Blog

Optimism and Nightmares

The 12th of June 2009 saw Iran’s tenth presidential election get underway with Iranians turning out in record numbers. As someone who decided to vote

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The Quest for Authenticity

“Religious despotism is most intransigent because a religious despot views his rule as not only his right but his duty.” — Abdolkarim Soroush The French

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Thirty Years On

Thirty years have now passed since the stern, bearded visage of Ayatollah Khomeini graced our television screens decrying the many “ills” of the West and

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Documentary: The Israel lobby

English version– An episode of the Dutch documentary program “Tegenlicht” about the Israel lobby in the USA. This documentary (April 2007) was created as a

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Propaganda is a Two-Way Street

Friends, Enemies, and “Existential” Threats In the ceaseless and invariably bellicose calls for war (both open and clandestine) against Iran, perhaps one argument invoked by

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Robert Fisk on Inside Iraq

Fiery debate on Al-Jazeera’s Inside Iraq between veteran journalist and author Robert Fisk and Brad Blakeman, former member of President George W. Bush’s Senior Staff… Part 1:

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Iran’s Rebel Ayatollah

Grand Ayatollah Montazeri’s legacy is complex and multi-faceted. Some revile him as nothing more than the scourge of the Shah who was instrumental in fomenting the

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Violence of Israeli Settlers Exposed

Youtube: The Listening Post’s Meenakshi Ravi reports on Shooting Back. It is a project organised by Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem which gives cameras to Palestinians

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On Christian Zionism

Rapture and Apocalypse: How Real is the Evangelical Hold on U.S. Foreign Policy? That religion plays a prominent role in American politics is undeniable. The

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The Not so Diplomatic Turn

Last 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

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Mahmoud Darwish R.I.P

Mahmoud Darwish, The award-winning Palestinian poet, has died aged 67, after heart surgery in a Texas hospital. Wikipedia:  Mahmoud Darwish (13 March 1942 – 9

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Time’s up

Negotiations over the future role and status of America’s armed forces in Iraq have been underway for some time, while any sign of agreement between

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Battle for the Soul of Turkey

A fortnight ago Turkish prosecutors indicted 86 secular Turks on terrorism charges for their alleged involvement in plots to topple the governing conservative populist Justice

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