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The Follies of Bush's Iran Policy

 
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espandyar



Joined: 15 Apr 2004
Posts: 236

PostPosted: Thu May 31, 2007 1:08 pm    Post subject: The Follies of Bush's Iran Policy Reply with quote

The Follies of Bush's Iran Policy

May 31, 2007
The International Herald Tribune
Shirin Ebadi and Muhammad Sahimi



LOS ANGELES -- The confrontation between Iran and the West has developed a new dimension over the detention of several Iranian scholars, journalists and political activists who have been living in the West for years and have recently traveled to their homeland.

Parnaz Azima, a reporter for the U.S.-funded Radio Farda, which broadcasts Persian programs into Iran, has been prohibited from leaving Iran since her passport was seized in January. Mehrnoushe Solouki, an Iranian-French journalist, has not been able to leave since February. Haleh Esfandiari, the director of the Middle East Program at the Washington-based Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, has been jailed since May 7. Kian Tajbakhsh, a senior research fellow at The New School in New York was also detained in May.

What is the root cause of these events? Part of it is the deep unpopularity of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Internal opposition to his government is becoming increasingly louder as Iranians are recognizing the danger in his foreign policy and his failure to improve the economy.

In December, university students forced him to stop his speech by shouting "death to the dictator." Iran's Parliament has severely criticized him. In recent municipal elections, candidates backed by Ahmadinejad received only 4 percent of the vote.

The conservatives who rule Iran are also badly fractured. The radical faction led by Ahmadinejad is bitterly opposed to the more moderate, pragmatic faction led by former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who advocates accommodation with the West.

The recent arrests should be seen partly as a reaction to these events. Unable to address Iran's mountain of social, economical and political problems, the hard-liners are trying to create a new crisis with the West in order to distract attention from their problems.

Funny,they way she puts it one could think that the problems only exist because of the hard-liners.
During Khatami executions actually increased and the situatuin today is
a result of 27 years Islamic Republic.Regardless of fraction
T
he recent arrests, including the detention of Hossein Mousavian, a former nuclear negotiator and a close aid to Rafsanjani, should be viewed as Ahmadinejad's retaliation against the more moderate faction.

This is while Rafsanjani tries to impeach Ahmadinejad, simply an internal power play. What has this to do with Iranian people and the police state they live in?But the most important reason has to do with President George W. Bush's policy toward Iran. Last year, the administration requested and received $75 million from Congress to "bring" democracy to Iran.

I would really expect more from a noble prize winner. On second thought IR basicly bought this moslem women this nomination. In the first part she explaines the obvious without mentioning the IR crime against the iranian poeople.
All of the sudden she connect everything to the fund. ebadi be shaghighe che rabti dare???
What about 28 years long torture and abuse of human rights?

Some of the $75 million has been devoted to the U.S.-funded Radio Farda, Voice of America and Radio Free Europe, as well as to VOA satellite TV, which are beaming Persian programs into Iran. Other portions have been given secretly to exiled Iranian groups, political figures and nongovernmental organizations to establish contacts with Iranian opposition groups.

But Iranian reformists believe that democracy can't be imported. It must be indigenous. They believe that the best Washington can do for democracy in Iran is to leave them alone. The fact is, no truly nationalist and democratic group will accept such funds.

No true Iranians (nevermind the nationalist or democratic) would act as apologist for the Islamic republic and accept the blood money to make articles like this.
Iranians reformist are part of the islamic republic. Reformer are the people who even increased the pressure and execution on Iranians. Hard-liners and reformist are the same. The problem is the Islamic regime wichi include hardliners,reforms and ebadi likes. According to the Algiers Accord that the United States signed with Iran in 1981 to end the hostage crisis, noninterference in Iran's domestic affairs is one of Washington's legal obligations.

Why dont you mention that IR keep majority of Iranian people under the pocerty line while sending petrol dollars to terrorist organazation to act as proxy.
The secret dimension of the distribution of the $75 million has also created immense problems for Iranian reformists, democratic groups and human rights activists. Aware of their own deep unpopularity, the hard-liners in Iran are terrified by the prospects of a "velvet revolution" and have become obsessed with preventing contacts between Iranian scholars, artists, journalists and political activists and their American counterparts.

Wrong,reformers and hard-liners are all unpopular. there are no democratci groups or human right groups who endorse this regime. It is Iranian people vs the regime (hardliners,reformer,ebadis=apologosts)
Thus, Washington's policy of "helping" the cause of democracy in Iran has backfired. It has made it more difficult for the more moderate factions within Iran's power hierarchy to argue for an accommodation with the West.

Washington has no intention to help the real opposition. Change of behavior is
the key when it comes to washingtons policy. The islamic regime has during the past 28 years tortured, hanged,stoned,imprisoned (things that Ebadi seem to miss!!!)adopted these methods due to its unpopularity. This has nothing to do with washington.


There is no question that the Iranian government should unconditionally release the recent detainees, and, indeed, all political prisoners.

Are you sure???

The Bush administration should put an end to its misguided policy and immediately declare which organizations and public figures have received funds from the $75 million. This will make it clear that the scholars, journalists and other figures who travel to Iran have nothing to do with Bush's policy on Iran.

Yeah like it matters. The hostage policy is a method Islamic republic was born with and it will continue as long as this regime is in power.
Shirin Ebadi was awarded the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize and is Haleh Esfandiari's lawyer. Muhammad Sahimi is professor of chemical and petroleum engineering at the University of Southern California. This article was distributed by Tribune Media Services.
The prize is controversial as many claim that the regime reformers politiclyy bought the prize so she - like now- can claim that reformist are different from hard liners.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Muhammad Sahimi email.
moe@usc.edu

Please inform him about this thread so he can share it with his fellow apologist!

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Iranians for a Secuar Republic
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