Just for the record, at least 1.5 million Jewish settlers hold dual nationality. They spend most of the year in the US and Europe – their real homes. They only spend one or two months maximum in the occupied Palestine. The regime bans African and Asian Jews from having dual nationality. If the ban is lifted, at least two million settlers will leave the occupied Palestine as well.”
I guess there are White Jews and Sand Jews too. Well, that’s not surprising, considering the fact that the 5,000 or so Jews for whom Palestine actually was their ancestral homeland (living as a small minority unmolested by Moslems through the centuries) are treated as third-class citizens or as `kushi masriach’.
God: why couldn’t I be a citizen of the only democracy in the Middle East? Its not fair!
Rd.
No coverage on their web site yet?!?!??! Must have been a last minute propaganda piece to try and take the spot light from the NAM meeting in Tehran!!!
Spot on…The timing of this “new nothing” hysteria from the IAEA and the western msm is just shameful.A classic case of sour grapes.They’ve timed it to coincide with the NAM conference in order to take away people’s attention from the fact that there’s over 100 countries from the REAL international community, meeting in Tehran to discuss global issues.So much for their “Iran’s isolated” meme.
So they had to do something…anything…that will put a stain on the meeting.You can always count on Amano’s IAEA to perform the deed.
The latest “proof” of Iran’s non existent nukes from the Mossad front ISIS is their new satellite image of a pink building in Parchin..Kid you not.
Desperation is the word…
http://www . ynetnews. com/articles/0,7340,L-4272679,00.html
All:
Clearly, some Arab commentators have a lot to learn; history, rhetoric, logic comes first to mind.
http://www.arabnews.com/alawites-safavids-and-rise-extremism
humanist says:
August 24, 2012 at 9:53 pm
Iran, Afghanistan, Austria, Finland and a number of other states were considered neutral within the parameters of the Peace of Yalta as determind by US and USSR.
However, US and USSR were each trying to gain advantage over the other one.
When the oil industry in Iran was nationalized/confiscated by the Iranian state, Americans saw their chance to move in and turn Iran into a dependency.
Which is what they did in 1953.
USSR retaliated in 1958 and helped destroy the Iraqi monarchy.
And so on and so forth; Cuba, Laos, Cambodia, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Angola, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Chile, Vietnam, and Somalia became their battle grounds.
When elephants fight, grass suffers.
When elephants copulate, grass suffers.
In 1979 Iranians broke free from US dominion and US domination.
In 2011 Iraqis did likewise.
Now Iran and Iraq are back to what obtained between them from 1920s until 1950s; two friendly states with enormous potential for cooperation in trade, commerce, tourism, etc.
It is in this sense of absene of opportunity and positive future that both USSR and US have failed in the Middle East.
US dominion in the Middle East is devoid of a positive program that can engage the Middle Eastern people and cannot succeed.
This is what this awakening is all about.
@James Canning
“Does anyone argue that sanctions against Iranian oil exports etc only “harm” Iran?”
Actually there has been no argument. The people backing these sanctions, the ruling and legislative idiots in US, UK & France believe that the “Iran Sanctions” are solely on Iran. They have never expressed another view. There are other sanctions invoked by the US president – same situation. The Iran sanctions voted with the help of Russia and China were done with the understanding that these countries were absolved from sanction obedience, and since they (Russia and China) were smart enough to know that the sanctions would hurt their rivals and not them, they voted aye. Why not?
So now the US and Europe are sinking economically, and Asia is not. The sanctions? The are completely ineffective regarding Iran’s nuclear program, and they’ve strengthened Iran’s bonds with its fellow Asians to the detriment of Europe.
Next week, I predict, representatives from dozens of countries will come to Iran and extoll Iran’s leadership in refusing to knuckle under to the the world hegemon USA. Iran is setting an example, which will echo in China, in India, in Iraq and Syria, and even in far-off Ecuador. Persian should be proud. As they say in New Hampshire — Live Free Or Die.
“Jewish history overflows with tales of sorrow. Are we to endure yet another loss, but this time perpetrated by our own foolish hands? Those who think that bombing Iran serves a defensive purpose should reconsider and remember a forgotten people, the 35,000 Jews of Iran. What will happen to them?,” says Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb.
Now, the Israel lobby groups are chasing her for making the above statement.
http://rehmat1.com/2012/08/25/lynn-gottlieb-the-rabbi-israel-lobby-hates/
Just listened to Flynt’s appearance on Scott Horton’s show.
I especially agree with Flynt’s noting that every time the US gets involved in militarizing some conflict, it ends up being a full-scale military attack at some point.
Yesterday both England and France echoed Obama in calling for a “partial no-fly zone” over “chemical weapons”, both emphasizing that even the TRANSPORT of such weapons could justify such a military move. As an aside, what the hell is “partial” about a no-fly zon? Obviously an attempt to overcome the fact that the Libya UN resolution was wildly overwhelmed by deliberate regime change…)
If you can’t see the steady progress toward a US/NATO/Turkey/Israel attack on Syria (and a concurrent attack by Israel on Lebanon as a direct result) in the near future, you’re deaf, dumb and blind…
I also agree with Flynt where he says that Israel might have wanted Assad to stay, now they are prepared to see him go. Since the whole purpose of this exercise was never regime change anyway, but the degradation of Syria’s ability to 1) launch missiles at Israel during an Iran war, and 2) protect and support Hizballah in Lebanon (and thus Hizballah’s missile arsenal), Israel’s attitude does not surprise me.
What irritates me about Flynt’s discussion of Netanyahu – as well as Ivan Eland’s discussion of same over at Antiwar.com – is this notion that Netanyahu has any other reason to attack Iran other than dragging the US into the war. Everyone with a brain KNOWS Israel cannot “stop” or even significantly degrade Iran’s nuclear energy program with a few air strikes. So why does everyone keep repeating that Israel won’t attack because “it can’t stop the program?” THAT WAS NEVER ISRAEL’S INTENT! Israel’s SOLE intent is to drag the US into a war with Iran!
So why is that fact NEVER mentioned in ANY discussion of Netanyahu’s purpose? Are the pundits afraid of ascribing that degree of Machiavellian thought to the Israelis for fear of being called “anti-Semitic” or because it smacks of “conspiracy theory”? Grow some balls! Better yet, understand WHY Israel has not attacked Iran yet!
Again, the SOLE reason Netanyahu has not attacked Iran YET is because he fears the domestic political backlash of the Israeli electorate (and the cost to the Israeli economy which is having trouble) who will be forced to sit in bomb shelters most of every day due to Hizballah and Syria missile attacks ON TOP OF Iranian missile attacks. This was the entire reason for the 2006 attack on Hizballah. It has been that stalemate that has prevented Israel from attacking Iran for the last six years! (There may be other factors as well, but this is the big strategic one.)
Once the US/NATO/Turkey/Israel attack on Syria and Lebanon has occurred (and has presumably succeeded, which is questionable), THEN Israel can attack Iran with impunity if the US does not. And then Obama (or Romney) can impose his naval blockade on Iran, thus forcing Iran to “start” the war and leaving both the US and Israel blameless.
Flynt in the radio show says “…we [US officials?] think that if we undermine and establish regime in a place like Syria, the people that come to power in its place are basically secular liberals and we are going to have a kind of secular liberal democratic order emerge”
While listening to the whole program and especially to the above, some personal, factual or critical thoughts were crossing my mind. Of those some I think are worth mentioning in RFI. Here are Two in the critical group:
1) We… undermine….establish [ a new puppet] regime….?
The term of ‘regime change [by more powerful dominions]’, when it is mentioned casually, instigates a barrage of powerful thoughts and emotions in the psyche of many individuals of the victimized countries.
In the eyes of these individuals ‘regime change using violence or trickery’ is a horrendous supreme crime of an extraordinary magnitude. While, on the other extreme, in the eyes of many in the West or Israel such a change is just a tactic to achieve the control of the people and resources of somewhat inferior nations.
On 1953 coup in Iran, Richard Nixon in his memoirs simply writes “.. we installed a government there..” as if it was an ordinary non-critical, routine business….or as if the subjected people didn’t matter at all. The likes of Cheney and Neocons also use ‘regime change’ in a relaxed apathetic sense as if they are talking about moving a solid pawn on a chessboard, completely ignoring the ensued immense loss and sufferings of the involved millions.
From a humanistic perspective, a simple look at the recent history of Iran, Guatemala, Chile, Congo and dozens of similar countries, vividly reveals the enormity of the crime of ‘regime change’ which consequentially is at par with the supreme crime of hegemonic invasion of a weaker country by a stronger one.
For some progressive free thinkers Regime Change is a profoundly charged notion, it figuratively or physically sends shivers down their spine. For some members of this group, no terms is as much distressing or saddening.
2) We think [after the regime change] we are going to see a kind of secular liberal democratic order emerging
I strongly disagree with the above generalization. I believe after the WWII, the top US foreign policy strategists sharply discriminated between two groups of countries. In the first group there were Europe and Japan which were selected for becoming democratic and technologically advanced. Later, for showcasing, Taiwan, South Korea and Singapore were added to that list. In sharp contrast, in any other country where US was in control, decisive methods were used to install brutal tyrants and assertively and ruthlessly suppress any efforts on the direction of democracy or social progress.
The assumption that, in general the strategists of the military / industrial and financial complex in the US hope newly emerged regimes after violent interventions would turn out to be a secular liberal democracy can not be supported by facts. Since, first of all, the strategists must be fully aware that such democratic entities, by listening to the voices of their people, can not be friendly to heartless hegemonic entities. Furthermore, examples of US overthrowing democratic governments or installing dictators are abundant.
Chomsky, in a number of his books, has amply discussed the persistent US hypocrisy in double talk and backing of the numerous dictators around the world. He thinks US is the major promoter of dictatorship and is the blocker of any progressive and democratic development in the third world.
US as I have defined above, ie being the ever-increasingly more powerful military / industrial and financial complex is not only the fundamental enemy of the developing world, it is definitely the number one enemy of the people of US itself. The complex has proven over and over its heinous nature by staging wars one after another thus sending the young to arenas of death or debility, by aggressively plundering the country, by making sure their backers reside in the seats of power, by avoiding paying taxes etc etc.
The unregulated rampant capitalistic system is the suitable fertile ground causing the exponential growth of the power of the evil complexes.
Never before, the fogs around the above facts were cleared like the present time. It seems the hunger of the rabid wolves is never subsiding. More unnecessary and unjustifiable wars must be in the works. Lets hope the newly developed nuclear weapons are never used in the coming wars, else…..the picture is gloomier than simple words can describe.
@Rd.
The IAEA, now a US puppet like the UK and France, always leaks its reports to the press before publishing them. This allows journalistic freedom for wild accusations which can’t be countered from US-allied media like the Washington Post and the New York Times.
US diplomatic cables published by WikiLeaks revealed IAEA Chief Amano’s assiduous courting of American support. In an October 2009 cable, the US charge d’affaires, Geoffrey Pyatt, wrote: “Amano reminded [the] ambassador on several occasions that he would need to make concessions to the G-77 [the developing countries group], which correctly required him to be fair-minded and independent, but that he was solidly in the US court on every key strategic decision, from high-level personnel appointments to the handling of Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons program.”
Amano has made at least one personal visit to Israel, which is a charter member of the IAEA but refuses official IAEA visits and won’t sign the NPT, which the Arab League demands that it do.
Amano always reports that Iran is in compliance with its NPT agreements. He has no choice on that, although he does throw extraneous US-generated garbage in the IAEA reports which are beyond IAEA authority, which is exclusively limited to verifying non-diversion of fuel to weapons programs. The IAEA has no other authority, according to the NPT.
“Each non-nuclear-weapon State Party to the Treaty undertakes to accept safeguards, as set forth in an agreement to be negotiated and concluded with the International Atomic Energy Agency in accordance with the Statute of the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Agencys safeguards system, for the exclusive purpose of verification of the fulfillment of its obligations assumed under this Treaty with a view to preventing diversion of nuclear energy from peaceful uses to nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices.”
http://www.fas.org/nuke/control/npt/text/npt2.htm
BiBiJon says:
“NPR ‘reporters’ will appear as defendants in front of an international court of high crimes against humanity for their role in mainstreaming war without a single mention of legality, morality, consequences, or costs. “
They are walking on cloud 9 to recognize where they stand. Just like their german counterparts in the early 1940s, walking down Paris streets or sitting along the out door café’s as if they were the master’s of the word. The german’s had their time, so will these simpleton’s.
On the occasion of ‘Yellow: Journalism’ PBS News hour (PBS Yellow Hour) just had a segment on “New Evidence of Underground Centrifuges in Iran”
No coverage on their web site yet?!?!??! Must have been a last minute propaganda piece to try and take the spot light from the NAM meeting in Tehran!!!
Don Bacon says:
August 24, 2012 at 5:16 pm
In this interconnected world, there’s hardly anything that is not a two-way street.
for example
Talk about the insecurity you reap when you deny others security.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/25/world/asia/chinas-missile-advances-aimed-at-thwarting-us-defenses-analysts-say.html?_r=1&hp
and
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/intense-clashes-continue-in-se-turkey.aspx?pageID=238&nID=28587&NewsCatID=341
Don Bacon,
Does anyone argue that sanctions against Iranian oil exports etc only “harm” Iran? I think what actually happens is that “MSN” does it best not to call attention to the enormous damage done to the people of the EU generally, and the people of the US.
Hillary Clinton seems to have opposed Ban’s visit to Iran, but I think it is in the best interests of the US that he make the visit.
“NY Times: UN chief to attend NAM in blow to US, Israel”
http://www.presstv.com/detail/2012/08/24//257829/ny-times-ban-in-nam-blow-to-us-israel
It’s a myth to believe that trade restrictions (oil sanctions) affect only the target nation, because trade is a two-way street.In the U.S., from news sources –
Oil is up 13 percent over the past year on international instability and tight supplies. The nationwide average price of regular gasoline at the pump gained 0.2 cent to $3.718 a gallon Aug. 22, AAA data showed. Gasoline has climbed 39.2 cents since July 1, according to the AAA, the nation’s largest motoring organization.
Pump prices tend to lag behind moves in the futures market by several weeks, meaning drivers have yet to feel the full extent of the recent rally. Crude-oil futures are up 27% since late June as Western sanctions against producer Iran eroded global supplies. Aside from higher oil prices, disruptions to U.S. output and an uptick in demand both at home and overseas mean gasoline prices could continue climbing, at least over the short term, analysts, traders and investors say.
U.S. consumers, already paying more for food due to the worst drought in five decades, may soon see prices at the supermarket rise further because of fuel costs. Energy and transportation accounts for about 8.2 cents of each dollar spent on food.
speaking of Scott Horton — I didn’t realize it, but Flynt’s appearance on the program was from a new venue for Horton. Take a look.
fyi says:
“You do not understand war; you first win in your mind and then on the battle field.”
Are you serious? Did you even watch the video (I assume that you understand Farsi). If not, this is exactly what he said: “In the war with Hezbollah, Israeli soldiers were running away from the front. When their commanding officers asked them why they are running way, they said that on the battle field they saw white figures riding horses and attacking them with swords. No matter how much they shot at them with machine guns, they kept coming and would not die. Israeli soldiers were begging their commanding officers not send them back to the front.”
You still think I do not understand war? I understand war, but not crazy people (Fyi: unlike most people on this site, I was in Iran during Iran-Iraq war. So, I think I have some idea about war).
Abdullah says:
August 24, 2012 at 11:58 am
Who has imposed this choice on you? Why do you feel anyone has to choose between masters, this hegemonic power or that.
I’m fairly certain most folks here, not being descendents of inbred servants, choose to live in a world were all are equal, and all can independently chart a course for themselves, and most of all not be coerced to pick a fight with a neighbor.
When/where did you hear that Iran wants to replace the US as the regional hegemon? Not counting yourself, and Karim.
Abdullah says:
August 24, 2012 at 11:58 am
They have said it! Not so many Arabs are wise and good, but too many of them are idiots and crazy.
Thanks to this forum, we eventually have one of the dumbest Arab AbduUSA as a guest who claims to be AbdullAh!
This dumbest Arab AbduUSA cannot differentiate between a country that has created and still creating wars, developed nukes, nuked japan and the one that has not created a single war and has not nuked anyone in modern history.
This dumbest Arab AbduUSA cannot distinguish wise caliber of people from unwise ones and still maintain he can only study in USA paying little attention to all other places. Can he tell us how many Chinese or Japanese studied in USA alone for their development and progress?
This dumbest Arab AbduUSA said something on religious fundamentals. Can he tell us how many Iranian names were mentioned during 9/11 attack? Can he tell us if there is any state-run terrorist in Iran as there are in USA(CIA, Mossad) and SAUDI (AL-Qaida,Salafis, Wahabist etc)?
Does this dumbest Arab AbduUSA even knows anything at all! Why can’t you naked yourself and start walking about in the whole of USA if what you need is to move about to anywhere you like.
Shame on you! Little Arab with Little Brain.
Latest round of IAEA talks with Iran in Vienna, began and ended today (Aug. 24).
Pirouz,
I too have been wondering what has become of Eric Brill of late. I always read his comments.
Bussed-In Basiji,
Apparently you concede Iran’s stockpiling makes war much more likely. And it appears you encourage stockpiling to increase the chances of war. Interesting.
Bussed-In Basiji,
What is the meaning of “we”, when you say you and ________ “pray” for war between the US and Iran? Or, are you arguing that Iran can wage war with Israel without American intervention? And how would Iran “destroy” Israel? Are you suggesting Iran can smash enough buildings in Israel to cause the Jews there to leave the country?
Rd.,
Interesting report in AsiaTimes that you linked. I think the US should not have military bases in any of the former Central Asian republics of the Soviet Union.
@Karl
“it gives irrational warmongers a justification to ante up sanctions, actions on Iran.”
The irrational warmongers have amply demonstrated that they don’t need any justification to ante up sanctions. Their prattling about Iran’s illegal “ambitions” is good evidence of that. Since when are ambitions illegal? That’s why the USFRUKGERs are correctly labeled irrational warmongers.
@Abdullah
“For Arabian to choose between US and Iran, I would choose US.”
That works for you, but it’s not the general case. Here are some highlights from THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION 2011 ARAB PUBLIC OPINION POLL conducted recently in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, and Jordan.
US & Middle East
Generally speaking, is your attitude toward the United States…
Very Favorable 4%, . .unfavorable 38%
How would you describe your views of President Barack Obama of the United States?
Positive 34%, . . .Negative 43%
How would you describe your attitudes toward the Obama
Administration policy in the Middle East?
Hopeful 20%, . . .Discouraged 52%
Iran
Iran has the right to its nuclear program 64%
Iran should be pressured to stop its nuclear program 25%
Name two countries that you think pose the biggest threat to you.
Israel 71%, U.S. 59%, Iran 18%
Which world leader (outside your own country) do you admire most?
Recep Erdogan 22%, Hassan Nasrallah 13%, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad 13%, . . . .Barack Obama 4%
http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/reports/2011/1121_arab_public_opinion_telhami/1121_arab_public_opinion.pdf
Karim says:
August 24, 2012 at 10:15 am
You do not understand war; you first win in your mind and then on the battle field.
Angels, i.e. creatures of pure Thought & Reason but not Extension (in the language of Aristotelian Metaphysics), can exist – in principle.
For Arabian to choose between US and Iran, I would choose US. Putting american politics on the side, US are providing the world with technology in education, more than 100, 000 saudi students are cyrrently in states, may be zero in Iran, medicine and medical treatment US will stand far than any body else, freedome of travel and movment, US will stand for everybpdy including Saudis and Iranians. Trust of systems wther legal or freedom of speech or commerce or trading or even traveling within the country, there is no comparison. This is is just start, and we can continue, and it is unfortante that a relegious fundemtals are ruling Iran and hijacked this nation which if the goverment have focused attention inside the country and not outside, and keep its resources into developing the country, and try to follow Malysia or south Korea, that single company like Samsung can easily compete with nation like Iran. I,m sure history will show us changes similar to the thrown of chah of Iran will also transform the current regime and replace them with wise people, not like the ones who are creating wars and developng nukes, rather than providing better food and better eduction for their people. Wait and see , what happened in Soviet Union, Rmania, Libya will happen in Iran, it is matter of time.
Bussed-in Basiji says:
“We pray for an attack so we can finally get rid of the Zionists and kick America out of the region.”
I thought only the defense minister was crazy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xfvcgC5DpI&feature=fvwrel
For those of you who do not understand Farsi (too bad you could have a really good laugh) the defense minister basically says that as angels and ghosts helped Hezbollah defeat Israel, they also will help Iran defeat Israel.
James,
is Hague government so desperate, they are now trading horses??
whiles Turkish leadership got their hands stock in the cookie jar!
“Prima facie, there is nothing linking Turkish President Abdullah Gul’s health condition, an English stud horse by the name Islander One and the extension of the lease for the United States air base at Manas in Kyrgyzstan. ”
http://atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/NH25Ag02.html
Interesting article in NYtimes. The specific quote (check link) could have been written by the Leverett’s themselves. However the assessment is also problematic since it give irrational warmongers a justification to ante up sanctions, actions on Iran.
http://presstv.com/detail/2012/08/24/257829/ny-times-ban-in-nam-blow-to-us-israel/
Take a moment and write IEEE
============================
After the STUXNET attack, and the leaks which implicated US, Israel and Siemens AG, the reputation of computer scientists, electrical and electronic engineers has been put under a cloud.
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, IEEE, needs to be notified that cheap headlines, and sensationalist articles in MSM is damaging the reputation of entire class of engineers and casts doubts on their integrity.
While (livid) David Sanger (anger) might write orgasmicly about STUXNET, he and his newspaper seem to be unaware that their exposé is not read just by the amen corner, but also by purchasing managers around the world whose decisions are guided significantly by ‘trust’ in ‘integrity’ of the community of professionals IEEE represents.
Color Yellow: Journalism
=======================
Once the dust has settled after WW III, with major international cities across the planet still smoldering from nuclear attack by all sides on all sides, there will be trials, I am sure.
NPR ‘reporters’ will appear as defendants in front of an international court of high crimes against humanity for their role in mainstreaming war without a single mention of legality, morality, consequences, or costs.
http://www.npr.org/2012/08/23/159959300/massive-cyberattack-act-1-of-israeli-strike-on-iran
Note to Tom Gjelten: be ashamed of yourself.
In the meantime, Tom Gjelten is telling anyone purchasing computer software, or software controlled machinery from western suppliers/manufacturers to have their heads thoroughly examined.
James,
You wrote to UU:
“I take it you want Iran to stockpile 20 U, to demonstrate it possesses “sovereignty”, even if it means Iran will almost certainly be attacked?”
You really don’t get it, it’s pathetic.
Pay attention cause what I’m going tell you now will answer every one of your leading questions, assuming your brain functions normally:
We pray for an attack so we can finally get rid of the Zionists and kick America out of the region.
Was that clear enough for you?
chaos–
State: “we are looking at every feasible option in terms of what we might do together to evaluate whether it’ll advance our shared goal of hastening the transition or not.”
This has been Russia’s big gripe, that the US doesn’t want peace it wants “transition.” And not only Russia but the whole sane world understands that the “transition above all! anything would be better than Assad” position is a loser, particularly with AQ moving in.
The Syrian army has recaptured Christian areas in the city of Aleppo after heavy fighting but the Jewish section has not been so fortunate.
headline: Jewish Aleppo, Lost Forever — The Syrian diaspora in Israel watches its once-vibrant ancestral home fall to ruin in the country’s civil war
What made Jewish existence in Aleppo so unique and vibrant? For thousands of years, Aleppo was an unofficial capital of the Sephardic Jewish world. Fueled by wealth from international trade and waves of Jewish immigration, the city’s Jews sustained a pious community revered for educational excellence and as a guardian of traditions with roots in ancient Israel. Aleppine folklore—some even say that one of Kind David’s generals personally laid the foundation for its great synagogue, now located at the heart of fighting—hints at the prestige of the city in Jewish history. But the city is lost, and Jewish existence has been all but erased from its cobbled streets.
Last week, a Free Syrian Army rebel warned that soon “there will be nothing left to destroy in Aleppo.”
http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-arts-and-culture/109884/jewish-aleppo-lost-forever
James Canning, fyi
An excellent article on the Paraguayan war by the brilliant War Nerd: http://www.exile.ru/articles/detail.php?ARTICLE_ID=15578&IBLOCK_ID=35
Enjoy!
Pirouz says:
August 23, 2012 at 6:42 pm
You are behind the course of events.
KSA-Axis Powers program is being liquidated in Syria.
And this idea of “chaos” I think is almost like sour grapes in Anglo-American circles.
The situation in Syria does not even remotely approximate that of Pakistan just after her independence, Afghanistan after 1992, Iraq from 2003-2009 or Lebanon during her Civil War.
Looking forward to reading the Leverett analysis on the NAM conference in Tehran.
In terms of the Syria, KSA seeks to pull this country away from Iran and in so doing make up for the loss of Iraq, which is now something of a sister-state with Iran- an unintended consequence of OIF, which the Saudi’s see as a case of “I told you so.”
It wouldn’t be easy to establish a takfeeri state in Syria, but right now for the US and KSA chaos in the country is preferable to that of an extended contigous reach by Tehran to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.
By the way, anyone know what’s happened to Eric Brill? His website writings appear to be removed for some reason and its been a while since I noticed his commenting here at RFI.
Bussed-In Basiji,
I very strongly opposed the invasion of Iraq in 2003, and Britain’s participation in that invasion. You seem to think I must have supported it.
Bussed-In Basiji,
Are you arguing that the P5+1 are failing to show sufficient respect to Iran? So Iran must continue to stockpile?
BinB wrote: “Britain’s post-WWII status as a “worthless lackey” of the US is so ingrained in James and his ilk that they think this is the only way to behave with the US/”great” powers.”
This is so accurate. I remember when PM John Majors left office he was immediately rewarded with a seat on the Board of the Carlyle Group. This was hardly remarked upon by the British public — they must have considered it quite normal for their PM being paid off like that for his faithful service to US interests. Other than the top leadership being given generous bribes, it is hard to see why the British public puts up with this behavior. But they do. Probably they get some vicarious pleasure pretending that they really are “allied” to greatest super power of all.
Karl.. says:
August 23, 2012 at 12:28 pm
Not true.
Expected there to be 50 heads of states or governments.
Even Mr. Singh is attending.
Iran actually is receiving help from very many countries in facilitating her financial transactions.
All:
http://news.yahoo.com/syrias-armenians-flee-ancestral-homeland-191039053.html?_esi=1
Dr. Anne-Marie Slaughter can take credit for displacing Christians of Syria….
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne-Marie_Slaughter
More hypocrisy.
So UK met with Bahrain king today.
This when the peaceful demonstrations going on, this is when arab population want to get rid of old kings and rulers, just past week a 16 year old boy have been killed by the forces in Bahrain and the leading bahraini protest/opposition leader Nabeel Rajab have been sent to 3 years in jail…
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/08/201281815816901795.html
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/aug/20/apfn-ml-bahrain
UU, Funny imaging Jerry Lewis in the Nutty Professor!
FYI, I have no objection to the English national pride – I object to its framing as the context for “rational behavior” for all “subjects”.
Rehmat says:
“ I believe, Dr. Morsi is playing a game of ‘musical chairs’ on behalf of US and Israel.
–http://rehmat1.com/2012/08/16/morsi-coup-a-game-of-musical-chairs/”
“To prevent China from emerging successfully as the major economic competitor of the United States in the world, Washington launched the so-called Arab Spring in late 2010. While the aspirations of millions of ordinary Arab citizens in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt and elsewhere for freedom and democracy was real, they were in effect used as unwitting cannon fodder to unleash a US strategy of chaos and intra-islamic wars and conflicts across the entire oil-rich Islamic world from Libya in North Africa across to Syria and ultimately Iran in the Middle East. “
Obama’s Geopolitical China ‘Pivot’
by F. William Engdahl
http://www.voltairenet.org/Obama-s-Geopolitical-China-Pivot
James Canning says:
“I take it you want Iran to stockpile 20 U, to demonstrate it possesses “sovereignty”, even if it means Iran will almost certainly be attacked?”
James;
dread naught and carry on, or carry on and dread naught, depending on which end you are standing!
As for attack, Mr. Shariatmadari has that covered for you.
“Zionists Are Selling Less of More!“
http://www.kayhanintl.com/
SL’s recent speech to university professors
http://english.khamenei.ir//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1661&Itemid=4
“…The world is currently in a state of change. Global structures are changing. If we wanted to find a parallel for current conditions of the world in the recent past – in the past couple of centuries – the conditions of the world after the first world war would be a good parallel. Of course, change is happening in the opposite direction. After the first world war, the political and economic structure of the world changed dramatically. Or before that, during the time Europeans started colonialism, new conditions were created in the world and the general structure of the world changed. The transformations that can be witnessed today are of this nature, a change in the general structure of the world. Of course, the change that is taking place is happening in the opposite direction, in the direction of a balance between the powers and general capabilities of the east and those of the west or between one group of nations and the rest of the nations. It is clear that we are moving towards a transformation…”
BiBiJon,
“…It is a revoltingly rancid notion that underlies your persistent arguments. A country who’s “strength” is derived from the good graces of the empire in reality is not strong, but a disheveled, worthless lackey. Every minute that Iran shuns pressure, and insists on being dealt with respectfully and on an equal basis, adds to her strength, and internalizes that strength for generations to come…”
Zendebad, you’ve nailed it. Britain’s post-WWII status as a “worthless lackey” of the US is so ingrained in James and his ilk that they think this is the only way to behave with the US/”great” powers.
The Supreme Leader often says that two parties are required for oppression to exist: the oppressor and the one who accepts oppression. And we have decided not accept oppression. James and those stuck in the old master-slave mentality just can’t get their heads around it.
fyi,
Many who post on this site may not be aware of Paraguay’s 19th Century war against Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina. 1864-70.
Do you actually think Britain could force a small country in South America to fight its neighbors for years and years?
Unknown Unknowns,
I think it is fair to say you believe Iran should do whatever it wishes, stockpile large amounts of 20 U, tell Russia and China to scr*w themselves, and hope for the best?
fyi,
Are you aware that English history is not even taught in State schools? Maybe I should say that very little English history is imparted to students in State schools. Very little.
BiBiJon,
I personally have no problem with Iran’s acquiring all knowledge it wishes, regarding nuclear technology. You seem to forget this.
BiBiJon,
I made clear Iran obviously can sell oil in years to come, that it does not produce and sell at this time. The concept of “ost” revenue applies to the income Iran would be enjoying, from selling 500 million more barrels of oil per year, than it does. Maybe the real price of oil will be higher in years to come. Or lower. Fact is, Iran has earned fewer dollars, to the tune of several hundred billion in recent years, due to sanctions.
Your opinion is that Iran must resist sanctions, and get around them, to demonstrate its independence. This is the viewpoint of Khamenei too.
Unknown Unknowns,
Nicholas Burns got a considerable response to his recent piece in the Boston Globe, in which he said in effect Iran likely will be attacked if it continues to stockpile 20 U. Do you disagree with Burns?
I take it you want Iran to stockpile 20 U, to demonstrate it possesses “sovereignty”, even if it means Iran will almost certainly be attacked?
I dont really agree with the assessment that Iran is not isolated due the meeting.
The meeting have been agreed upon years ago and that NAM nations now travel to Iran is not necessary a sign that all these states support Iran when it comes to nuclear issue etc, rather they travel there because NAM having its meeting there. Frankly very few top politicians will travel there, most will send low level or embassy personel. Likwise that US and Israel are in a sense wrong about isolation, one shouldnt on the other hand exagerrate the support for Iran by these states.
Abraham Foxman, head of pro-Israel Jewish lobby group. the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has criticized UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon’s decision to address the 16th Non-Alignment Movement (NAM) summit in Tehran (August 26-31); as an act of “anti-Israel, anti-American and anti-Semitism“.
Hillary Clinton’s Zionist Jew spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters on August 20, that Iran doesn’t have the right to host NAM summit. “So we frankly don’t think that Iran is deserving of these high-level presences that are going there,” she said. She also, criticized Egyptian president Dr. Mohamed Mursi’s decision to attend the NAM meeting in Tehran.
http://rehmat1.com/2012/08/23/adl-nam-summit-in-tehran-is-anti-semitism/
@ Fiorangela re: “Assad’s atrocities”
I appreciate your discussion of Brahimi, but loose talk sinks ships.
You casually referred to “Assad’s atrocities” but that’s silly talk. First, it’s Syria the government that’s being attacked, not Assad, and Syria that is defending itself. We don’t say “Obama killed a wedding party in Waziristan” even though Obama has more power over assassinations than Assda has over Syria army activities in the field. Personalizing the enemy is simple a tired propaganda ploy. Tojo, Saddam, Hitler, etc.
Secondly there is no proof of atrocities. The most notorious of the charged alleged atrocities was the “Houla Massacre” last May. As a result of this “massacre” foreign governments withdrew their ambassadors and Clinton threatened to invoke Chapter VII of the UN Charter, a UN attack on Syria. But first the UN would investigate the “massacre” and write a report. Guess what — the report never came. The whole “Houla Massacre” business was dropped into a black hole, never to re-appear. Reason? No massacre.
This “atrocity” and “massacre” talk comes from the US/UK terrorist mouthpiece in London, the “Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.” These bogus “news stories” are picked up by the US mass media including the New York Times and the Voice of America. Here’s a link to the web-page of the terrorist mouthpiece in London where these “journalists” get the propaganda for their fanciful “news stories” about Syria. http://www.facebook.com/syriaohr
and here’s a link to today’s bogus VOA “news story” originating from London, this one about a “siege” of Damascas. (The siege that isn’t.)
http://www.voanews.com/content/un-warns-of-humanitarian-crisis-as-syria-fighting-intensifies/1494136.html
(The impending “humanitarian crisis” meme, in the URL, is Clinton’s only hope of a US-led incursion into a “safe zone.” The VOA author faithfully picked up on it.)
Much is made about Syria — not “Assad” — attacking paid terrorist mercenaries who have taken over parts of urban districts with aircarft and heavy weapons. That is exactly what the US has done for years, recently in Iraq and Afghanistan, and what Turkey is currently doing against Kurds in Turkey. Jet fighters and helicopter gunships. Nobody has takes notice of that because it is the US and its allies with the heavy weapons.
Why this website at times is a bit of comic relief
===============================================
From prev thread James Canning says:
August 22, 2012 at 1:27 pm
“I take it you concede that Iran enjoys perhaps $50 billion less, in annual oil revenues, due to sanctions?”
James, I said “x” amount of dollars and contested that words like “loses” or its synonyms such as “less” are not warranted. Reason being that unlike citrus fruit, oil that stays in the ground is not “lost”. Frankly, to finance my kids’ college education I would vastly prefer to have a piece of paper entitling me to a few barrels of oil in the future than a fist full of dollars today.
“Clearly you do not like to be reminded that Iran perhaps is less strong today, due to its nuclear programme, than otherwise would obtain.”
Thanks for the psychoanalysis. In this case though, it is not a deep-seated discomfort that tells me your simplistic formulations are way off the mark. Iran for all anybody knows is pumping as much oil as it ever did, but finding numerous ways of using it domestically, producing value-added products, which she then exports and/or reduces her imports. As Don mentioned in the previous thread, steal, electricity, gasoline, etc are among a countless number of oil consuming endeavors which in the long run are immeasurably better for Iran’s future development, than selling crude.
UU has explained it to you that attainment of nuclear technology is a sovereign right. It is a revoltingly rancid notion that underlies your persistent arguments. A country who’s “strength” is derived from the good graces of the empire in reality is not strong, but a disheveled, worthless lackey. Every minute that Iran shuns pressure, and insists on being dealt with respectfully and on an equal basis, adds to her strength, and internalizes that strength for generations to come. M. Ali had calculated the price at $170 per capita. If you include future generations, the price may well compute to below a single red cent per capita.
“Yes, of course, huge losses are incurred by many countries, and companies, internationally, due to AIPAC control of the US Congress.
Surely you are aware I think AIPAC subverts the national security of the people of the US and the EU.”
Yes, yes, yes, James, I am familiar with your frequent refrains to gain some margin of credibility here.
Rehmat says:
August 22, 2012 at 9:22 pm
You might want to include Dr. Anne-Marie Slaughter among the list of architects of the current Axis Powers policy in Syria.
Jay says:
August 22, 2012 at 4:13 pm
Yes, the Axis States are victims of actions of unprincipled emotional benighted fools that lead equally backeard states.
That is why UK just had to engineer that war in South America which destroyed half the population of Paraguay when Brazil and Argentina invaded that unfortunate country.
The English are an interesting people; having never been conquered and subjugated since 1066, they consistently protray their own history in a positive light and everyone else’s in a negative one.
One of reasons this website is so valuable
=========================================
NAM by any other name
———————
From previous thread Don Bacon says:
August 21, 2012 at 4:30 pm
“The NAM Summit, above all, with all its important attendees, makes it crystal clear that Iran is not at all isolated as the US has consistently claimed, thus destroying a major US talking point. Obliterating it. Killing it forever.”
——–
NYTimes’ Rick Gladstone, Jodi Rudoren, and (livid) David Sanger (anger) piece confirm Don is on the money.
“Efforts led by the United States and Israel to isolate Iran suffered a setback [i.e. devastating blow] on Wednesday when the United Nations announced that Ban Ki-moon, the secretary general, would join officials from 120 countries in Tehran next week for a summit meeting that Iran has trumpeted [quietly pointed out] as a vindication of its defiance and enduring importance in world affairs.”
See http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/23/world/middleeast/ban-ki-moon-will-attend-iran-summit-over-american-and-israeli-objections.html?pagewanted=all
Of course NYT misplaces the emphasis on Ban Ki-moon’s belated decision to attend the NAM conference. The fact is, however, that that cod fish of a UN General Secretary’s lame resignation to having to *follow* India and Egypt among 120 other countries who are attending is the biggest non-news.
And, contrary to NYT’s spin, Iran will not “trumpet”, or otherwise abuse her position as the host of NAM’s conference, and the president of the organization for the next 3 years in any self-centered way. Iran’s job is to promote the non-aligned movement’s prerogatives. That NAM routinely identifies with Iran’s predicament and empathizes with Iran’s unfair treatment by “arrogant” powers requires no overt prodding by Iran.
The real news here is that Morsi’s decision to attend has further isolated KSA in the regional politics and is the cherry on top of his proposal for a Syria contact group that includes IRI. Significance: At least on Syria, Egypt sees the fastest way of attaining regional relevance after decades of Egyptian irrelevancy in regional affairs, is to partner/dialogue with Iran. That gushing water sound you hear is Qatar’s offer of $2 billion to Egypt, and countless sums spent by GCC to foment anti-Iran bloodshed in Syria has just been flushed down the toilet — Morsi pulled the chain.
Karim,
I do not think Egypt or Iran is trying to exclude Iraq. I think it is more a recognition that Iraq is still in a “bootstrap” phase of state building (as in ‘picking themselves up by their bootstraps’). Exclusionary practices in the Middle East by certain domineering powers is absolutely part of the problem.
When the vision of Egypt and Iran comes to fruition, it will be clear to the world that the world does not need saving from the Muslims, and the Muslims do not need saving from themselves.
America’s own hysteria causes much of the chaos, and the hysteria is caused by the willful lies of American politicians and our vaunted and so-called “free” media.
American patriots have a duty to resist these self-destructive behaviors. America was founded on values of independence, and so where these same values show themselves throughout the world, America will be serving our own interests by supporting these values. Iranian independence is not a threat to America, but something for Americans to admire.
And independent and self-regulating Middle East is good for the region, good for America, and good for world peace.
This should be obvious, and yet the lies get louder and louder.
Rehmat says:
August 22, 2012 at 9:22 pm
It is interesting that you admit there is no such thing as Arab Spring. Although I agree with you on that, I don’t see it as a Jewish conspiracy as you put it.
First, Israel was happy with Mobarak and didn’t have to worry about Assad’s Syria as the latter would have never start a war alone. I really don’t see what Israel could gain with a Syria, Libyan style at its door.
Second, what we are witnessing looks more as an implementation of Brzezinski’s arc of crisis in the Greater Middle East (on the way to Caucasus), the guy who said shoot down Israeli planes if they were attacking Iran through Iraqi air space.
I think somewhere in the elites’ top echelon, being Jewish or not is simply irrelevant. What matters is the power and how you use it for their common cause.
“UN chief to visit Iran defying US and Israel “
Amazing Freudian slip of toque by aljezira??
aljezira can do well when it comes to standup comedy..
http://www.aljazeera.com/video/americas/2012/08/201282332548435349.html
I don’t think Morsi’s contact group proposal is a bombshell as Bhadrakumar calls it.
First, the absence of US in this contact group should be put on a par with the absence of Russia and China. That is, Morsi is saying that any solution to the Syrian crisis must come from regional countries that are involved in. Besides, with the presence of SA and Turkey, the interests of the west are well defended.
Second, what did you expect from Morsi ? Surely not a comeback to the Mobarak’s policies as Bhadrakumar itself writes it (http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/NH21Ak02.html); not before he gains the confidence of Egyptian streets.
So whether the so-called Arab Spring was an evil plan or not (as Rehmat wrote), in either case, the next move from Morsi would have been to get close to the Iranian position or at least something in the middle as he needs money that can only come from the west/GCC and in the same time he needs to ride on the Iranian waves of opposition to US/Israel to have the backing of the Egyptians and in order to be counted on as having an independent foreign policy.
Jay-san: Your image of the Gavner screaming “I can hear you just fine!” with his hands on his ears is perfect; and if perfection can be improved upon, imagine ear wax oozing out from around his hands and through his fingers, with a couple of Q-tips stuck up his nose, parallel to his Jerry Lewis buck teeth.
Point is, if our own dearly beloved Gavner, who is able to see through the Zionist hijacking of US foreign policy, can’t see an issue as excruciatingly obvious as national sovereignty, then what hope can we have with the Zionist-infested group mind inside the beltway? None, that’s what.
After realizing that Israel cannot win a war with Iran alone, the Zionist regime has come up with a new ‘face-saving’ excuse. Israeli business information group BDI-Coface has projected that Israeli attack against Iran could cost Israel over 167 billion shekels ($42 billion), not to mention thousands of Jews killed and billions of dollars damage to Israeli infrastructure.
However, the real reason behind Netanyahu-Barak reluctance to attack Iran is based on Israeli military hierarchy being afraid about the prospect of going it alone without full US backing.
http://rehmat1.com/2012/08/23/israel-will-not-attack-iran-its-too-costly/
Lakdar Brahimi: Why an Arab League Envoy? Jordan Times, 22/08/2012
-Why is it necessary for Brahimi to wear two hats, UN and Arab League?
“It is clearly to bestow “Arab” legitimacy on what might otherwise appear as improper foreign intervention in the internal affairs of a sovereign UN member state, which happens to also be a member of the Arab family. And many people in the region and the world have, after Iraq, Libya and other examples, had quite enough of that.
That leads to another question: Why should the Arab League not deal with the Syrian crisis directly, as an internal Arab matter, without trying to reach next-door Damascus via New York?
Of course, the Arab League is simply incapable of doing so. Its record of handling crises in the region has been dismal. Iraq was twice subjected to foreign invasion in the last two decades, not only with Arab League cover, but also with substantial Arab participation.”
-Assad is being stubborn and should step down for the sake of the Syrian people, but–
“At the same time, several members of the Arab League are accused of arming and financing rebel groups with a sectarian agenda, which has led a large segment of the population to fear that the end of the regime would lead to widespread violence against them, rather than to a smooth transition.
Unfortunately, the Arab League, which initially lacked direction and spirit, quickly gave in, turning the whole file to the United Nations, therefore throwing Syria, whose stability is vital for the entire region, to the many vultures who have had their eye on Syria for decades.”
-But the failures were not all the fault of the Arab/Islamic world:
“The international meddling in Syria was not hatched on the spot during the Syrian crisis. It has always been there, waiting for the right moment to activate. Neither has the “conspiracy” been constructed for Syria alone, although dismantling Syria is part of the scheme. It is a well-known open plan for reorganising the region to suit Israeli purposes by breaking the alliance between Syria, Iran, Hizbollah and Hamas, and ensuring that no regional power can rival Israel.”
Brahimi is going to have to imitate the act of a certain congressman and walk on water:
“What the Arab League has totally missed is that while evidence of the conspiracy should not be allowed to justify Assad’s atrocities and therefore be used as an excuse to save his regime, these atrocities should not prompt denial of the existence of these external designs.”
-There is hope:
“The Arab League could, as an alternative, try to repair the damaged lines of communications with Damascus and discretely seek a compromise that could salvage something, perhaps with Assad departing as Yemen’s Ali Abdullah Saleh did. The odds are slim, but it is still worth trying for the sake of Syria and the Syrian people.”
Unknown Unknowns says: August 22, 2012 at 12:53 pm
“The straight of Hormoz is another casulaty.” }:)
James says, “In your view, would Iran “deny its own sovereignty” if it agreed to stop enriching to 20?”
Just to be clear: I’m not going to discuss anything having to do with any percentages with you, least of all anything approaching 20% of anything… I just want to use your question to pose a quetion of my own; to “pull a James,” as it were:
In your view, did England “deny its own sovereignty” when Churchill bankrupted her and handed her prostrate on a platter to Uncle Sam B. Weasel?
James Canning says:
August 22, 2012 at 6:07 pm
James,
you persist in covering your ears while screaming “I can hear you just fine”!
Anything Iran does, launching a satellite, building a radar, experimenting with nanotechnology, … has been and will be used by EU+US to do what they want.
Your argument that “Iran in effect helps the numerous stooges …” falls apart if every and any action by Iran in any scientific field of endeavor or other arenas is used as an excuse.
James Canning says:
August 22, 2012 at 1:37 pm
Is it fair to say you think Iran has no option but to make it easier for enemies of Iran to coerce Obama into attacking Iran, even if Iran has not decided to build nukes?
&
James Canning says:
August 22, 2012 at 1:39 pm
In your view, would Iran “deny its own sovereignty” if it agreed to stop enriching to 20?
*
Like I said, James, and I quote:
“OK, now you can proceed not to answer the question, and re-frame the issue, like any Weasel worth his salt would do. Remember, it is your *own* question! Or just ignore it. Either way, I’m sorry, but you leave yourself no credibility.”
It seems obvious to me (It has from almost the beginning of when you started your preposterous stance on the 20% issue) that you are emotionally, and possibly mentally, incapable of dealing with this issue in a rational manner. You are embarrassing yourself, James. Hence, as far as you are concerned, QED. For your own sake, as well as to stop the interference and static and to increase the signal to noise ration of the site.
*
For the benefit of those who persist in dealing with James as an autonomous and rational subject on this issue, rather than as the word word virus that he has unfortunately become (of the common Weasel variety, alas):
James says, “We would obtain better clarity of you stated your position clearly.”
No, “we” wouldn’t. Better clarity would obtain if our Lord and Saheb used Q-tips once every, oh, decade or so. Could I have been any clearer than: “It’s about sovereignty, James. Nothing less.” Methought not then, and methinks not now.
There is a debate process. There is a dialectical process. And, behold, there is engaging the Gavner Word Virus.
Don Bacon,
RE: August 22, 2012 at 11:08 am post
A very useful and constructive comparison. Thank you.
Karim says: August 20, 2012 at 9:30 pm
Karim,
“US, as a consumer of oil…” can bugger off to its own region and consume its own oil. you suffer from a slave mentality. being a consumer of oil does not give them the right to invade other countries half way across the world.
shopping, like a consumer would be the right way to protect american interests. causing war and hate and military costs just does not seem strategic or civilised.
Re. the shah, of course the US wanted to weaken both the shah and saddam, and it has not stopped ever since. this divide and rule american foreign policy characteristic is the essence of what the Leveretts are fighting against (as i understand them).
imperialism is the US game. except the new boys in Iran are far better at fighting back. let the shah rest in peace. he had his moments (like a great land reform programme), but times have changed. and we would also probably agree that his survivors are not of the required calibre.
As for the Persian Gulf – heck, let’s say the region – I would rather it was the Islamic Republic of Iran, rather than the Americans or the Saudis or the Israelis ‘dominating the region’ as you put it. That is purely on moral grounds. In fact, USA is as much of a ‘dictatorship’ as Iran today, if not more. look at their incarceration rates.
But you got the story all wrong. No one is planning to dominate the ‘oil region’ in such a way, and no one would tolerate it anyhow. that’s not the plan. it’s a contest among near-equals, with Iran holding some advantage in size and capacity, and Far more than it ever used to at the shah’s time. but Iran’s advantages are not overwhelming. so there won’t even be an attempt to ‘dominate’. you got Iran mixed up with those who don’t understand the meaning of ‘soveriegnty’.
my reading of the situation is that the NAM are like that stealth operator that won’t be really taken any notice of till it’s too late to stop its impact.
a great deal of what the NAM stands for is in actuality practiced and led by Iran today. credit where it’s due.
The western-sponsored bloody insugency in Syria is US-Israel’s first phase in future attack on the Islamic Republic. Judging by Zionist Lobby’s past record – the anti-Resistance forces will not rest until they break the weakest link within the “Axis of Resistance (Iran-Hizbullah-Syria)”. However, post-Bashar al-Assad Syria will be worse than post-Qaddafi Libya. And this what Israel is aiming for.
In July 2012, Gabriel M. Scheinmann, a visiting Fellow at the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA), admitted that the Zionist entity is in fact the winner of the so-called “Arab Spring”.
In June 2012, in an interview with RT – Lebanon’s interior minister, retired Maj. Gen. Marwan Charbel (a choice of country’s Christian president Gen. Michel Suleiman) had claimed that the Zionist entity is the only country which has benefitted from the Arab Spring.
As an admirer of Muslim Brotherhood’s founder Imam Hassan al-Banna and MB’s most illustrious leader, Sayyed Qutb – I also doubt if Dr. Morsi is a genuine Islamist who will listen to the wishes of Egyptian majority. I believe, Dr. Morsi is playing a game of ‘musical chairs’ on behalf of US and Israel.
http://rehmat1.com/2012/08/16/morsi-coup-a-game-of-musical-chairs/
Jay,
I do not argue that the US and the EU are reacting “defensively” to a “threat” from Iran. I say that enemies of Iran have an easier time injuring Iran, because of actions taken by Iran. Iran in effect helps the numerous stooges of the ISRAEL LOBBY in the US Congress, to injure Iran.
Jay,
The many stooges of the ISRAEL LOBBY in the US Congress will of course do what they can to injure Iran. As long as Iran is unfriendly toward Israel.
But Iran clearly is foolish to defy the wishes of Russia and China. Foolish. Even if you welcome such defiance, apparently.
Good for Egypt. I am surprised that Iraq was not invited to join the group. Hopefully, both Iraq and Egypt will continue to main their independence and at same time promote their democratic institutions. Iranian people will be inspired by such developments in these two countries. They will see that an independent country does not have to be a serial human right violator.
ToivoS,
Saudi Arabia has much to gain from Cairo’s and Tehran’s middle ground aspirations for the region. It is time for the people of Najd to stop being children and proceed to take control of their own destiny. Do they really need any proof that America and Apartheid Israel do not recognize their best national interests? “Peace” is not on America’s agenda.
When push comes to shove, don’t the Saudis know we Americans will drop them like an axe, and then proceed to prosecute the royal family for financially supporting the terrorists who produced 9/11?
Are they lackeys or leaders? I guess we shall see.
Unknown Unknowns says:
August 22, 2012 at 6:02 am
UU,
Forgive me for jumping in the middle of the conversation between you and James, but I felt obliged to point out to James the obvious once again.
The form in which James asks his question posits a flawed assumption – one that you indirectly point to in your response by amending his question (sovereignty).
The notion that the EU+US “defensively react” to “actions” by Iran is an unproven assertion. It is equally correct to posit that EU+US use any action by Iran as a basis to react aggressively. In this context the question posed by James is devoid of content.
As a good friend once told me, “Do you know how much sh– goes on every day in a country of 75m? Heck, they can make flying homing pigeons look menacing and slap a sanction on it!”
If we had not seen a precedent then it would have been hard for us to imagine anyone defying US (read the west) and get a way with it. I have personally seen this mental block (i call it mental-constipation) in Africans. Nearly every person i’ve ever talked to holds this view. William Blum correctly identified it as killing hope (the name of his book): People conclude that its futile to chart a different course than that prescribed by our masters because all previous efforts have failed (Lumumba, Nkuruma etc). Blum is not the only one, Ibn Khaldun equally explained it in his book al-Mukhadima.
An informed mind wouldn’t agree. For example, while we are focused on Iran, Venezuela has charted a course that’s nearly irreversible. These changes are not cosmetics.They have managed to create south American institutions that have excluded Washington, by-passing the dollar and reversing neon-liberalism. I cant explain everything here. But what Venezuela has done, Africans have been trying to do for the last … Its not only Venezuela, almost all countries in south America have defied Washington.Correa’s granting of Asylum to Asange is not cosmetic!
Therefore, we may be skeptical about Morsi’s course, but trust me, this could be the beginning of a new Egypt.Indeed short of the Military taking over or … (you guess), Washington may have already lost before it has even blinked!
While this is good for the ME’s, its still gloom for Africans in general.We have no idea where the world is heading and we are still stuck in colonial-cold-war-erra!!
“Planned war on Iran and the General who said No!”
http://www.presstv.com/detail/2012/08/22/257558/iran-war-and-the-general-who-said-no/
I think Egypt is doing Saudi Arabia a good service, by trying to include Iran in a group of countries that would seek a negotiated end to the civil war in Syria.
Unknown Unknowns,
We would obtain better clarity of you stated your position clearly.
In your view, would Iran “deny its own sovereignty” if it agreed to stop enriching to 20?
Unknown Unknowns,
Is it fair to say you think Iran has no option but to make it easier for enemies of Iran to coerce Obama into attacking Iran, even if Iran has not decided to build nukes?
Yes, of course, AIPAC and its many stooges in the US Congress want the US to hurt Iran in any way possible, as long as Iran is hostile toward Israel (and willing to give support to Hezbollah and Hamas).
One might note that the Russian FM, Sergei Lavrov, repatedly has said Iran should be included in any group of countries trying to end the civil war in Syria.
fyi says, “The name should be transliterated as “Mursi”.”
No it shouldn’t. The ridiculous “romanization” protocol which makes people think that is a concoction of the Librarian of Congress, whose system of transliteration is pitiful, and needs to change. It has called all manner of absurdities. The bedamned librarian has made two glaring errors, (1) using the u for the zamma or dhamma instead of the o, which is how it is actually pronounced (the waw is pronounced as a u). This error has lead to the ridiculous mis-spelling of Moslem as Muslim, which makes people want to pronounce it as Mooslem. The straight of Hormoz is another casulaty. The librarian’s protocol has it as Hormuz, again forcing people to mispronounce it as Hormooz. For some reason the error is not repeated twice, as it should be for consistency’s sake: Hurmuz. The other one is the fatha, which is transliterated by i rather than e, so we get Muslim rather than Moslem, or Hafiz rather than Hafez. I once corrected some poor American “Hafeez” fan. It was difficult for him to accept the correct pronounciation of the great man’s name. Thanks, Librarian. For nothing. Its actually the orientalist academics’ fault. After all, what the hell does a freakin’ librarian know (other than the Dewey decimal system- which, don’t get me started on THAT!)
So, repeat after me: Moslem, Hormoz, Hafez!
ToivoS, why do you call it “the most original analyses”. What’s “original” about it? Or for that matter, what’s “original” about the article by Bhadrakumar? I don’t understand. A ‘contested’ interpretation, I would understand, or a ‘suppressed’ or ‘rarely considered’ interpretation, but why ‘original’?
Isn’t this interpretation pretty straight forward, and in line with what could have been expected?
According to some news, only 30 states of some 125 states will send top officials to the meeting at NAM.
Rather than focus on the differences between Iran and Saudi Arabia, it would be more productive to focus on their shared efforts.
Morsi’s call for the creation of a regional contact group on Syria, to include the Islamic Republic of Iran along with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey is completely in line with both King Abdullah’s and President Ahmadinejad’s stated objectives.
So asking “Will the new Egypt orient toward Saudi Arabia or Tehran?” is counter-productive. Better to ask: How best to promote Islamic unity in the Middle East? with the side benefit of shaking loose from Western hegemony.
As in that old depression-era song by Johnny Mercer:
You got to accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
And latch on to the affirmative
Don’t mess with Mister In-Between
No, don’t mess with Mister In-Between
from Saudi Arabia:
(MENAFN – Arab News) THE late King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz ordered in1424H (August 2003) the establishment of King Abdul Aziz Center for National Dialogue.
Since its formation the center has been trying to create a suitable atmosphere for dialogue between various groups of the society, to realize pubic interests and strengthen national unity and integration, based on Islam.
This was followed by a conference, called by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah on 12/11/1429H (2008), to promote dialogue between the followers of different faiths and cultures under the patronage of the United Nations, which was attended by several leaders of Arab, Muslim and European countries.
The dialogue conference in New York was the continuation of a similar conference held in the Spanish capital Madrid, and the international Islamic dialogue conference in Makkah. All these conferences were supported by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah. The Makkah conference attended by prominent Islamic scholars and leaders from around the world set the basis for dialogue to reach mutual understanding among people of different faith.
The objective of the conference was to achieve happiness, justice, peace and security and enhance mutual understanding and coexistence among nations and their people. It also called for the promotion of a dialogue culture, spreading of virtue and wisdom, rejecting extremism and terrorism, giving importance to family values and spreading moral values ​​shared by the three monotheistic religions.
http://www.menafn.com/menafn/1093548462/Saudi-King-Abdullahs-dialogue-initiative
King Abdullah and President Ahmadinejad sat side-by-side in Mecca recently.
King Abdullah: In his inaugural speech at the two-day extraordinary Islamic Solidarity Summit here, King Abdullah said the Muslim Ummah was going through a ‘period of seditions and divisions’. He said there was bloodshed in many parts of the Muslim world during Ramadan. The solution to these conflicts is unity, tolerance, solidarity and moderation, the King said. “We have to unite against any attempts to divide us. We can defeat injustice only when we are just. We can counter extremism only when we are moderate,” the King said.
President Ahmadinejad: “Today, all of us have entered into a plan without realizing it, a plan that has been devised by the enemy. We are showing hostility toward each other without any clear reason and perhaps based on false information and under various personal, ethnic, historical, and even religious pretexts. And, as it is obvious, we have been providing the enemy the best opportunities for free, and material, media, and military resources are being used against each other, and media warfare has reached its climax.”
All:
The name should be transliterated as “Mursi”.
Hah, I just saw that IAEA (meaning US and EU) now want talks again with Iran this week. Its always like this, after escalated threats from Israel the US, EU get worried and run to the table for talks.
James Canning says:
August 21, 2012 at 1:43 pm
Unknown Unknowns,
Yes, Iran and the people of Iran have many gripes about American behavior in the Middle East, and elsewhere. Does this fact mean it makes sense for Iran to facilitate the schemes of enemies of Iran? Simple question.
*
Against my better judgment, James, as I really do believe that it is well-nigh impossible to teach an old lapdog new tricks, I will attempt a dialogue by amending your question and asking you to answer it yourself:
Does this fact mean it makes sense for Iran to facilitate the schemes of enemies of Iran, even if those “schemes” entail denying Iran its sovereignty?
It’s about sovereignty, James. Nothing less. I do believe that Iran is the only Islamic nation with any sovereignty (and strategic depth) in the Islamic world, which of course is the reason it is being targeted. Do you believe that nations have a right to sovereignty? Because that is what it comes down to.
OK, now you can proceed not to answer the question, and re-frame the issue, like any Weasel worth his salt would do. Remember, it is your *own* question! Or just ignore it. Either way, I’m sorry, but you leave yourself no credibility. And if you answer in the affirmative, then what are you going on about? Stockpiling 20% U is our sovereign right. Or is it that you grant that, but maintain that it is a tactical or even a strategic blunder. Is that it?
Well, even there you would be wrong. The Mousavi-Rafsanjani-Khatami axis tried the path of appeasement for two decades. As your buddy Chamberlain could have told you, appeasement simply emboldens the bully. Besides, it has done wonders for our economy. Not in the short term, but in the long run. It is not about how many billions of petrodollars we have or have not lost. It is about whether or not we are going in the right direction in weaning ourselves off the oil-export economy as established by British Petroleum (FKA Anglo-Iranian Oil Co), and perpetuated by the Pahlavi and Rafsanjani clans. And the fact is that when Khatami left office, out non-oil exports were at $6 B. per annum, whereas they are at $60 B annually now, and rising. Factor that little metric into your equation, Gavner. Not to mention all the ripple effects, which are actually much, much more valuable.
If a transition is in place in Syria, that protects Syria’s national interests, and is fair and calm-minded, I’m sure Assad would take it, and quietly leave politics.
Flynt and Hillary, congratulations yet again. You guys do come up with the most original analyses (or in this case, identifying one original analysis). Of course, even if this is Morsi’s intentions, the US and SA will be working furiously behind the scenes to subvert these policy changes. They may succeed but that does not detract from your insights at this point in time.