A 48-year-old man who has not used money in nine years and resides in a desert cave in Moab, Utah, said he loves his simple existence.A 48-year-old man who has not used money in nine years and resides in a desert cave in... more
UN atomic watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei said this past week that UN experts found "nothing to be worried about" during their first inspection of a previously secret uranium enrichment site in Iran.UN atomic watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei said this past week that UN experts found... more
Boomgen TV is a new news service that reports the news from inside Iran in English on daily basis. Here is the report no. 25.Boomgen TV is a new news service that reports the news from inside Iran in English on... more
TEHRAN (Reuters) – Newly re-elected President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Thursday his next government "would bring down the global arrogance," signaling a tougher approach by Tehran toward the West after last month's disputed election.
Ahmadinejad, in his first provincial trip after the June 12 presidential vote, said Iran's enemies had tried to interfere and foment aggression in the country, referring to mass opposition protests against the official election result.
The hardline president, who often rails against the West, said the Islamic Republic wanted "logic and negotiations" but that Western powers had insulted the Iranian nation and should apologize.
"As soon as the new government is established, with power and authority, ten times more than before, it will enter the global scene and will bring down the global arrogance," he told a big crowd in the northeastern city of Mashhad.
"They should wait as a new wave of revolutionary thinking ... from the Iranian nation is on the way and we will not allow the arrogant (powers) to even have one night of good sleep," Ahmadinejad said, according to state broadcaster IRIB.
"In this recent election the enemy tried to bring the battlefront to the interior of this country," Ahmadinejad said.
"But I have told the enemies ... that this nation ... will strike you in the face so hard you will lose your way home," he said in comments translated by English-language Press TV.
more at link...TEHRAN (Reuters) – Newly re-elected President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Thursday... more
Persians are known for their poetry. So it is not surprising that following Iran's disputed elections, many Iranians have tweeted poetically. Meet 26-year-old Parham Baghestani, whose tweets range from the mundane to the spiritual.Persians are known for their poetry. So it is not surprising that following Iran's... more
The jokes popped up almost immediately that Mark Sanford was the luckiest guy on Earth after word broke that Michael Jackson had suffered a heart attack. But the notion that Jackson's death, which preempted virtually all other news coverage on the cable networks last night, is sucking up media attention from other matters carries a dark edge to it as well. National security experts are warning that without sustained attention on Iran, its repressive tactics could grow more deadly in the coming days.
The Jackson story, paired with Farrah Fawcett's death and Sanford's own scandal, "without a doubt" poses a danger in Iran, according to Michael Rubin, an American Enterprise Institute scholar and former Bush administration official.The jokes popped up almost immediately that Mark Sanford was the luckiest guy on Earth... more
Iranian-American journalist Hooman Majd separates facts from fantasies about the Iranian protests
"A friend once told me that I was the only person he knew who was both 100 percent American and 100 percent Iranian," writes Hooman Majd in his book on Iranian culture, "The Ayatollah Begs to Differ: The Paradox of Modern Iran."
The consummate insider and outsider, Majd served as the English-language translator for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's now infamous 2006 speech at the United Nations, and also wrote about the experience for the New York Observer.
The son of an Iranian diplomat under the shah, and grandson of a powerful ayatollah, Majd grew up mainly in the United States where he worked for many years in the entertainment industry before launching his career as a journalist and author. Although openly linked with the reformists -- he wore green Iranian slippers on Bill Maher's program last week and has also translated for former President Mohammed Khatami (to whom he is related by marriage) -- Majd's views on Iran are distinguished by their nuance and fierce independence. Indeed, in his status as a sophisticated global citizen and Iranian American sympathetic to the core ideals of the Islamic Republic, he embodies the paradox of contemporary Iran that is the subject of his book.
Majd was in Iran in April for a recent Newsweek cover story about his journey from his ancestral home of Yazd through the Iranian heartland to the sprawling capital city of Tehran. He returned again in May during the run-up to the elections and has since been in daily contact with friends and family about the crisis in the country from his home in New York City.
Salon spoke to Majd (who has been a regular contributor to these pages) by phone about whether or not the Ahmadinejad victory was rigged (yes), what reform candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi really wants (Islamic democracy), and why the neocons are Ahmadinejad's best friend.
How are you getting most of your news? From family? Are you following Twitter?
I'm not following Twitter so much. I get reports from people I trust and the media to the extent they are covering it. The rest is all from family and friends in Tehran. They tell me what they feel and what they know, as much as they can. People have to be careful with phones given since many phones are tapped now. I speak to Tehran at least once a day.Iranian-American journalist Hooman Majd separates facts from fantasies about the... more
Hanna, thank you for the necessary astringency of your last post about the "Neda" video and the construction of a martyr mythology in the blogosphere’s reporting on Iran. I haven’t been able to bring myself to watch the entire unedited Neda video on YouTube; it feels too close to a snuff movie. Assuming this graphic clip really does document a young woman’s death at the hands of paramilitary snipers—something we lack the reporting to confirm—what gives us the right to watch it and forward to and fro as proof of our solidarity with the forces of democracy and reform in Iran (something that, as you point out, Mousavi is far from representing)? I wouldn’t want my own death, or that of someone I loved, to be instrumentalized in that way. (We don't, for example, treat the deaths of U.S. soliders abroad as YouTube-able moments.) And the fact that “Neda” is a young and pretty woman somehow adds to the ickiness of disseminating the scene of her murder (if that is indeed what the clip shows) as a propaganda tool.Hanna, thank you for the necessary astringency of your last post about the "Neda"... more
In the ten days since Iran's disputed presidential election, street demonstrations have taken place every day. Iranian citizens, supporters of opposition candidates, continue to take to the streets and document what they encounter there, despite explicit government bans, the danger of arrest (many hundreds placed in custody), or possible physical harm (at least 19 deaths so far). Iranian officials maintain their stance that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was the undisputed winner, and have increased restrictions and pressure on opposition members, protesters, foreign media and communication networks as they work to regain control.In the ten days since Iran's disputed presidential election, street demonstrations... more
Iran's revolution has now run through a full cycle. A gruesomely captivating video of a young woman - laid out on a Tehran street after apparently being shot, blood pouring from her mouth and then across her face - swept Twitter, Facebook and other websites this weekend. The woman rapidly became a symbol of Iran's escalating crisis, from a political confrontation to far more ominous physical clashes. Some sites refer to her as "Neda," Farsi for the voice or the call. Tributes that incorporate startlingly upclose footage of her dying have started to spring up on YouTube.
Although it is not yet clear who shot "Neda" (a soldier? pro-government militant? an accidental misfiring?), her death may have changed everything...
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Read The rest at the link (Provided by TIME via Yahoo) http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/08599190604900
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Pericles_Lewnes
Twitter User: loopmovieIran's revolution has now run through a full cycle. A gruesomely captivating video of... more
6.44pm: Here is some grainy but fantastic footage of the march to Imam Khomeini square in Tehran, from 5 pm Iranian time. You can hear the crowd chanting "Ya Hossein! Mir Hossein!" 6.40pm: Just after 10 pm in Iran, Saeed writes that the people are again shouting "Ya Hossein! Mir Hossein!" and "Allah-o-Akbar!" (Arabic for "God is Great!") all across Tehran. 5.24pm: A reader i
(...)chanting "Ya Hossein! Mir Hossein!" 6.40pm: Just after 10 pm in Iran, Saeed writes that the people are again shouting "Ya Hossein! Mir (...)
==============
In the event that the divisive Ahmadinejad were to be dropped and Mousavi became president, his 25-year-long battle with Khamenei can be expected to resume in earnest. That is a strong reason for Khamenei to fight hard to keep him out. But while the warring cousins differ sharply on social issues, there may be more room for an accommodation than many suspect.Iran protests: live
guardian.co.uk, Thursday June 18 2009
Daniel Nasaw and... more
Massive protests, government crackdown, and media blackout—Tehran today sounds like Tiananmen Square two decades ago. But Dan Rather, who covered the China massacre, says the shift in the media landscape over the last two decades means there’s no comparison.
When protests against the official results of Iran’s presidential election were accompanied, almost immediately, by a media crackdown, thoughts turned inevitably to Tiananmen Square. On June 4 of this year, the world marked the 20th anniversary of the Chinese government’s brutal crackdown of the student protests in Beijing. It was a milestone that prompted me to go back over my memories of that time, of covering the remarkable student movement from within the square for CBS News, and of having the government pull the plug on our coverage on the evening of May 20, 1989.
With these memories fresher than they had been for years, the Iranian government’s move to control information within Iran and the information that left Iran brought reflexive associations and deep concerns.Massive protests, government crackdown, and media blackout—Tehran today sounds like... more
Post-election protests continued in Tehran for the fifth day on Wednesday. In many photos, riot police wear uniforms with the English word police on them. Ambulances, too, bear the word ambulance in English. Why not use Persian words instead of their English equivalents?
Because everyone knows English. Like many capital cities, Tehran has its emergency personnel wear markings that are internationally recognizable. Street signs, too, are translated into English, and police cars are generally inscribed in both English and Persian. That makes the city more tourist-friendly without sacrificing clarity for locals. After all, the Persian word for police is the same: polise. (Persian, or Farsi, is an Indo-European language that uses an Arabic script, but people will often use Latin lettering, also known as Penglish or Fingilish, especially when typing or texting.) It's also the same word in French (police), German (polizei), Italian (polizia), Czech (policie), and many other languages. Iranian students are required to take English classes in high school. So using the English word for police actually maximizes the number of people who will understand it.Post-election protests continued in Tehran for the fifth day on Wednesday. In many... more
yOU CAN ALL READ THIS BOOK ON HERE AND YOU CAN ALL USE IT TO DEBATE AGAINST THE ENORMOUS PROPAGANDA IN OUR MEDIA, AND ON CURRENT.COM
=================
THE ISRAEL LOBBY AND U.S. FOREIGN POLICY
John J. Mearsheimer
Department of Political Science
University of Chicago
Stephen M. Walt
John F. Kennedy School of Government
Harvard University
March 2006 RWP06‐011
----
The two authors of this Working Paper are solely responsible for the views expressed in it. As academic institutions, Harvard University and the University of Chicago do not take positions on the scholarship of individual faculty, and this article should not be interpreted or portrayed as reflecting the official position of either institution.
An edited and reworked version of this paper was published in the
London Review of Books Vol. 28, No. 6 (March 23, 2006), and is available online at www.lrb.co.uk
THE ISRAEL LOBBY AND U.S. FOREIGN POLICY
U.S. foreign policy shapes events in every corner of the globe. Nowhere is this truer than in the Middle East, a region of recurring instability and enormous strategic importance. Most recently, the Bush Administration's attempt to transform the region into a community of democracies has helped produce a resilient insurgency in Iraq, a sharp rise in world oil prices, and terrorist bombings in Madrid, London, and Amman. With so much at stake for so many, all countries need to understand the forces that drive U.S. Middle East policy.
The U.S. national interest should be the primary object of American foreign policy. For the past several decades, however, and especially since the Six Day War in 1967, the centerpiece of U.S. Middle East policy has been its relationship with Israel. The combination of unwavering U.S. support for Israel and the related effort to spread democracy throughout the region has inflamed Arab and Islamic opinion and jeopardized U.S. security.
This situation has no equal in American political history. Why has the United States been willing to set aside its own security in order to advance the interests of another state? One might assume that the bond between the two countries is based on shared strategic interests or compelling moral imperatives. As we show below, however, neither of those explanations can account for the remarkable level of material and diplomatic support that the United States provides to Israel.
Instead, the overall thrust of U.S. policy in the region is due almost entirely to U
continuedTHE ISRAEL LOBBY AND U.S. FOREIGN POLICY
yOU CAN ALL READ THIS BOOK ON HERE... more
Everything you know about Iran is wrong, or at least more complicated than you think. Take the bomb. The regime wants to be a nuclear power but could well be happy with a peaceful civilian program (which could make the challenge it poses more complex). What's the evidence?Iran: They May Not Want The Bomb
And other unexpected truths.
By Fareed Zakaria... more
Vanunu a traitor ?? or a Hero !! Israel and Iran one has nuclear-power the other does not (yet) Israel and Iran one sells nuclear power the other tries to purchase it Israel and Iran one has done 8 wars in 60 years the other only one in 200 years Israel and Iran one has the backing of the...Israel and Iran
Vanunu a traitor ?? or a Hero !! Israel and Iran one has... more
Tell Obama and Congress:
Sanctions are War! Stop War on Iran!
Add your name to those of over 30 thousand
people who are taking a stand
against another illegal war.
— Sign the Online PetitionOnly the People will stop the war
StopWarOnIran.org
Tell Obama and... more
by Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich(CASMII Columns)
Thursday, April 2, 2009
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I often hear that you care about Iranians; yet your apparent apathy towards Iran’s rich heritage expressed by your silence, one of the hardest arguments to refute, is incomprehensible. Surely the fate of Iran’s historical and cultural heritage, the Persepolis Artifacts which are in the balance and may be awarded to Jenny Rubin and other plaintiffs for damages attributed to Hamas bombs in Jerusalem, in defiance of all international laws, should boil your royal blood?
I write to you in the hope that in the absence of a blatant disregard for international law by your friends, you may use your connections to help salvage what rightfully belongs to Iran and Iranians. Many of the people you know are highly influential in Israel as well as in the United States, in particular some who attended a conference with you in June 2007 in Prague -“Democracy and Security” -- with organizers such as the Adelson Institute for Strategic Studies at the Likudist Shalem Center in Jerusalem.
Going down the list of attendees, Weekly Standard’s editor, William Kristol, who serves on the Shalem’s board of directors (incidentaSilence: An Open Letter to Reza Pahlavi
by Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich(CASMII Columns)... more
* 12th drone strike in 10 weeks targets alleged Taliban compound in South Waziristan
ISLAMABAD: Suspected US drones fired missiles on Sunday into an alleged Taliban compound in South Waziristan, killing at least seven people, security officials said.
The strike targeted a compound about 20 kilometres northeast of Wana, the agency headquarters, the officials said.
“Initial reports say at least seven people were killed in the missile strike, which destroyed the premises,” one senior security official told AFP.
There was no immediate confirmation of the strike from the military or from the US-led coalition in Afghanistan.
The attack is the 12th such incident in the past 10 weeks, all of which have been blamed on US-led coalition forces or CIA drones based in Afghanistan.
On Wednesday, at least eight people were killed when suspected US spy drones fired missiles into a madrassa in North Waziristan set up by veteran Taliban leader Jalaluddin Haqqani, a major target for US forces. The attack occured hours after the parliament passed a unanimous resolution that called for defending Pakistan’s territorial sovereignty. afp
Monday, October 27, 2008
l
7 killed in US drone strike near Wana
*... more
* Gilani says US incursions harming Pakistan’s anti-terror cause
* Govt disassociating tribals from Taliban, encouraging lashkars
By Irfan Ghauri
ISLAMABAD: The government will call back the army and replace it with other law-enforcement agencies after peace is restored in the troubled areas of North West Frontier Province, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Sunday.
He was addressing a news conference after his October 24-25 visit to China, where he attended the 7th Asian Europe Meeting (ASEM) summit in Beijing.
“Army is not a solution. It was sent to deal with emergency situation in the troubled areas and will be replaced with other law-enforcement agencies after it restores peace in these areas,” Gilani said.
He said the government was “disassociating the peace-loving tribesmen from militants” and was encouraging tribesman to form lashkars (volunteer militias) against the Taliban.
US strikes: He said strikes by United States spy planes in Pakistan were hurting Pakistan’s cause and indirectly helping the Taliban.
“We sign agreements that we will not allow unwanted cross-border movement, and this activity still takes place. It is a violation of the agreement,” Gilani said.
“Similarly, when agreements are singed [with the Taliban] that there will be no attacks on security forces, but such incidents still happen, that is also a violation of agreements.”
The premier said Chinese and other international leaders had assured Pakistan of help in tackling its economic problems.
Gilani said he and Indian premier Manmohan Singh resolved to continue the peace process and Singh assured him the Chenab water issue would be resolved in line with the Indus Water Treaty.
An expansion and reshuffle of the federal cabinet was likely soon, he added.
* Gilani says US incursions harming Pakistan’s anti-terror cause
* Govt... more
