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POPSObama's Move: Iran and Afghanistan United States between April and September. In his speech to the Islamic world from Cairo, he planned to show a desire not only to find common ground, but also to acknowledge shortcomings in U.S. policy in the region. With the appointment of special envoys George Mitchell (for Israel and the Palestinian territories) and Richard Holbrooke (for Pakistan and Afghanistan), Obama sought to build on his opening to the Islamic world with intense diplomatic activity designed to reshape regional relationships. It can be argued that the Islamic masses responded positively to Obama’s opening " it has been asserted to be so and we will accept this " but the diplomatic mission did not solve the core problem. Mitchell could not get the Israelis to move on the settlement issue, and while Holbrooke appears to have made some headway on increasing Pakistan’s aggressiveness toward the Taliban, no fundamental shift has occurred in the Afghan war.
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POPSProtests Resume In Iran With The Government-Backed Quds Day Ceremony
11.57am: At least 10 protesters have been arrested, according to Reuters. "Supporters of Ahmadinejad are beating supporters of Mousavi near the Vali-ye Asr street. At least two protesters were injured," it quoted a witness as saying. 12.02pm: Al Jazeera's Alireza Ronaghi, reporting from Tehran, said the security forces were out in force, attempting to keep opposition demonstrators away from Tehran University where Ahmadinejad was speaking earlier. "I didn't expect the protests to be as big," he said Another video appears to confirm that thousands have been involved in the protests today. It also seems to show attempts to prevent filming taking place. 12.57pm: NBC has released more of its interview with Ahmadinejad. In the latest segment, he defended the detention of three Americans, who have been held for more than seven weeks. They "trampled the law, and in accordance with the laws, they need to be punished," he said. The full interview will be broadcast on Sunday.
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POPSHugo Chavez of Venuzuela: New Laws: Saint or Sinner?
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is a very interesting person, making profound changes in his nation and strong in his opposition to many U.S. policies. He's in the headlines today for new laws that cut out state support for Catholic education in the schools, introduction of "socialist doctrine," (about'The Liberator', Simón Bolívar), restrictions on hostile media and (gasp!) rights of the government to expropriate property. He opposes Israeli policies of warmongering, apartheid and genocide, is not only forming alliances with Russian and Iran but is building up a substantial coalition of Central and South American countries. The clip here is about the U.S. now planning to put "troops on the ground in Columbia," - (after a lifetime of covert military actions --- Columbia is one of the USA proxy armies in the region). He's also called George Bush the Devil (good for him) and he disdains the game of golf (probably shouldn't have mentioned this). Saint or Sinner? ¿Otro
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POPSWhat Type of Recession Is It? Good news...the recession is over? Obviously this makes no sense. I suppose the elections in Afghanistan, the tea-parties, town hall meetings, Obamacare, swine flu domestic militarism, missing Russian boats, the return of Star Wars, unrest in South America, typhoons, wildfires, and approaching hurricane news needed a little pick-me-up.
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POPSLawmakers Rethink Town Halls "The polls reveal the real picture of what is happening across the country -- people are genuinely concerned, some are genuinely angry, and they are expressing themselves."
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POPS A Profoundly Dangerous Message Because never at any time since the revolution has public criticism been as open and as bitter as now. The state television channel as the mouthpiece of the regime is increasingly mocked for its lies. We watched in disbelief as it broadcast cookery shows during the upheaval. Now we view staged confessions by some of the countless individuals rounded up after the election. A colleague quietly left a piece of paper on my desk tallying recent news items on IRIB. Neda Agha Soltan, the young woman shot dead during a street protest, was mentioned three times; Uighur Muslims in China eight times and the killing of an Egyptian-born Muslim woman by a racist in Germany 140 times. Until recently, it was almost unheard of to utter criticism and the name of the Supreme Leader in the same breath. But now, even Ayatollah Ali Khamenei does not escape, and I don't mean just in conversations between trusted friends. My own father, seriously mistrustful of talking about anything . . .
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POPSThe Green Brief #26 Josh Shahryar 7.12.2009 5. In a statement released today, Mohsen Rezaie " another candidate in the disputed elections " announced five points that everyone in Iran should realize in understanding the post-election problems. - The Iranian Government should KNOW the difference between peaceful protesters and people who're working to destroy the Islamic Republic. - The Iranian Government should KNOW the difference between politicians/people who merely have complaints, and those who may be "foreign meddlers." - Politicians should be able to pursue their rights and rights of the people through legal channels. Government organizations should seriously consider complaints from the people/politicians without the fear of persecution from someone else. - Negotiations should be held between those with complaints and the government for solving these complaints in order to safeguard national security and continue peaceful political participation in the country. - Government agencies should follow the law .
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POPSThe Green Brief #25 by Josh Shahryar 5.Ayatollah Montazeri has released a Fatwa that is very supportive of protesters and their cause. In the Fatwa, Montazeri "condemned violence against protesters as un-Islamic." He's pleaded with the government to not play with the name of Shi'ism and Islam with their actions. He hinted that Khamenei's leadership is standing against Islam, human rationale and National interests " and that he was clearly in the wrong. Reports of Ayatollah Ustadi - Qom's temporary Friday Prayer's Imam - resigning his position and calling a strike could not be confirmed. 6.In an open letter released to the media, the women's wing of Mousavi's Participation Front have said that Iranian mothers were awaiting the release of their loved ones with teary eyes and aching hearts. Government / International 7.Iranian Foreign Minister, Manuchehr Motaki, has stated that Iran is willing to discuss issues with the West, but claimed that the government was going to present a package of issues for discussion "
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POPSJosh Shahryar ~ The Green Brief #24 Government / International 4.Ayatollah Hashim Hashim-Zadeh Hareesi " a member of the Assembly of Experts " said today that people had started to distrust the system. 5.Tehran's Interim Fridays Prayers Leader Ayatollah Mohammad Emami-Kashani asked the Majlis of Iran to take measures in solving some short-comings that are present in the current electoral law. 6.The Guardian Council's spokesperson, Abbas Ali Kadkhodaie said today that the Guardian Council was currently going over the entire election. According to him, the Council will soon release a detailed report about the election. 7.The French Ambassador in Tehran met with Clotilde Reiss, the detained Frenchwoman who's currently being held in Iran on charges of espionage. According to the ambassador, Ms. Reiss looked in good mental health. It is not clear as of yet when she will be released.
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POPSThe Green Brief #23 18tir Jul 9, 2009 People were joined by their wives, fathers, mothers and children. Contrary to most reports, many elderly people were also reported to have joined the protests. At times, pedestrians would join protesters in order to increase their numbers " making it more difficult for security forces to attack. 4. Protesters chanted "Mir Hossein, Ya Hossein!" and "Death to the Dictator." Strangely enough, some slogans were directed at Mojtaba Khamenei " the son of Ayatollah Khamenei. Mojtaba Khamenei has allegedly taken control of the Basiji and is heavily involved in the government's attempt at brutally suppressing the protests. 5. Estimating how many people actually gathered in Tehran is almost impossible. What can be safely asserted, from eyewitness accounts and examination of videos, is that the numbers were more than 35,000 - that's including all the protesters and some pedestrians who joined them. Again, this number is only an estimate. http://greenbrief.newsvine.com/
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POPSUS "dark night" Policy to Ensure Iraq Remains a Client State In beginning the history of the near future, it will be particularly importamnt to look at how this alleged new policy deals with the growing unrest between indigenous Iraqi factions, notably Shi;ite-Sunni, and Kurds-Baghdad government. A shortish and interesting article which offers a non-western analysis which may connect brain cells.
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