Comments on: Taking it back

By: tdaxp

tdaxp — Sun, 30 Oct 2005 04:46:01 +0000

Blogospheric Saturday

Bill from Dawn’s Early Light looks at Japan’s Asia strategy (twice). He also links the beautiful blog and Westphalian religious peace while trying to send Bill Roggio to Iraq.

Chirol and Curzon from Coming Anarchy looks at Iran’s Threatened Dest…

By: J.Kende

J.Kende — Sun, 30 Oct 2005 04:25:55 +0000

I don’t think this kind of thing being for domestic consumption makes it any better. The theocracy has to end one way or another.

As for the ethnocentrism of Iranian youth, there comes a point where they have to recognize this isn’t only about them any more than it’s only about us (or the rest of the world). It’s very unwise to saber rattle at the toughest, richest powers on the face of the earth. If they keep it up they are going to be reminded of that lesson.

By: Dan

Dan — Sun, 30 Oct 2005 04:00:05 +0000

The popular opinion in Iran seems to be that Iran deserves nuclear power (civil use), and even the so-called America-loving youth are perturbed by American obstinacy in this regard

Iranians are often rather ethnocentric. Richard Armitage recalls despising his posting in Iran because of that attitude. This attitude has prevented the Iranians from forming long-lasting bonds with any peer competitors, though, which may be good from our perspective…

By: Curtis Gale Weeks

Curtis Gale Weeks — Sun, 30 Oct 2005 00:22:51 +0000

I seem to have been bolder than I intended…

By: Curtis Gale Weeks

Curtis Gale Weeks — Sun, 30 Oct 2005 00:21:06 +0000

Heh, considering that the Intifadah wasn’t fought in the air, it might be safe to say that the Palestinians didn’t need that kind of support…

How Iranian hardline politicians think that they can advance Iran’s nuclear rights while simultaneously pursuing such counter-productive public diplomacy remains a puzzle. The continuation of such an approach, representing clear discontinuity with past diplomacy, irrespective of Ahmadinejad’s initial promise of maintaining policy continuity, will only harm Iran’s interests and bolster the position of global forces pushing for Iran’s isolation and marginalization.

–an interesting article on Asia Times. This is a question that has been on my mind. The popular opinion in Iran seems to be that Iran deserves nuclear power (civil use), and even the so-called America-loving youth are perturbed by American obstinacy in this regard. I still maintain that while Iran’s neophyte president is engaging in personal demagoguery, the mullahs aren’t as bothered by the message as by the reaction from the UN, EU, US, etc. They can use American opposition to Iran’s use of nuclear power to try to win over the Old-Glory-waving youth of Iran; and, Ahmadinejad plays his role; but they don’t want an invasion to hinder their plans for the development of Iran.

By: Dan

Dan — Sun, 30 Oct 2005 00:06:30 +0000

If the Palestinians choose violence, will Iran back their choice?

Well, considering the number of IRIAF fighters scrambled to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem during the Second Intifadah…

By: Curtis Gale Weeks

Curtis Gale Weeks — Sat, 29 Oct 2005 22:11:53 +0000

If the Palestinians choose violence, will Iran back their choice?

By: Dan

Dan — Sat, 29 Oct 2005 21:30:03 +0000

“The official stance…is that the occupation of Palestine should end, refugees should return and a democratic state should be formed with Jerusalem as its capital,” the statement added.

Ali Larijani, the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, told the ISNA students news agency Iran would back whatever the Palestinians chose.

“Iran is still insisting on its earlier position that the Palestinian people should decide their own future,” he said.

Interesting. The Allies certainly didn’t go along with France’s ideas of how to end French involvement in WWII.

Iran is just not selling Syria — they seem to be selling out all non-Shia Arabs.

By: Gabriel Mihalache

Gabriel Mihalache — Sat, 29 Oct 2005 21:27:39 +0000

Regardless of the propaganda value of the speech, it is unlikely that Ahmadinejad is a closet westophile and he’s just ruling this way (and won the elections on an anti-west ballot) just for the public’s eyes.

The most likely possibility is that, indeed, he really think what he says so many times and in so many forms.

By: Chirol

Chirol — Sat, 29 Oct 2005 20:41:13 +0000

Barnett just posted again on this, definitely worth a read: Why do Americans swallow dictators' propaganda so willingly?