Remove sanctions

Please allow me to make a couple of possibly radical points, and then explain myself. First, sanctions help the Iranian government. Second, removing sanctions against Iran will actually be a more powerful tool to creating an internationally-friendly Iran. Essentially the purpose of sanctions is economic isolation. That step seems to work. But proponents of sanctions think that economic isolation leads to governmental weakness. But we don't see this happening in Iran. Why not? Generally speaking in Iran today, we have two very identifiable camps: religious poor and connections-heavy elite. I call the elite "connections-heavy" because Iran lacks a solid rule of law, and therefore, many individuals who reach economic success in Iran do so through their connections>>>

Goli's Story

“Hey, hot date tonight?!” Her co-worker asked her in the mirror, as she washed her hands in the office bathroom sink, while Goli finished putting on her makeup at 5:30. “Heeh, no, not really. He’s just a friend.” She said. Her co-worker asked “Anyone special?” She said “Well, yes.” checking her reflection in the mirror. “I think he’s very special. He is a guy I have known for a while. He is a friend I met through a group of my sister’s friends. Later I started working with him on some volunteer projects having to do with ‘No War On Iran.’ I have been really attracted to him for a while and we have so much in common, but I’m not sure he’s interested in me. He has never said or done anything, always friendly and polite>>>

Lily's Magnolia

Lily Flower had never worked in her life. She was the last member of Flower family, well-known in Hustonville, Tennessee. At ten, her parents called her their little genius. She could sing the most difficult tunes and play the most complex songs on piano. At sixteen she dreamed of being a famous actress. But her parents died in a car accident and she inherited their fortune at twenty-four. Once the time of her grieving was over, she sold everything, left her hometown and moved to New York. She lived in a luxury house at Soho for the first six years, but the day she realized nobody had ever recognized her talents - excepted for her parents- she moved to this apartment building. Santa Fe Apartments, 43210 Stone Ave. “No pet allowed”. The concierge told her on the first day she moved in. But she didn’t care. Young and hopeful, “I’m going to get married,” she had thought. “Who needs a pet?”>>>

I slip through the mirror

I’m astonished at this garden

Kissing

             The hand of autumn!

I’m astonished at this perfume

Sparkling itself

                          onto corpses >>>

Bipartisan militarism

So here we have, yet again, our glorious Foreign Policy Community threatening another country -- one which hasn't attacked us and can't attack us -- with war, threatening to bomb them with "devastating strikes" that "would probably last up to several weeks and would require vigilance for years to come." And they want the next President, beginning this January, to "build up military assets in the region" in order to threaten and prepare for those attacks. It's just objectively true that there is no country in the world -- anywhere -- that threatens to attack and bomb other countries as routinely and blithely as the U.S. does. What rational leader wouldn't want to obtain nuclear weapons in a world where the "superpower" is run by people like Dan Coates and Chuck Robb who threaten to attack and bomb whatever countries they want?>>>

How do men feel?

I got in the back seat of the Taxi. There was a young man who got on before me. He was talking loudly on the phone….”Yes dear Hamid. These medications have affected my hearing and eyes. Sounds are louder and everything is brighter. Note all the changes I tell you. Take care and good bye.” After a while a girl got into the Taxi and sat on my other side and we drove off. I immediately took out two notepads from my bag and gave it to both of the passengers. The girl thanked me and started reading it. The young man also shook his head in appreciation. A little later he asked: ”Oh, are you the same one million signatures campaign?” I got excited that once again I had met someone who was familiar with the campaign>>>

The Newlyweds (9)

Khaleh Joon, I hope you haven’t been worried if your phone calls have remained unanswered for the past few days. Shahab and I were gone for a short vacation. I know this will come as a surprise to you after how low I have been feeling ever since our big fight. I was even more surprised than you must be at the way things turned out. About ten days ago, I came out of the shower to see the table set with candles and flower, the lights dimmed, some nice Persian music playing on the radio, and the smell of something yummy coming from the kitchen. I was in awe and did not know how to react. Shahab finally came out of the kitchen, came towards me and took my hand, which he kissed tenderly. He led me towards the table and pulled the chair out for me>>>

برابری خواهی

به نظر من، در درون فرهنگ ايرانی ما، بهترين، مهمترين و مؤثرترين نقطه ی شروع استناد کردن به تنها سند رسمی و معتبر ملی ما است که می تواند همچون ميثاقی انسانی ما را به راه مستقيم پيشرفت برساند. و اين همان سندی است که با نام «منشور کورش بزرگ» در جهان شناخته می شود. اين منشور، علاوه بر دارا بودن همه ی مفاهيمی که در ارتباط با مسايل حقوق بشر جهانی قرار دارند (هرچند در اشکال ابتدايي اين حقوق)، واجد اين بالقوگی هم هست که می تواند، در متن فرهنگ ملی ما، کارساز مشکل و مسئله ی زن در جامعه ای سنت زده امروز باشد، و همچون پايه و مايه ای برای بازسازی قوانين آينده ی مربوط به حقوق انسان ها و حقوق زنان ما بکار گرفته شود.>>>

خطرناک برای کی؟

اخيراً، هربار که مطلبی در مورد «نوانديشان دينی» (يا به قول آقای دکتر سروش، «روشنفکران دينی»)، و مخالفت مستمر آنان با «سکولاريسم» می نويسم، با اين پرسش گروهی از خوانندگانم مواجه می شوم که چرا، در عين نشان دادن موارد اين مخالفت، توضيح نمی دهيد که چگونه است که اين آقايان، برای آسان تر شدن کار نوانديشی شان، هيچ کدام کمر همت به بيان دلايل ابطال حکومت اسلامی و ولايت فقيه نمی بندند، و هرگاه که به اين مطلب می رسند بلافاصله رو بر می گردانند و از ورود به دايرهء اينگونه بحث ها خودداری می کنند. چرا اين انديشمندان، مرتباٌ، با سر و هم کردن استدلال هائی سخت ضعيف، سکولاريسم را نفی می کنند؟ مگر سکولاريسم حرفی خلاف عقايد آنان می زند؟ مگر باور مذهبی را نفی می کند؟ مگر کاری به کار اهل مذهب دارد؟>>>

The Grand Bargain

In a recent policy paper by the New American Foundation (among whose board members sits Francis 'End of History' Fukuyama), it is argued that the next U.S. administration must engage Iran with a 'grand bargain', which addresses both Iran and the U.S.'s strategic concerns. The paper argues that the piecemeal approach the U.S. has taken towards Iran has clearly failed to change the behavior of the regime in Iran, and a détente is not a desirable option. The only stable and strategically appropriate path to take is a full rapprochement. The policy paper is very frank in its approach, as imperialists usually are among themselves. It argues that Iran is strategically too important to be alienated, and argues that in the absence of a full rapprochement, Iran's leaders will have no choice but to flea to the Russian and the Chinese spheres of influence>>>

The Newlyweds (8)

Payam jan, To say that I am disappointed in you is an understatement. However, it is the most accurate interpretation of what I am feeling right now. After reading your email, I was really angry. Fuming. The initial email I wrote you was full of that rage. I am glad I cancelled it and I waited til I cooled down before writing to you again. However, the hurt is still there. After being unfairly accused by my wife, it really stung for you to point your finger at me too. Yes, I know I am far from the perfect husband. I am the first one who will call myself a failure. I have told you so many times. It was you and Maman Joon who always kept insisting I was this wonderful person who just hadn’t explored his full potential yet. Baba usually would hide his face behind a newspaper during one of those motivational sessions. How right he was>>>

گام بعدی

این مجموعه برای خرد کردن اعصاب خانم ها در قرن بیست و یکم تهیه نشده است بلکه در ابتدا نگاهی داریم به تاریخ حرمسراداری در ایران و سپس با هشیاری کامل از این که قرار نیست نه فیلم هنری ببینیم و نه فیلمی از وضعیت فعلی ایران، به تماشای فیلم مستند "چهار همسر و یک شوهر" که بر اساس زندگی یک روستایی چهار زنه تهیه شده است می نشینیم. فیلم به درد تحقیقات مردم شناسی و انسان شناسی و دیدن در جمع های کوچک تخصصی می خورد و معلوم نیست چرا بانوی فیلمساز متعهدی از سوئد راه افتاده است و در روستایی گمنام یک مرد چهار زنه پیدا کرده است و از زندگی چهارزنه ی او فیلم مستندی تهیه کرده است؟ آیا این فیلم سندی از زندگی زن ایرانی است؟ آیا آن مرد روستایی چهارزنه، نماد همه ی مردان ایرانی است؟ آیا زندگی همه ی ایرانیان به این گونه است؟>>>