Discussion about Iran

Charlie Rose Show

Guests: Azar Nafisi, Vali Nasr and Hooman Majd

18-Feb-2009
Share/Save/Bookmark

 
default

to Iran Sarbaz

by Anonymous99999999999999 (not verified) on

look my friend, or enemy,

there are many iranians that are muslims and what you said is offensive. keep your BS to yourself. i am first a human being, then a muslim, then iranian, cut the crap. and yes, i love iran, and yes i admire most american people/culture/achievments.

so if you want iran to be successful, don't make that kind of comments, because atleast 20% of iranians, are muslim first, and then iranian.


default

Enemy

by Iran Sarbaz (not verified) on

of Iran and its culture is islam and the anIranian behind it lick mollas - anybody in that lain Is enemy of Iranian ReelIranian OnGard 24 24.


default

i can't believe some of your comments

by Anonymous99999999999999 (not verified) on

wait a second...first of all, Vali Nasr is NOT an Iranian. he's talking from the point of view of American Interests. so foget about him.

Atleast Nafisi's heart is beating for Iran. Eventhough i don't agree with her, She has the best interest of Iran in mind.

about Hamoon, i can't say much, i don't know much about him, but It seemed from his comments that he is proud of his Iranian roots, even if he is an american.

I think they all did well in this roud table and they got their points accross with respect to each other, and neither sounded like an extermist iranian.

One thing that bothered me about Hamoon's comment was when he said, Iran didn't win the war against Iraq where US won the war against Iraq in 2 weeks. there are so many things wrong with this statement, which i don't want to go through it.

Vali honestly was talking non-sense. either he is an idiot or he's trying establish himself as a true patriatic american inorder to achieve his personal career goal. i think the latter is true, he's not an idiot.

I feel Nafisi's pain, she is wonderful women with love for iran.


Parthian

We can see..

by Parthian on

Q coming from a 1000 miles away, the IR stink is foul!

Shazde hits it right on the money. Majd comes across as a weasel, rightfully so! he does not answer the question. For crying out loud, you are in a free country, give us your opinion! Don't tell us what the  leadership thinks in Iran, so you can immediately put the disclaimer: "I am not a spokesperson for the regime" right after you made the statement. You are there to analyze the situation, not to repeat Tehran's lines.

Nafisi, as always classy, intelligent, and too civilized for the Islamist. That is why the IR junkyard dogs are going nuts here. They can not envision or imagine an intelligent woman standing up to the criminal regime in Iran.

Keep foaming at the mouth. I love how the Shirin Ebadis and Nafisis of the world do this to you.


default

Azar such a classy lady...

by Happy Boy (not verified) on

wow


Azarin Sadegh

Dear XerXes,

by Azarin Sadegh on

I understand what you're trying to say and I agree with most of it...but I don't agree about the part with doing the parallel with the Iranians talking about the US. Azar Nafisi is an Iranian talking about Iran. If an American scholar goes to Iran, and stays there for 20 years (still manages to follow the US politics, etc through the media)...do you think he/she has no right to talk about the US after 20 years? As if he/she isn't American anymore? I personally think no matter how long we haven't visited Iran, we can still care about it, or read or educate ourselves...

Plus, I think being a great writer is the most important accomplishment for her (for me it is equivalent of being passionate and compassionate)!! That's why I love Azar Nafisi and respect her.

But as you said, I totally agree that we need to hear more voices from the people who still live in Iran and have been suffering the most.

Thanks, Azarin


MRX1

islamist relax

by MRX1 on

islamist and IRI lackeys, relax will you? not every one is going to say rooh mani khomeini every five minutes. your lack of confidence after thirty years of brutal rule still amazes me!


Shazde Asdola Mirza

my two cents

by Shazde Asdola Mirza on

Azar : a nice lady

Vali : a good guy

Hooman : a smooth weasle feeding off the mullahs trough 


default

Azarin Sadegh Jan

by XerXes (not verified) on

Azar nafisi is a great writer and that's it. She talks about Iran as if Iran has remained in the same spot in twenty years.
I agree with all of them in some extend, but Hooman is far more understanding about Iran because he obviously visits. That does make a difference.
Think about the people in Iran that talk about the US, don't you think they would think different if they come visit?
The other two just are trying hard to use common sense based on what is the possible direction, while Hooman knows it. he knows Iran TODAY as we speak rather than Iran twenty years ago, or what they have seen on TV recently.


Jaleho

Mr Rose got much more

by Jaleho on

content from his interview with Ahmadinejad than these guys combined :-)

Of course Vali Nasr wasted so much time saying absolutely NOTHING (he better continue to talk ad nauseam about Sunni and Shia that average American these days have been throwing around at least as much as Vali Nasr himself!); and Nafisi better spend her time in parties with Lewis to earn more money for more rings to concentrate on instaed of policy matters!

Majd was OK, but he does try to bring everyone to a "center," which is not always a good thing, in particular if your other side is an idiot like Nafisi.

I guess Mr. Rose would gain better understanding if he devides the time between Majd and Trita Parsi for example, rather than wasting 2/3 of it by Nafisi and Nasr.

PS. Why is everone assuming that Ghalibaf is not going to be important at all. Methinks his vote can be determining factor between Ahmadinejad and Khatami, like the role Ralph Nader played here once!


Azarin Sadegh

Love Azar Nafisi!

by Azarin Sadegh on

I have just started "Things I've been silent about" and I can't put it down...She is a hell of a writer! It is also great to see that finally someone who is so intelligent represents Iran and Iranians!

Azarin


default

I actually would love for Q

by greatpost (not verified) on

I actually would love for Q to be invited to CR show.

CR will tear you apart and it would be sight to see that on the tv screen. Why don't you call him and ask him to interview you as a REAL Iranian.


default

NAFISI And NASR Provoking the "Islamists sensibilities"

by Excellent (not verified) on

Excellent analysis by Nasr and Nafisi. Finally something beside the group-think garbage that we have been accustomed to on this site.

Some in their arrogance, assume that people are stupid and can't decifer the truth on their own.

Those with huge ego trip parading under intellectualism don't like to hear that they've been wrong all along. Anyone who doesn't parrot the Official Islamic Republic's talking points is always called either a Zionist, Neocon, JOOOOO, Shahollahi, or whatever venom dejour!

It's good to see irrelevant nobodys foaming at the mouth.


default

Q

by Qurazy (not verified) on

having a nervous brekdown? akhounds and you have the same genetics and from the same chaheh jamkaran.


default

Babol

by RE: Q (not verified) on

Listen to what Nasr says: We have to see how we can manage Iran, We have to see how we are going to talk to Iran.. we we. He's not Iranian to begin with, he sold out ages ago. He's looking out after American interests now, not Iranian.


Q

Nafisi: fossilized neocon parrot

by Q on

She maintains a partisan Bushist line that is nothing but puke-worthy. She's not even listening to the questions... just wants to parrot "regime change" lines from 10 years ago... Same bullshit scaremongering, Islamophobia...

"The Islam that I knew"! LOL!!!

And why the hell is Nasr kissing so much Monarchist butt? It's so sad that this guy is in the Obama establishment. He represents no "change" that I can see.

Disappointment all around. I thought at least Charlie Rose of all people would be interested in what real Iranians think and desire.

Having said that, there were some highlights mostly on the second half.

Nasr saying: "both sides have to prepare their own publics" was good. Nafisi saying: "Of course we have to talk" is good yet completely at odds with "we can't negotiate with terrorists" line she had only 2-3 years go. And Majd saying "US can live with limited nuclear Enrichment."


I Have a Crush on Alex Trebek

Can Hooman Majd be any hotter?

by I Have a Crush on Alex Trebek on

As long as Iranians and wars and all this is going to be in the news, I'm glad they are picking hot and attractive studs like Majd and Nasr. Thank you!


default

AS I see it...

by daiush (not verified) on

The interesting thing is that these guys talked about condition of Iran's economy. Only the day before Charlie Rose had the producer of the PBS's Frontline special on Financial Meltdown. He essentially was saying that in September US economy was about to collapse.

In general, as far as comments about Iran is concern, Majd made the most sense. He actually said things (as oppose to just BS generalities) that I think are accurate.

Azar Nafisi was looking in the sky for paradox and paroy. She just loves to think she is an intellectual. She sounds like one but has zero content. It has been shown that you can get computer to generate random text which sounds somewhat plausible. Ms Nafisi got hold of the algorithm.

Vali Nasr likes to make thing sound very complicated, I guess he makes his money as consultant. Majd listed what he thinks Iran would like to get in any negotiation with US. Chalie Rose asked Nasr about his opinion on what US should be asking. After 5 minutes of talking, he didn't seem to say anything.


default

Majd was talking like a

by okra (not verified) on

Majd was talking like a mullah; just as myopic and arrogant. He came across as highly biased and based everything on his subjective feelings and probably his dealing with the mullahs.

Being Khatami's relative has definitely has colored his perception. His rhetoric were identical to the mullahs. With that kind of mindset, the IRI will not get anywhere.

I'm glad that Vali Nasr and Azar Nafisi were so articulate and well-argued their position whereas Nasr came across as a sychophantic stooge of the IRI.


default

I stopped listening

by Toofantheoncesogreat (not verified) on

5:38 minutes into this BS gathering of 3 foreign stooges, after I heard "Iran couldnt defeat iraq that the US defeated in 2 weeks".

Certain comments people make, let you know that they are jokers, that was one of them. buh bye.


default

Who the hell is this Hooman

by sickofhooman (not verified) on

Who the hell is this Hooman Majd. What are his credentials?

How can a Khatami relative be objective in politics?


default

Great post thanks

by Anonymous-2 (not verified) on

It was obvious that Hooman Majd understood the inner thinking of both the Iranian people and the Iranian Gov. This is exactly what the U.S. needs in order to build a bridge between two countries who have significant mis-understandings.

You can't sit outside of Iran, not have any contacts with the masses, nor those in power and make predictions about how things work in Iran. Unfortunately, this is the problem with U.S. foreign policy they circle themselves with people who are so far removed from the reality on the ground.

I really don't know what Naficy was adding to this dialogue or Nasr? I would have preferred to listen more to what Majd had to say.


Benyamin

Intresting debate!

by Benyamin on

about Iran.


default

Loved VAli and Azar. Hooman

by sickofiri (not verified) on

Loved VAli and Azar. Hooman should stick to using hair gels, he sounded like an air-head.


default

Good relative!

by No wonder (not verified) on

I didn't know Hooman Majd was Khatami's relative.


default

More power to Dr. Nafisi

by Anonymous4568 (not verified) on

Dr. Nafisi is the best and said the best.


Princess

Intelligent conversation.

by Princess on

Great to see intelligent compatriots come together to discuss the US-Iran relations and provide much needed advice to the the White House.

Thanks for posting! 


default

hooman majd

by billybob (not verified) on

hooman majd is the only one that talks any sense. Azar has no legitimacy to give any opinion about Iran.


default

Competition

by Anonymous.... (not verified) on

Charlie Rose could have preserved the stature of his talk show (not to mention his blood pressure) by "excluding" Vali Nasr and Azar Nafisi's highly academic and "highly clouded and uncaliberated" perspective, more apparent during the first half of the interview.

What sounds wonderful in the west doesn't necessarily flourish in a society integrated with political and cultural dynamics that are direct opposite of what's seens to be a norm on western campuses. That's a fact that at least two people on this expert panel appear fundementally disassociated with.


Fred

why the modesty?

by Fred on

In every interview Hooman Majd prefaces his defense of his Islamist republic’s wacky policies by saying: “not that I’m here to be the spokesman of the Iranian government”. Minute 13:30