Archive - Aug 11, 2008 - Article

The Not so Diplomatic Turn

ast week Iran responded to the latest European proposal regarding its controversial nuclear program. The so-called “Iran Six” were however neither amused, nor heartened by the proposal’s apparent “ambiguity” or deafening silence regarding the demand that Iran cease it enrichment activities. Such ambiguity has not been received in the spirit of Kissingerian ‘constructive ambiguity’, whereby intractable sticking points are glossed over in a bid to further diplomatic progress and make negotiators lives slightly easier, but instead as effrontery and as a fundamental lack of will on the Iranian side. Tehran thus far has been non-committal vis-à-vis the offer of a six week long “freeze-for-freeze” deal which would see Iran temporarily halt its nuclear program>>>

آمریکا را در همین اتاق تاریک نگه داریم

«با آنها حرف بزنید، ولی با هدف براندازی‌شان.» این جمله‌‌ای است که عباس میلانی، یکی از مسوولان اصلی پروژه‌ی براندازی از داخل که به حزب دموکرات‌های آمریکا نزدیک است، دو سال پیش به مجله‌ی نیویورکر گفته است. ولی اگر دو سال پیش چنین سخنانی در واشنگتن خریداری نداشت، امروز خیلی‌ها در پایتخت آمریکا حرف میلانی را تکرار می‌کنند. حالا که پروژه‌ی جمهوری‌خواهان دولت بوش در منزوی کردن سیاسی و اقتصادی ایران از طریق تحریم‌های اقتصادی و تکنولوژی باعث نشده که ایران از حق خود برای غنی سازی هسته‌ای و در نهایت تولید انرژی هسته‌ای بگذرد، استدلال دموکرات‌ها در «گفتگو و تعامل» با ایران دارد تقویت می‌شود. بخصوص که بخشی از جمهوری‌خواهان معتدل که به واقع‌گرا مشهورند (مثل کسینجر و جیمز بیکر و...) هم از این استدلال حمایت می‌کنند. >>>

From honey to ashes

I always thought that if I ever wrote anything against Noam Chomsky all my ancestors would rise from their graves – and I’d just have to bury them again, as Groucho Marx once said. But that was the Chomsky of old times, when he was regarded as “Einstein of Social Sciences.” That claim about him, however, today no longer seems to hold water. As Hegel said, “philosophy paints its gray on gray only when a form of life has grown old.” Chomsky did not know that his purpose was philosophy of language, not international politics, never mind the Middle Eastern politics. But we now know this thing, to paraphrase Richard Rorty, “for we latecomers can tell the kind of story of progress which those who actually making progress cannot.” >>>

Ammameh Gozaroon

Even though she never insisted stubbornly, my mother wanted me to become a theology student or, at least, to have a close relationship with the clergy. After a few casual encounters, I was able to establish a friendly relationship with one of them, a rather handsome young man, who was also Sayyed, let’s call him Mr. H. I liked him because he was moderate and reasonable when expressing his views, and embraced modernity. Mr. H invited me to his Ammameh Gozaroon ceremony. It was really interesting to me. It was like a costumed-made graduation party, a crowning a prince, Taj Gozari. The pre-rolled black turban, which was placed at the top of his head by a high-ranking ayatollah in the midst of the jubilation and the chanting of Slavat by the audience, contrasted his bright-skin face so fittingly>>>