On administration policy and the pronouncements of Robert Gates: remember that we do indeed have a national interest in the Persian Gulf region. Given that the Iranians have basically spit on Obama’s (albeit tepid) overtures so far, we have to maintain a firm posture toward this regime. The Iranians are no different from any other people: they respect strength and have contempt for weakness. We are not going to achieve a rapprochement with Iran by having a flaccid policy towards a very tough and so far unresponsive regime. We are currently paying for a host of mistakes in our Iran policy going back to 1953. Certainly, given that history, we need to be rather more humble than we’ve been so far. But the Iranians will have to meet us halfway.

After all, it was only a short eight months ago that we had this post from Andrew at “The Daily Dish,”

14 Jun 2009 06:58 pm
Ahmadinejad’s Useful Idiot

“Stephen Hayes tackles Flynt Leverett”

In this post, the Leveretts have told Andrew that they don’t intend to come across as callous. I wonder what their response is to Andrew’s characterization of Flynt as the “useful idiot” of the Iranian regime.

Skillfully orchestrated by the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution under the direction of former Clinton diplomat Martin Indyk, over 1,000 Muslim and American public and private sector leaders are here — sort of an Islamic world version of Davos.

2. Saban Center was established by Haim Saban, billionaire Israeli American communications tycoon www dotynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3268868,00.html, who is also a major donor to the Clintons and was especially supportive of HRC’s New York senate campaign. Martin Indyk is a neocon Australian Israeli American. Both Saban and Indyk have strong ties to Israel.

3. Speeches at Manama Dialog are useful tools for assessing US intentions and designs in the Middle East. In 2007, Robert Gates reminded Dialog participants that US had acted against Iran during Iraq’s war on Iran, and reaffirmed that the Carter Doctrine was still firmly in place:

“the formulation of the “Carter Doctrine,” based on the tenet that America would do what was necessary to defend our vital interests in the Gulf – a policy adopted by subsequent presidents that ultimately led to the creation of the United States Central Command;
# During the late 1980s, the U.S. stood with Bahrain and other members of the GCC to protect tanker ships and keep vital sea lanes open;”

After a full-throated blast at Iran that painted Iran in colors more appropriate to certain other hyper-aggressive Middle East (and Western) states, Gates donned his salesman’s hat:

Defense cooperation discussions in the Dialogue specifically addressed issues such as shared early warning, cooperative air and missile defense, and maritime security awareness.

Initiatives like the Bilateral Air Defense Initiative could become a stepping stone to a multilateral effort to develop regional air and missile defense systems that would provide more comprehensive coverage, a regional protective – defensive – umbrella. We should bear in mind the deterrent effect such a system would have. If the chances of a successful attack are greatly reduced, then so too is the value of pursuing offensive weapons systems and delivery systems.

Maritime security awareness might include developing a maritime surface picture and standard operating procedures against seaborne threats, such as terrorism, piracy, narcotics trafficking, and smuggling.

In subsequent Dialogs, Robert Gates and David Petraeus assumed the role of salesmen-in-chief for the military-industrial-congressional-Israeli complex, attempting to gin up an arms race on the Arab peninsula.

2008: At the 2008 Manama Dialog, Gates told the assembly:

“the Gulf states need to put more diplomatic and economic pressure on Iran to stop its funding and training of extremist groups, its meddling in the rebuilding of Iraq and pursuit of a nuclear program.

“The last thing this region – or the world – needs is a nuclear arms race in the Middle East,” he said.

Helping rebuild Iraq will, in effect, help limit Iranian influence regionally and nationally, he said.

with the next breath, Gates continued:

“Gates said encouraged greater cooperation in the Gulf specifically in the areas of air and maritime security. …

Gates called the past year’s progress toward such defenses in the Middle East significant, and praised the efforts of the nations there that are buying or are considering a shared early warning system to help defend against air or missile attacks.”

www dot defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=52314

2009: Following up on Gates’ 2008 sales pitch, David Petraeus spoke to the same group last December in Bahrain:
www dot npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121498041

“U.S. officials, meanwhile, applauded the recent arms buildup in nearby Arab states as something that should be accelerated. …
In his public remarks, General David Petraeus, head of the U.S. Central Command, urged Gulf leaders to beef up their weapons systems and cooperate more on security matters. He said America was feeling more welcome in this part of the world than it had for some time, largely because of worries about Iran. Petraeus said the United Arab Emirates alone in the past year had done $18 billion worth of business with the U.S., half of that coming in military purchases.

General DAVID PETRAEUS (U.S. Central Command): There’s a reason that they’re buying U.S., and we think it’s because the products are quite good. In fact, the fact is that because of those purchases and because of training and assistance and some great investment in human capital in the Emirates, the Emirati air force itself could take out the entire Iranian air force, I believe.

KENYON: Comments such as those reminded delegates that fears over Iran’s nuclear program have done more than raise the prospect of a Mideast arms race. The question now seems to be where will it stop.

After at least three years of alternately stroking and scaring Gulf States treasurers with the boogey-man threat of Iran, Petraeus was pleased to announce that the cash had started to flow into US defense industry coffers.
Mission accomplished.

round one goes to Turkey

Fight broke out at Erdogan-Clinton meeting

An ugly incident occurred at Erdogan-Clinton meeting on February 14, CNNturk reports.
When the scheduled 20 minutes ran out, U.S. Ambassador to Qatar entered the room and warned U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton it is time to close the meeting, as she would be late for the meeting with Emir of Qatar. In responde to this, adviser to Turkish PM said: “It is not for you to judge the importance of our meeting, you offend our country.”

Thereafter, the high-ranking officials fought hand to hand and were hardly pulled apart. The infuriated Ambassador left the room slamming the door.

As NEWS.am reported previously, Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met in the capital of Qatar-Doha. The officials discussed Iran’s nuke program, Armenia-Turkey relations, Cyprus dispute and Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Erdogan noted that Turkey fulfilled the assumed commitments, however RA Constitutional Court’s judgment on the Protocols might negatively affect the process. He outlined that Armenia-Turkey reconciliation is possible with establishment of peace in Caucasus, consequently, it is necessary for OSCE MG to intensify its efforts. Despite the difficulties, Armenia-Turkey normalization process is very beneficial, Clinton emphasized.

The “previliged” in Iran are the Bassij/IRGC who are guaranteed entrance to Universities, jobs, loans, and recently, free car, pay for beating up people with chains and clubs.

“previliged” are the Mullahs, IRCG generals and their children with astronomical bank accounts.

“Previliged” are the Bazaris (rich upscale residents in the North)with connections to the regime and the money to “oil the gov’t’s mustache”.

You are not Iranian. let me educate you who greens are: The bulk of Greens are Iranians under 30 who see no future for themselves in their own country. Inflation, No jobs, no freedom to live or think, and no respect. For most young Iranians it is harder and harder to make ends meet, start your own family, shelter and feed your kids and buy or rent them a house. There is no future for them. All they have is an economy that looks bleak as far as the eye can see, and a gov’t cares more for palestinins and Lebanese than its own people.

And they want change.

First, numerous officials and religious leaders called for blood. They demanded that protesters and political activists be treated as enemies of God and put to death. That would send a chilling message that the regime would not hesitate to kill its critics even for non-violent protest. And two weeks before 22 Bahman, Rahmanipour and Alizamani were executed and another dozen or so received the death sentence, and await final decision. Meanwhile more moderate newspapers were shut down, several more activists and potential trouble makers were arrested, and massive efforts were made to encourage hardcore religious followers to show their loyalty with their presence on 22 Bahman.

But the biggest preparation was on the security front. Thousands of riot police were deployed in a massive show of force (don’t say martial law). This time they would not make the mistake of moving in small units, which made them vulnerable to attacks by rock-throwing protesters, but instead in intimidating groups of hundreds.,,more

http://iranian.com/main/blog/jahanshah-javid/22-baatoon

8:14 AM

Thirty years of Islamic fundamentalist rule, however, have generated significant political opposition throughout Iran. This has gradually coalesced into the Green Movement that has been on display since the June 2009 presidential election. In contrast to the Revolution of 1979, what the world has been watching for the past eight months is a movement that seeks a democratic transition to a government that respects pluralism and human rights. While this has been taking place, the focus of the U.S. government and most of the media remains on Iran’s nuclear program and the possible dangers it poses for the world….

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2010/02/akbar-ganji-on-post-imperialism-in-iran.html