Iran has been busy yet again. Between a new Uranium Enrichment Plant and new military manuevours, it is clear that Iran is trying to assert its' military might. The talks coming up on October 1 is going to be pivotal. What is bothersome is how Iran seems to be forgetting what is important vs. what is imperative. The U.S. seemed to have known before Iran voluntarily notified the IAEA. The Iranian Political leadership's crediblity is non-existent. I would love to be a fly on the wall to see what Saeed Jalili, Iran's Point man on the nuclear negotations, will do to talk Iran out of this latest fiasco.
It has been a very busy week-end. There is of course Burma and the fact that Jim Webb got to see the Pro-Democracy Leader and the Chief Thug who runs Burma today. There is the burning debate over healthcare that dominated the airwaves over the week-end on U.S Sunday Talk Show Circuit. There was of course Afghanistan and the upcoming election. And last, but no tleast, there is of course Iran.
Here was a sampling of the debate over healthcare:
As I listened to this broadcast, I was laughing as I saw Rachel Maddow go after Dick Armey in a big way. She did quite a job to expose the extent of the hyprocacy that has gone on behind the attempt to derail healthcare reform. I also continue to be very surprised at Chuck Grassley's pronoucements about "pulling the plug on grandma". Not withstanding the "joke of the day", the fact does remain that healthcare reform will be substantially watered down and the only ones winning will end up being the Insurance companies. This is an unfortunate tragedy, especially in light of all the misnformation about the British National Health Service and the Canadian Health Service which was used as a strawman by organizations like American For Prosperity and others. Healthcare will continue to be a privilege, not a right until such time as the courage is mustered to overcome it.
Moving on to halfway around the world, there is Afghanistan. I wrote on the attack in Kabul near the US Embassy and ISAF headquarters. It shows the extent of the reach of the Taliban. Elections are on Thursday. I would be keen to see who wins. As for Iran, The new Government is slated to be announced. But the repression continues. Mehdi Karoubi's Paper, Eteemad Meli, has been temporarily suspended by Tehran's Prosecutor. The question that has to be asked from the Government is this: What are they afraid of? Why can't they tolerate any opposition? The formal rollout of the Government on Wednesday should be quite a show in the Parliament, though.
As I write this, South Africa is marking Jacob Zuma's 100 Days in Office. I have had my doubts and have written about it. There are profound challenges that Mr. Zuma has to deal with. South Africa is important because it is the key country is Africa and as goes South Africa, so goes the continent. Between Crime and the continued challenges with the economy, it remains to be seen as to what he will navigate through the challenges of the global financial crisis. There is of course the continued instability in Southern Russia. A suicide bomber attacked a Police Station in the Russian Republic of Ingushetia. So, this facade of stability that Putin worked so hard to create continues to be shattered by the day. As the new work day began, there was some good news: Japan has emerged from its' recession. Earlier, Germany and France emerged from their recession as well. But it is still very early to break out the champagne, though.
There was also another piece of news that is quite bothersome. An analysis of banknotes in Washington D.C. shows that 95% of all the currency have had some traces of Cocaine. If this is not an indicement of the scourge of drugs in America, I don't know what is. China had the lowest: 12%.
This was just the week-end. I can't wait to see what the week has in store.
Iran's struggle to be free continues. I have not seen any updates from either Mr. Mousavi or Mr. Khatami in a number of hours. But citizens journalists are continuing their nonstop grassroot efforts. The struggle for the voices to be heard continues.
What I feared in fact has happened. The regime has shot its way into short term survival. Arrests have continued unabatted. Some have been released. But, people are worried. I received an email from an acquantiance that the official who revealed Mousavi's win had been killed in an auto accident. This assertion cannot be confirmed. The video showing Neda's death became a symbol. It has become a rallying point for all who understand that change is in the air. The fact that the brutality of the regime was shown is a sign to the world that there is no going back
A new day is beginning in Tehran. The stories of the brutality are just sickening. I just received word from one person whose intergrity is beyond reproach. At a hospital in Tehran, the number of people with broken bones and bodies were too much to count. There were also five persons confirmed dead at the same hospital. Another eyewitness tells of wanting to help an old woman who was beaten by the regime's goons and was threatened to be shot if he did not move on. Such is the state of things in Iran right now.
Khameini made a conscious decision to shoot his way to preservation. This decision has betrayed the very Constitution he fought for, the beliefs that he has as a clergy for the sake of power. He and his side kick, idiotnejad, view their right to govern as "divine". That "divine" right was gone forever when they decided to shoot on people who only wanted to speak up for their rights. They seem to forget one little factor: The people of Iran
As I write this, the official results are being announced by the Ministry of the Interior. What has been reported by the Interior Ministry is quite remarkable. The Al Jazeera correspodent is reporting that the Incubment President has gotten over 24,000,000 Votes (some 64% of the vote). There are reports that The incumbent has even won in the City of Tabriz, Mr. Mousavi's Hometown. What is even more strange is that the results were announced as the voting continued to go on. I wonder what happened to all the votes of the Iranian ex-pats who voted in some 133 countries. But, there are still a few other steps that need to be taken before the "official" results are announced. So, this drama will play itself out for a while yet
As I continue to assess the aftermath of Mr. Obama's Speech, I was particuarly keen to find out the official reaction of the Iranian Government now that the speech was actually given. I have not seen any indication of an "official" response yet. The world hopefully realizes that Iran is in the midst of an election.
There were some crucial elements of the speech that should truly be noted as a change for Iran. There was an acknowledgement of the role the United States played in the overthrow of Dr. Mohammad Mossadeq in 1953. The CIA spent 700,000 Dollars to bring back the Shah. This is a historical fact and is not in dispute. Furthermore, the President went further by noting Iran's right to nuclear energy. This should also be appealing to the Iranian Government. But he did also note that Iran's record is not pristine either. The 1979 hostage crisis is one of the darkest chapters in Iranian history. Mr. Khatami did apologize for this and the so-called students who took over the embassy came out in the 90's to acknowledge the historical mistake. There is general consesus that this move helped to consolidate and preseve the Islamic Republic during its' most unstable time
I have been assessing the reaction to Mr. Obama speech throughout the day. These are two images of people tuned in throughout the Muslim World (Source: The BBC):
:Will the People be Allowed to make their choice known?
Iran's Election is coming up. I have written here about the candidacy of Mir Hossein Mossavi, the Former Prime Minister who is vying to replace the current President. He held a press conference earlier this week in Tehran, where he vowed to end "extremism". I was also quite gratified when I saw his committment to pursue what he termed as "detente" with the west. He noted that, "..we have to make a lot of effort to gain the world's trust once again.". I find this a powerful statement from a pillar of the establishment who was a key figure during the War with Iraq. He is known as an honest and efficient manager who kept the country together during those trying years.
The unknown quantity here is the Supreme Leader Ali Khameini. I listened to his New Year Message in the City of Mashad, when he spoke out after Barack Obama's New Year Message. He said that he is only one man and has one vote and will note support any candidate. He said that he saw his role as supporting the Government of the Day. I hope that he would truly live up to this committment. Although Iranians are a proud nation with a rich history, they are also patient. If they were not patient, they would not put up with all that they have had to endure over the past thirty years
Mrs. Clinton has now been confirmed as Secretary of State. I am anxiously some truly earth-shattering annoucements on the foreign policy front over the ensuingd days. I am very, very excited about George Mitchell being appointed Middle East Envoy. The man helped bring peace to Northern Ireland. Although his record on the Middle East was not as effective, I still think he can do wonders. I also do fondly remember how he put Baseball on a solid footing after the scandals that has engulfed Roger Clemens, Mark McGuire and many others. I view it as a sign of things to come
Mike Pouraryan
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