The mess of Iran and Dick Cheney Rising. December 4, 2007

Of course the latest newspaper stories are ablaze with the report from National Intelligence Estimate stating that Iran stopped working on nuclear weapons program in 2003. But Mr. Bush has debunked the obvious implications and asserted (Read BBC Story, ”Bush says Iran remains a threat”) that the report mentions Iran’s capability of producing nuclear weapons, so it needs to be checked. Also read, TIME’S ”If North Korea, Why not Iran?”that contrasts Iranian situation with North Korea (I discuss it in the middle of my post)

 

 

This is a totally messy subject and Ahmadinejad’s rhetoric doesn’t help. Sometimes I wonder if Ahmadinejad is getting huge pay checks from Pentagon and Israeli military to keep the air charged with threats and vivid images of looming mushroom clouds? Because if he is not getting paid there is nothing that can explain how can he be so stupid? Here is an excellent New Yorker article that thoroughly analyzes this growing confrontation between Iran and the Western world (America, Britain, and now France as well): Click to read: ”Shifting Targets: Administration’s plan for Iran”

 

 

Suggestions for peace– My personal feeling is that US foreign policy should do its best to engage Iran in a long term strategic friendship. Iran will never be a direct terrorist threat to Americans. There were no Iranian terrorists on September 11 hijacked planes. Iranians don’t have direct interests to bomb American civilian targets. This kind of terrorism is mainly the work of Arab-Sunni Muslim fundamentalists. Iran stands alone in the Muslim world as the only Shiite Muslim majority country (Iraq is only other Muslim country in the world with large Shiia population). But the reality is that Iran will never be an ally with Arab Muslim fundamentalists or Sunni-Arab led Al Qaeda or Afghan Sunni Taleban. Iranian interests are regional.

 

 

And meaningful dialogue with Iran can not only foster long-term peace but also trade with Iran in many areas including developing its huge reserves of oil and natural gas. Such meaningful engagement with Iran would also be in the best interests of Israel. If Arab Egypt can be persuaded to adopt the policy of non-belligerence towards the state of Israel, I can’t see why Iran cannot be included in the same group of Muslim nations that recognize the legitimate existence of Israel. The United States could explore the similar responsible, monitored civil nuclear deals with Iran that it has tried to pursue with North Korea and India.

 

 

 

Dick Cheney Rising….. Dick Cheney is behaving bad again. He continues to bay for Iranian blood as his first priority. Maureen Dowd has been chasing up on this madness. In ”Method as Madness” She writes, ”Dick Cheney’s craziness used to influence foreign policy. Now it is foreign policy.” In another column, ”W.M.D. in Iran? QED” she further explores Dick Cheney’s obsession with Iran that blinds him to all other aspects of American trade, national defense and foreign policy issues.

 

 

I don’t know what’s wrong with Cheney. He is not even Halliburton’s CEO anymore. He resigned in 2000 as the CEO, at least officially. He has stated once his current term in the US administration is over, ”I’m out of here.” He has an ailing heart, medically speaking, for which he has undergone various surgeries. He also survived a bizarre hunting incident when he nearly shot (”accidentally”) his fellow septuagenarian quail hunter buddy dead. But despite all this the exiting Dick Cheney is rising with madness in his mind. Why?

 

 

 

This comment was made on someone’s blog post (CLICK TO READ) and I thought it is relevant to this post:

 

I knew you will blog about it with your beautiful myopic eyes. But here is some info to balance the misconceptions.

 

The report says Iran had stopped nuclear weapons program in 2003. It does go on to mention that Iran continues to enrich uranium and according to best estimates it can make nuclear bomb within 3 to 8 years if it wants to (and I am sure it wants to, it’s dying to)

 

 

As for military strikes. They can happen right now as you are reading this. Nuclear bomb is not the only issue. The fundamentalist, military wings of Iran have been destabilizing Iraq since Saddam was toppled. They’re supplying money, arms, ammunition and providing training to Shiite Iraqi militants and thugs like Sadr’s Mahdi army.

 

 

The next time you read a news story where a bomb blast or a suicide bomber killed men, women and children, you can take comfort in the fact that the bomb was made in and supplied by your favorite country, Iran.

 

 

Iran must stop Hizbollah and other criminal outfits that spread violence, terrorism, war crimes or else next time you won’t be able to blog about Iran, because there will be no country called Iran on this planet anymore. I am only expressing my genuine fears.

News and views on latest British prisoners of Iran. April 1, 2007

Picture: Eminent Kazakh Journalist Borat endeavors to analyze the latest crisis.

 

To the utter surprise of the Iranian President, Mr. Ahmadinejad……

Hmmmm… dear friends, I have a very good suspicion that the latest Persian-British battle is going to heat up the Blogland or Blogistan, as we call it in my home country Kazakhstan. We have already seen some blogs from our friends Simon and Fuzzy.>>>> Oh, I’m sorry I think that poor young woman in tattered clothes (Jeans) needs some help, I will be back soon and meanwhile I will let this Eskimo guy do the job.

Ok….. this one is getting scary as the news trickle in. Not that attacking Iran was never on the cards. The Iranian defiance is legendary, matched only by North Korea. But the latter has reliable support from Russia and China and moreover any attack on North Korea would be considered as the bombing of China and Russia’s own backyard, not only politically but also geographically. But I wonder and wonder what these Iranians got in mind. These things evoke so many ideas, concerns and mixed feelings in my brain. I remember I posted a comment on Simon’s blog and then breathed heavily, looked at it and said to myself, ”Hmmmm.. that looks like a blog.” So, I shamelessly copy- pasted it, added an odd sentence and published it as a new post on my Word Press blog, under the tongue in cheek title, ”Satanic Iran and hypocritical Angels”

It would be a tragedy if Iran finds itself getting bombed by Anglo- American forces. In the long term the consequences would be bad as both sides will spiral into new phase of mistrust and hatred. Just look how news headlines sound like now: ”US ready to strike Iran on Good Friday‘; ‘Iran fears U.S. attack in summer: Israeli General’; ‘Iran accuses US jet fighters of violating airspace’; Even the opinion page of the British newspaper, The Telegraph came up with strong Fox News style editorial, ”If Iranians hate us, let them also fear us”.

I have neither the resources nor the interest in analyzing how many nautical inches British ‘’sailors” were within or outside the Iranian territory. But they must have been awfully close. I suppose, so very often the armies of peace and freedom do get curious about their less free and not so peaceful counterparts that they want to have a peek inside their backyards. It happens a lot more than you could ever imagine. It is not the first time that the British curiosity or concern for the enslaved Iranians got them in trouble. Even in 2004 British ‘’servicemen” were booked by Iranians as BBC so kindly reminds us: ‘Iran releases British Servicemen’ .

Digression: BBC can be amusing though. It has some liberal bleeding hearts but it will go to sleazy extents to hide them: ”BBC pays £200,000 to ‘cover up report on anti-Israel bias’

Digressing again a bit: I think the myth that the young Arab and Iranian ‘’students” do not support their government and believe in the ”western freedoms” should be discarded. Surely, lots of young Iranians are liberal like young people anywhere in the world. But they are most likely to grow and merge into their national identity, culture as they grow older or whenever some outsider will threaten their country (Protests at UK’s Tehran embassy). Not long ago, I remember watching an Interview of Salman Rushdie (on C-Span) at some conference in New York. He had his audience enthralled and laughing out loud with his witty remarks. But he said some imbecile things about Islamists that 80% of people loved and applauded. He said- with chuckles and grins- that Islamic fundamentalism or backwardness results from their fear of sex and also that Iranians can be won over if Americans flood them with MTV, Ipods, Western music etc. I will not analyze these remarks but as for the sex bit I have seen plenty of cultures, civilizations and tribes on National Geographic and Discovery channel that seem to have nudism as their lifestyle and as for sexual liberty and promiscuity: some of them remain unmatched even by Byronic standards. And yet, they are anything but modern or progressive.

Objectively speaking, I think Iran can have its dignity and save itself from any useless military conflicts by gracefully releasing the wandering Britons as it did in 2004. That would only win Iran the praises of international community. But I very much doubt that Iranian leaders would consider it easily. Stupidity is such a sad thing when confused with patriotism. I fear conflict is coming up. And it will all be the same old story: armed conflicts, killing of civilians who had nothing to do with the conflict and the genesis of new terrorists, suicide bombers; more military strikes, more terrorist attacks. A vicious circle that everybody gets sucked into till the whole world starts to cry and bleed.

Satanic Iran and hypocritical angels. March 30, 2007

I made this comment on a friend’s blog about the latest Iranian faux pas of detaining British sailors. I will throw in my alternative opinion about the politics surrounding Western world/ media berating Iran on everything that the neurotic Iranian government does or says. I thought it would be nice to air this opinion through my blog.

Firstly, Iranian government is behaving rashly, no doubt. The official Iranian stands about denying holocaust, wiping off Israel from the face of the planet, death on America sound ludicrous. But then I remember: populism and demagoguery are the oldest tricks in the books of power hungry, slimy politicians. Best example would be the Germans rallying behind Hitler with all their mind, heart and soul: ”Yay! Fuhrer is daaa bessstt! Butcher the effin’ Jews” Methinks Ahmadinajed is quite the Nazi when you focus on his passionate anti-Semitism.

But let’s peep into our own (or our governments’) righteous souls. Supporting human rights and opposing evil in the convenient places seems to be the trick. China slapped and grabbed Tibet and the world looked on silently. Where was the U.N., International law and our righteous armies? Now, Free Tibet is such a boring subject really, because now it’s an inseparable part of China. Let’s not talk Tibet, it’s China’s domestic affairs. Truth is annoying China is not an option, especially now that it produces everything CHEAPLY for us from underwears to battery operated toys (yep those ones too ) and Computers. Same with Uzbekistan. What was Andijan Massacre? Craig Murray ? (Sacked British Ambassador to Uzbekistan who has documented government hypocrisy in his book, ”Murder in Samarkand”)

As for rogue nations: Nothing scares me more than North Korea. The dictator running that country is a Psycho of the most dangerous sort. North Korea is impoverished. Famines there lead people to kill street dogs and eat them. Cannibalism has been reported. North Korean government is happy to sell nuclear technology and other weapons to any dick, harry or Osama for hard cash. But Let’s not mess with North Korea too much, they are backed by Russia and China.

As for Iran, look what a convenient target it is, already weakened by almost a decade long war with Iraq which was tacitly supported by the U.S. at the time. But here is the biggest secret: Iran is not only hated by almost everyone in the world but also it is the only Shiite (Shia) Muslim majority country, bitterly hated by Sunni Arab or other Sunni Muslims already. After all for the vultures it’s always easy to pounce upon the wounded, the dead and the dying.