IRAN

Anonym7

Excellent article , Thanksfor posting it.

capt_ayhab [-YT]

eroonman

Persian poet, eh?  you and my husband... EVERYTHING orginated in Iran... LOL

y'all sound like Chekov in Star Trek.  :-)

Keep Dreaming.

Because as the famous Persian poet Mick Jagger says, "You Can't Always Get What You Want."

Thank you for the link Nilou

Thank you for the link Nilou jan.

Do read all of the report when you have time. I find it fascinating because so many pov are integrated into one long report.

willow jan

thanks for the papers. certainly they are interesting. i only looked at one piece in the MEI paper, the one by Abbas Maleki as it is the only one addressing the future and the likely scenarios, and it is quite short. it did not look totally negative to me. he just lays out the different possible scenarios, and seems kind of optimistic too, eventhough he rather curiously does not mention obama. my guess is it was written earlier than the date of the publication suggests. he concludes with the following:

There is a lively debate among Iranian intellectuals on these very questions. Emerging from this debate is the suggestion that the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which has survived 30 years without ties with a superpower and which has withstood various sanctions, would probably be more stable should it decide pursue a rapprochement. As in the past, Iran’s future will determined by the complex interplay between key domestic political and economic factors on the one hand, and the country’s relations with its neighbors and with the United States.

As for Abdi: this one was actually written last august, and it is for a domestic audience. i am not sure he is being very open. in any case, his depiction of the situation is very static, and he misses the 'collapse' in the US position brought on, among other things, by the financial collapse.

Dunno, we will see i guess :)

did you see the FT article i submitted a little earlier?

//iranian.com/main/news/2009/02/02/talk-t...

Dear Nilou:

NP: I must admit I envy your optimism. I recently read two reports that leads me to believe that Ahmadinejad is going to be re-elected and the regime is going to be more militaristic for the next 4 years. Perhaps, you will infer a different conclusion. Here are the report and interview:

**Warning: This one is a very lengthy read but worthwhiule:

//www.mideasti.org/files/Iran_Final.pdf

//www.iran-emrooz.net/index.php?/politic/more...

willow jan

on iran's image among arabs: i was in the arabian peninsula the day saddam was executed. suddenly overnight the mood on iran changed. not only was iran's 'victory' against arabs (as they saw it) sealed through that execution, it was done on a holy day (can't remember which) and caused real outrage. anti-persian sentiment was really strong for a while after that. but it faded later. so i understand what you are saying.

on the regime: one of the reason i remain optimistic is the tendency of revolutionary regimes to wither over time. a key factor is how some of the central institutions lose their legitimacy over time once the charismatic leader is gone. the Supreme Leader in iran, no matter who it is, cannot be as strong as khomeini. and in time, this institution will get weaker, naturally.

right now we have people like khomeini's grandson hassan, who is very much in the reformist camp. he seems to be a potential future candidate either for the presidency or the supreme leader position. this truly adds to the legitimacy of the reformists, not just because people like khomeinis grandchildren are all sympathetic toward it, but also because more and more of the population are identifying themselves with it, and not just the affluent of northern tehran.

as this camp grows, and khamenei's legitimacy fades, the push will come for the system to shift its overall direction. this will also affect the Majles-e khobragan, that is also an elected body every 10 years, as you know. it is actually constitutionally more powerful than the supreme leader, and i believe it will grow in stature in time to actually act above him. and as we all know, not all mullahs are so keen on the current regime. their influence on this body will also grow. could we have imagined that someone like rafsanjani could have been its speaker already?

the golbalisation process, modernization and greater availability of information on the world outside iran will also have an effect. we tend to see the IRI as totally stagnant, but lets look at how Dubai, Qatar and Bahrain for example have changed because of globalisation. it has an impact, and we cannot be too pessimistic about the same impact on iran, especially if relations with the outside world are more friendly and non-confrontational (like obama as opposed to bush).

these are some of the forces at work that keep me at least a little optimistic about possibilities. and the coming elections in june will be important in this process. the real spoiler than could push iran back into a war mode is israel at this stage. and some zealots inside of the IRI would like that in order to maintain the revolutionary fervor and those basijis under their thumb. 

Anonymousesss

you are a little boring aren't u? and who asked you what this site is about? need attention, do u?

اشک‏های شوق

اشک‏های شوق مردمی که روز گذشته شاهد اقتدار و کوبندگی مواضع و سخنان اردوغان نخست‏وزیر مسلمان ترکیه بودند، چیزی فراتر از یک حادثه را نمایش می‏داد، اگرچه برخی خبرگزاری‏ها رخداد کنفرانس داووس را مجادله و مباحثه جنجالی میان دو رئیس دولت نامیدند.

بسیاری از ما وقتی کودکان مظلوم و بی‏دفاع ساکن غزه را زیر آتشباری گلوله‏ها و بمباران‏های بی وقفه هواپیماهای رژیم اشغالگر صهونیستی می‏دیدیم تردیدی نداشتیم که آه مادران این کودکان و خون شهیدان غزه بزودی گریبان ظالمان اسرائیلی و حامیان سرسپرده‏شان را خواهد گرفت اما هرگز تصور نمی‏کردیم هنوز دو هفته از پایان جنایات اسرائیل در غزه نگذشته، شاهد به بار نشستن صبر، مقاومت، پایداری و توکل آنها به خدا باشیم.

قشر کثیری از خوانندگان تابناک در پیام‏های خود از احیای مجدد غرور اسلامی و انسانی خود با تماشای صحنه‏های اجلاس نقل می‏کردند و از اشک‏های شوقی که در آن صحنه‏ها ریخته‏اند، سخن به میان آورده‏اند. تعداد زیادی از آنان اعلام آمادگی می‏نمودند تا طی برنامه هماهنگ شده ای دسته‏های گل برای اردوغان را به سفارت ترکیه در تهران تقدیم نمایند.

ذلت شیمون پرز در اجلاس به خوبی نمایان بود، با انکه اردوغان بارها از پشت تریبون و در نزد مقامات بین‏المللی حاضر ودبیرکل سازمان ملل از او و رژیم صهیونیستی به عنوان جانی و قاتل کودکان نام برد و با اقتدار اعلام نمود، داووس پایان یافته و او دیگر لحظه‏ای هم نخواهد ماند ولی باز خبرگزاری‏ها از تماس پرز پس از اجلاس و عذرخواهی او از اردوغان خبردادند.

قطعاً اسرائیل با حمله به غزه مظلوم و قتل عام کودکان، زنان و مردان بی‏گناه آنجا، پس از محاصره شدن یک ساله، آغاز پایان تاریخ خود را رقم زده است.

به نظر می‏رسد از این پس شاهد تحقق وعده‏ی الهی مبنی بر پیروزی خون شهیدان، صابرین و مستضعفین در خاورمیانه باشیم اما نکاتی که با حادثه داووس می‏توان از آنها درس گرفت:

- از آغاز تهاجم اسرائیل به غزه انتظار می‏رفت دیپلماسی ایران بتواند به ایجاد جبهه اتحاد علیه اسرائیل اقدام نماید و با وجود زمینه ‏ای مساعد، سفر اردوغان به منطقه و آمادگی بسیاری از کشورها جهت اتحاد، اقدام مورد انتظار به عمل آورده نشد و در طول مدت درگیری طرح مناسب و کاربردی ارائه نگردید.

- امروز در دفاع اردوغان از مردم مسلمان غزه باید شاهد اقدامات فوری دولتمردان در این زمینه باشیم ، اعزام مقام بالایی در سطح معاون رئیس جهور به منظور قدردانی از اقدام ایشان و تقویت جبهه دفاع از مظلومین فلسطین را در این خصوص می توان پیشنهاد نمود.

- نکته دیگر این که حرکت اردوغان نمایان ساخت کشور ایران هرگز برای دفاع از مظلومان در جهان و منطقه تنها نیست و کافی است از ظرفیت های موجود به خوبی بهره گرفته و این زمینه ها را مدیریت نماییم. امروز که رژیم صهیونیستی عامل بی ثباتی در خاورمیانه شناخته شده است، و سردرمداران جمهوریخواه آمریکا به دلیل حمایت هایشان از حاکمین صهیونیستی، کاخ سفید را مجبور شدند با خفت ترک نمایند و هم اينك اولین پس لرزه های کنار رفتنشان را شاهد هستیم، زمینه های حرکت های اصیل اسلامی فراهم گردیده و ما باید از این زمینه ها هم برای سرافرازی، آبادانی و پیشرفت کشور عزیزمان و هم برای حرکت به سوی حق طلبی در جهان امروز و تثبیت صلح و تفاهم در منطقه بهره برداری نماییم.

- نکته مهم آخر آن که با حوادث اخیر باید باور کنیم پیشبرد مواضع بر حق و دفاع از مظلومین جهان با دیپلماسی ضعیف و زیردستانه ، و کوتاه آمدن از اصول امکان پذیر نمی باشد.
اقتدار، عزت و منش اسلامی، در همه امور به ما مدد خواهد رساند و امروز در طلیعه سی امین سال پیروزی انقلاب اسلامی، ایستادگی، اقتدار و صلابت در برابر بیگانگان با الهام از آموزه های دینی، خواری و ذلت جبهه ظلم و کفر را به چشم بینیم.

سیلی اردوغان تنها بر گونه رژیم خونخوار صهیونیستی ننشست، بلکه صدای بلند این سیلی در آغاز دهه فجر انقلاب اسلامی به دنیا فهماند راه امام خمینی (ره) و حرکت ایشان هرگز خاموش نخواهد شد و ستمکاران نخواهند توانست روز خوشی را با پایمردی مردم معتقد و انقلابی تجربه نمایند.
نظرات كاربران:
▪ زنده باد اردوغان▪ درودبراين مردشجاع که حداقل حرف خود را شجاعانه و بدون واهمه بيان نمود و با برافراشتن پرچم حمايت از مردم مظلوم فلسطين ، آنچنان سیلی برحیثیت نداشته موجودیت اسرائیل و صهیونیستهای خونخوارنواخت که موجب عزت و سربلندي اسلام و مسلمين و موجب افتخار کل مسلمانان گرديد... از هم اينک نشانه هاي اضمحلال اين رژيم منحوس پديدار گرديده و اين بار به فروپاشي قطعي آن منجر خواهد گرديد انشاءالله▪ این حرکت اردوغان را به تفصیل به گوش جهانیان برسانید این آغاز یک حرکت رو به افزایش تصاعدی در جهت منزوی شدن اسراییل باید باشد و مطمئناً امریکا لب چاه دیگر دست اسراییل را رها خواهد کرد زمزمه های خشم از اروپا نیز به گوش می رسد. نصر من الله و فتح قریب▪ به نظر اینجانب در این مقطع حساس که افکار عمومی همه مسلمانان و مسیحیان و آزادیخواهان جهان به خاطر جنایات ددمنشانه و سفاکانه رژیم خونخوار صهیونیستی اسرائیل در التهاب بی سابقه ای در حمایت از مردم و آرمان فلسطین به سر می برند ،
جمهوری اسلامی ایران باید با ابتکارعمل نسبت به برگزاری «اجلاس جهانی حمایت از آرمان فلسطین »درتهران اقدام و از کلیه روسای جمهور همراه و طرفدار فلسطین و کلیه آزادی خواهان جهان با محوریت مسئولان حماس و آقای اردوغان به عنوان میهمان ویژه اجلاس دعوت نموده و با استفاوه از جو مثبت جهانی فعلی در خصوص آینده فلسطین و تشکیل حکومت فلسطین و نابودی و اضمحلال اسرائیل غاصب ، صحبت و تبادل نظر و اقدام نماید .
سیدمرتضی سرابی▪ با سلام اگه ما که شهرستانی هستیم هم بخواهیم از پهلوان اردوغان تشکر و حمایت کنیم چگونه می توانیم این کار را انجام دهیم. من خیلی خوشحالم دلم میخواهد ایشان را ببینم و غرق در بوسه کنم. اگر راهی برای رساندن پیام تشکر وجود دارد به بنده هم بگویید. متشکرم▪ حضور گسترده و میلیونی مردم ترکیه در حمایت از غزه عامل بسیار مهمی در مواضع و سخنان آقای اردوغان بود. ایشان با حمایت داخلی این افتخار بزرگ را برای مسلمانان پدید آورد.▪ احسنت / دست مریزاد / بخدا قسم من نیز هنگامی که خبر و تصاویر را دیدم از اینکه انسانی در مقام نخست وزیر یک کشور اینچنین فضای یک کنفرانس را بنفع فلسطینیان مظلوم غزه و دنیای اسلام رقم زد اشک شوق ریختم .
این یک فاجعه سیاسی برای صهیونیست هاست که به این زودی ها نخواهند توانست آنرا بازسازی کنند.▪ این حرکت رجب خان دنیا را حرکت خواهد داد.اگر شیمون پرز یک جو غیرت داشت او هم سرافکنده جلسه را ترک ویا از همان جا از مردم دنیا عذر خواهی میکرد ولی توبه گرگ مرگ است و اسراییل گرگ دیگری است.▪ البته معاونی را بفرستیم که ملت اسرائیل را دوست نپندارد▪ i was glad to hear the voice of oppressed people of Gaza which came out of the voice of great leader of our moslem,s neighabour.
thousands of praise to ardoughan.▪ ملت بزرگ ایران دستهای اردوغان را بگرمی میفشارد و او را تحسین میکند.▪ من با ديدن اين صحنه از تلويزيون دولتي تركيه نماز خوانده و از صميم قلب براي آقاي اردوغان دعا كردم▪ دورد بر جناب آقای اردوغان که با حرکت شجاعانه خود باعث سربلندی اسلام شد.پیشنهاد می شود تابناک نامه ای را برای تشکر از ایشان تنظیم کند تا کاربران آنرا امضا کنند.▪ بله سفر وزیر امور خارجه و یا معاون رئیس جمهور و حتی یک هیئت عالی رتبه بسیار تاثیر خوبی بر بی غیرتان عربی خواهد داشت▪ دستش درد نکنه درد وبلاش بخوره تو جون حاکمان خائن بعضی از کشورهای عربی جدا که کارش ای ول داره . حالا ما که شهرستان هستیم دستمون یه سفارت ترکیه نمی رسه ولی حق مطلب اینه که مردم تهران سفارت ترکیه رو گلبارون کنن▪ با سلام
علاوه بر حرکت بسیار منطقی و افتخار آمیز اردوغان ، نکته دیگری که در این صحنه قابل توجه بود حرکت نماینده کشورهای عربی عمر موسی بود. بیچاره نمیدانست چکار کند. نماینده جبهه اعراب! یک دعوای از نظر خودشان عربی را سپرده بود به یک غیر عرب و خودش به شدت مثل شیوخشان لمیده بود و به تعریف و تمجید پرز از مبارک و عباس و خودش گوش میداد و احتمالا غرق لذت بود . تا اینکه اردوغان بعد از سخنان کوبنده خود در دفاع از مسلمانان و نه عربها! شجاعانه برخاست. عمر موسی اینجا انگار از خواب پریده باشد بلند شد و معلوم نیست میخواست مانع رفتن اردوغان شود یا به تحسین وی بپردازد !! بعد از رفتن اردوغان بیچاره هاج و واج مانده بود چکار کند تا بان کی مون به دادش رسید و بهش دستور داد بنشیند و او هم مثل یه بچه خوب نشست! جبهه عربی مدعی باید به نماینده خود ببالد!!!!!▪ چخ ممنون اردوغان. به نظرم دفاع خالصانه اي بود. انساني بود نه سياسي. اردوغان در مقام يك انسان از مظلوميت غزه دفاع كرد نه به عنوان يك سياست باز. باز هم چخ ممنون!▪ خوبست دانشجویان ما بلافاصله نسبت به گلباران سفارت ترکيه اقدام کنند تا نشان دهند همانطور که اهل درگیری با سفارتخانه های سازشکارند با حامیان شجاع ملت فلسطین و سفارتخانه های آنها گل هدیه میدهند.▪ جای خوشحالی است که هنوز ندای حق وحق گویی بیدار است واین بار از جایی که خیلی انتظار آن را نداریم این نشان داد که ما در ظلم ستیزی خیلی تنها نیستیم حتی اگر این حرکت نسیمی بیش نباشد نشان از تاثیر حرکت انقلاب اسلامی در منطقه خواهد بود .
این حرکت نخست وزیر ترکیه قابل ستایش است▪ درود خدا بر او که با صحبت هایش دل داغدیده هزاران مادر و کودک بی سرپرست ناشی از حمله ناجوانمردانه اسرائیل را شاد کرد. به امید نابودی اسرائیل بدست چنین افتخار افرینانی▪ نکته ظریف و جالبی که در حاشیه ترک جلسه در زمان کوتاهی دیده شد حرکت نفر کناری دست راست که بنظرم عمروموسی بود در روبوسی با اردوغان بود که شاید می خواست کم نیاورد هر چند شهامت اردوغان را در ترک جلسه نداشت و در هنگام برگشت به صندلی اش در حالیکه مردد بود با حرکت اشاره دست تقریبا آمرانه دبیرکل سازمان ملل سرجایش نشست. واقعیات یک چیزی را به او دیکته میکرد وسیاست چیز دیگری را و او تسلیم سیاست شد در حالیکه می توانست در سایه زبونی حاکمان عرب با یک حرکت مشابه قهرمان اعراب شود اما ذلت را ترجیح داد.▪ باسلام. بايد قد بالايي اين مرد را طلا گرفت.افرين. آبروي هر چه سران عرب را برد. كجاست خادم الش.......؟▪ جدا دیروز اشک شوق ریختیم▪ با درود به این مرد بزرگ و تبریک به همه مسلمانان جهان ، خصوصا مردم مظلوم غزه▪ در آستانه سی امین سالگرد انقلاب اسلامی این رخداد ها نشان از به ثمر نشستن میوه های درخت آرمانهای انقلاب در زمستان سرد و بی روح دنیای مادی پس از سه فصل آبیاری و حراست به خون هزاران شهید در ایران فلسطین عراق افغانستان و.....هر جایی در این عالم پهناور دارد این لرزه از فوریه سال 1979 بر بدنه رژیم اسرائیل فرو ریختو تا بحال ادامه دارد.اگر رضاخان به سر سپردگی از آتاتورک غربزدگی را رواج داد امروز شاهد معنای این بیت هستیم که دیو چو بیرون رود فرشته درآید.آری بار دیگر در ایران و ترکیه این مفهوم معنی شد.به امید پیروزی نهایی حق بر باطل▪ با سلام
حقیقت امر بسیار خوشحال شدم .وقتی چهره رجب طیب اردوغان هنگام دفاع از فلسطین بر افروخته شده بود.اشک در چشمانم جمع شد که بالاخره غیرت و همیت در جهان اسلام هنوز معنا دارد.▪ برادر بزرگوارم:
من هم آن صحنه ها را زنده نگاه کردم. اشک ریختم و به اینچنین نخست وزیری غبطه خوردم . اردوغان نه فقط برای شجاعت اش در دفاع از آرمان فلسطین قابل تحسین است بلکه برای مهار تورم و تک رقمی کردن آن در کشور بی نفت و بدهکار تا خرخره. برای آنکه مردم اش به او افتخار می کنند و آرائ او بخاطر خدمات دولتش روزبه روز افزایش می یابد. ایکاش ما هم شعار ندهیم بلکه قدری عمل کنیم.▪ اقدام شجاعانه اردوغان را بايد مورد ستايش قرار داد و به مردم هوشيار تركيه نيز درود فرستاد.بنظر ميرسد كشور مسلمان تركيه هم متوجه نقش ارزشمند خود در جهان اسلام شده است كه تا چه اندازه مي تواند در موضوعات بين المللي مخصوصا مسائل مربوط به جهان اسلام تاثير گذار باشد. اردوغان حرف دل دردمند تمام كودكان وزنان و...... فلسطيني را به زبان آورد. اين اولين مشت محكم و واقعي بر صهيونيسم جاني بود كه انتظار ميرود ساير حكام اسلامي وعربي اختلافات بيهوده را كنار گذاشته و مشتهاي بعدي را فرود آورند تا اين حزب جنايتكار نابود گردد. آيا مي شود روزي را ديد كه خاورميانه اي آرام ودور از جنگ داشته باشيم . واقعا ميشود.؟▪ راستی اگر این عمل از سوی احمدی نژاد سر زده بود چه بسیار کسانی که عمل وی را به دلیل مغایرت با شئون دیپلماتیک و شعارزدگی تخطئه می کردند و محکوم می نمودند راستی چرا دیپلماتهای ما تابویی به نام شئوون دیپلماتیک را برای خود قائلند که هیج معیار و ملاک ملموسی نیز برای آن ارائه نمی دهند. مورد هولوکاست و دانشگاه کلمبیا را به یاد بیاورید...▪ این از اثرات خون مظلوم است که کم کم تاثیر میگذارد .در طول تاریخ اگر پیام مظلوم به انسانها برسد خون آنان ریشه ظالمان را کنده است و اینها بستگی دارد به نحوه پیام رسانی و همه مسئولند▪ زنده باد اسلام زنده باد اردغان باور كنيد ديشب كه ساعت 12شب اين صحنه غرور انگيز را از تلويزون ديد م تا يك ساعت از شوق و هيجان و شجاعت اين انسان مسلمام و آزاده نتوانسم بخوبم.▪ احسنت به مقاله جالب شما .▪ با سلام و تشکر از این مطلب خوبتان
بنده بعنوان یک مسلمان احساس غرور و افتخار کردم به اینکه در بین دولتمردان کشورهای اسلامی انسان های باخدا و شجاع مثل اردوغان وجود دارد شخصیت اردوغان باید الگوی برای برخی سران کشورهای اسلامی باشد▪ با درود بر حركت شجاعانه اردوغان اين مطلب را نيز از ياد نبريم كه رئيس جمهور كشورمان آقاي احمدي نژاد با حمله شجاعانه بر حساس ترين مسئله رژيم صهيونيستي (هولوكاست) مشروعيت آنها را دركل جهان به زير سوال برد.▪ *** پیشنهاد می کنم عالیترین نشان شجاعت جمهوری اسلامی به ایشان طی یک مراسم رسمی اعطا شود، ویا یک نشان شجاعت اسلامی به تصیویب برسد که به افرادی مثل ایشان وآن خبر نگار عراقی اعطا شود تا الگویی باشند برای دیگران******▪ سلام.من دانشجو هستم،دارم واسه كنكور ارشد ميخونم،زنده اين صحنه رو نديدم،اما همينكه متن كامل رو خوندم،از غرور موهاي بدنم سيخ شد.به نظرم شما درست گفتين ،غرور اسلامي داره زنده ميشه.ممنون از مقاله تون▪ به احتمال قوی اسرائیل با توجه به ماهیت تروریستی خود و نیز ضربه غیر منتظره ای که از اردوغان دریافت کرد سعی در تجهیز گروهک تروریستی پ .ک .ک خواهد کرد. بنابراین بهترین هدیه مسئولان کشورمان به اردوغان می تواند همکاری بیشتر با ترکیه در جهت از بین بردن و خنثی کردن عملیاتهای تروریستی این گروهک باشد.

FYI/Iran arrests women's rights campaigner: (AFP)

Iran has arrested a women's rights activist involved in an award-winning campaign that seeks changes to laws deemed unfair to women, a newspaper reported on Sunday.

Security officials arrested Nafiseh Azad on Saturday in the Darakeh mountains north of Tehran while she was collecting signatures for the campaign's petition, the Sarmayeh newspaper said.

Iran arrests women's rights campaigner:

Ms. Parsi, Enough With The Name Calling

and the demonization.....Give it a rest....please. I'm not "big brother" and I am not trying to "muzzle" you. You can obviously write whatever you want. Who am I to object?!!!!

You are on Iranian.com. This site is supposedly a meeting place for ideas about Iran. I am just pointing out that the welfare of the Iranian people is the least of your concerns. You have an anti-western agenda, and you are willing to sacrifice the interest of Iranian people for your ideology. That's all. I think that you have realized the fact that I, and perhaps many other people have figured this out, and that is why you are going nuts with the accusations.

Niloufar jan: I do travel to

Niloufar jan:

I do travel to middle east often though for visiting families and friends who are Arab, sunni, Christian and Shia. Things have dramtically changed since the 2006.(Israel's war in Lebanon and the attack of Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, Iran's supports of Maliki gov't and so on) Ahmadinejad and Khamenie are not as popular as they used to be.

Dear Niloufar

history of revolutions combined tell me that iran's regime cannot continue to up the ante and survive. it would take a rather long time to explain. but we can continue the discussion.

I keep telling that to myself and I hope we are both right, however, often times, my intution and logic are at odds.

And for the sake of Iran , I really hope that IR understands that overplaying its hand will result in a devestating war.

Ultimately, The decript regime is only prolonging peoples agony and its own eventual death even if reformers come to power.

Anonymousesss

you are just looking for a fight. i don't know what your gripe is but i have little time for it. you are trying hard to act like a ring leader here to try and muzzle the views of those you do not agree with. problem is, you lack the necessary debating skills and clarity of mind to achieve that status. you are too emotional A.

willow jan

you are right: i have an unusually optimistic view of the potential for positive change, a gradual shift toward greater freedom in iran. but pls do not ask me to give you any emipirical data on events in the future!

basically, the people of the US have voted in a peacemaker. it reflects the mood of the country. this should send a positive signal to the iranian population. hardliners like ahmadinejad will find it very hard to justify an aggressive stance againt the west in the coming elections, while the reformists will be emboldened. whether one chooses to hold any hope for the prospects for real change is essentially an intuitive process. my intuition and understanding of politics and the history of revolutions combined tell me that iran's regime cannot continue to up the ante and survive. it would take a rather long time to explain. but we can continue the discussion. 

on the position of iran, and without giving too much info about myself (look how big brother is chasing me around here, and imagine if some of this type knew who i actually was!), i assure you that i am speaking from my personal experience. i have worked in countries right across the globe. everywhere i go, there is serious respect for iran's foreign policy. and there is a serious lack of knowledge on iran's internal policies. in part this is because people have stopped believing the western media's accusations against iran. iran's image among the majority of the world is how i describe it for you based on what i have seen and heard myself in many countries. i cannot get any more empirical for you than that. you can of course dismiss my personal impression, but that won't change my mind on this matter. we may have to agree to disagree :) 

Peace!

Ms. Parsi

First of all, like Willow asked below, please cite all empirical data that you have to show that Iran is viewed as you put it:

“despite our distaste for the regime, iran is viewed as courageous and important by many people worldwide. from morocco to indonesia - and even beyond - the image of iran is far far brighter and more positive than how our own people view it in iran.”

In fact, my dear Ms. Parsi, in a 2007 poll conducted by BBC, Iran, along with U.S. and Israel, topped the list of the countries with the most negative image in the world. Here’s the link:

//www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17474900/

So, next time, please do some research before you make fantastic claims like this. But, let’s assume for the sake of argument, that what you say is true, and Iran is viewed by many in the world as “courageous”. So, by your logic, aside from being the sacrificial lambs for the Palestinian cause, 80 million Iranians should also accept and submit to a dictatorship, and the become sacrificial lambs AGAIN, so that some guy in Indonesia can take joy in a belief that “the west”, as you put it (not dogmatic and anti-western at all, by the way!!!) is somehow humiliated! Incidentally, the same courageous Iranian leaders who stand up to “Amrika” have not problem whatsoever selling oil to Halliburton subsidiaries in Cayman Islands and trying to buy F-14 ejection seats from New Jersey companies!!!! So much for being a symbol of resistance to “the west”!!!!

Second, I find your tone quite condescending to Iranians (which I guess is an all too often seen symptom of leftist elitism). “the image of iran is far far brighter and more positive than how our own people view it in iran”. Really?!!! So, Iranians are just stupid and should cheer on the IRI for its greatness? Thank you for this valuable advice. I’ll make sure to call my relatives in Iran who lost four teenagers to IRI’s firing squads and tell them that they are all wrong. They just don’t know how good they have it. They should just go on to the street and hug the nearest Paasdar right away, because, after all, it will make the Moroccans happy!!!

Chalabi types of gimmicks, Mr. K!

Kashani says: "how stupid is it to blame IRIs crimes against our country on Israel???"

Kashani_jAn, let's cut the c*@p. Your juicy "pro" Israeli writings may fool a few, but not everyone. Do you think Americans/Israelis haven't learned anything from their experience with Iraqi charlatans such as Mr. Ahamad Chalabi who dragged them into the ongoing Iraqi fiasco?
Here is what Roger Cohen says in his Feb 1st article: "...It's time to think again, not merely to re-calibrate old formulas .... //www.iht.com/articles/2009/02/01/opinion/edc... "

Mr. FK, as an Esfahai I have a lot of faith in Jewish people, ..., I very much doubt they are going to fall for Chalabi types of gimmicks!
As we Esfahanis say: EnAvAAAA khar nimeeshand!

Nilou Jan:

positive impact on the position of the reformists inside iran.

Position of reformist? Did the reformists ever really were in any "position" to push for meaningful structural changes? The hardliners always micromanaged the reformers every move.

Why do you think the reformers were allowed to come to power? By that I mean, why do you think Khamenie give Rafsanjani and Khatami free reign in the first place and then he took their power away when the situational variables (domestic and foreign) were no longer inducive to keep them in power?

Who do you think was the architect of the so-called reform movement?

Don't tell me you believe that the sham elections in Iran are real!

iran is viewed as courageous and important by many people worldwide. from morocco to indonesia - and even beyond - the image of iran is far far brighter and more positive than how our own people view it in iran. this is simply because of the failure of the west and the likes of the UN to deliver on their stated ideals. iran is seen as the only country courageous enough to stand up against western hypocrisy and established interests. it is also seen as one that does not fall into the russian camp.

There is absoultely zero empirical data out there to prove your claim. And since when being "courageous against the great satan" and wining a popularity contest, which is debatable given the rise in anti-muslim sentiments around the globe and anti-shitte sentiments among the sunnis,are indices to measure "global position"??

Please define global position.

it stands out as one that believes in itself and speaks for what it believes is right, and willing to forgo benefits that would be gained from being a good little boy who does not challenge the established and clearly corrupt and hypocritical system.

Naznin dokhtar, therein lies the whole problem. I wish that was the case. In the beginning of Ahamdinejad presidency, he did gain a tremendous amount of good will among the average muslims in the streets of Lebanon, Egypt, and Iraq, however, it did not last long when Iraqis and Lebenese realized how deeply hypocritical IRI stance was when they helped the US imperialists both in Iraq (displacing millions of sunnis and killing palestinians sunni gays in Iraq by the Iran-funded Badr death squads) and Afghanistan. And regarding Lebanon, anti-shiite sentimetns in Lebanons has never been greater than it is right now. Sunnis and shiite in Lebanon have never been so polarized thanks to IRI's proxy war against Israel. People in Lebanon never used to ask you whether you are shia or sunni but now-a-days it's the first thing they inquire.

Dear Niloufar, people have access to the internet and don't buy propaganda as easily as they used to. Even the muslims in Indonesia became disillusioned when they learned about Iran's domestic terrors against its own citizens.

On the nuclear issue, I will get back to you when I have more time.

Who speaks for the *human* side?

"Peres spoke only a few minutes more answering allegations of two speakers of the arab/muslim side who spoke together around 30 minuts. Give the nonsense a rest."

You're perpetuating an unnecessary and non-existant dialectic between Arab/Muslim versus Jew, I believe the Turkish PM was someone who attempted to defend humans...of course they're still planning to send weapons to Israel, economic interests once again, speaking of which, China and South America are greater priorities in the world today, wouldn't it be ironic if Arab/Muslim/Jew ended up fighting the same enemy someday?

Farhad

Point well made. Allow me to ask you a question. 

I am yet to see, except in propaganda literature of IR, anyone here to blame Israel for crimes of IR. However, the opposite has always been going on. 

There is no denying in my mind about brutality of IR goons. However, for a supporter of Israel to criticize IR, I can help it but laugh my [@ss off]. I mind you that I mean no punt against you. But when I see people, Iranians and otherwise, propagating the bombing of Home Land by genocidal criminals of Zionist regime, I can't but help it to interject my 2 cents worth.

In a nut shell, supporters of Zionist should really [zip it] criticizing IR when their regime has been murdering innocent women and children by 1000's for 60 years.

Regards

capt_ayhab [-YT]

Demonstration In Front of IRI embassy in Paris, France

Demonstration In Front of IRI embassy in France Last November:

that was a good one Zion!

Zion said: "Patients indeed seem to be running out, and a lot of them seem to end up here."

... the writer of this article is one of them, and he amuses us with his dreams and hallucinations!

Roshanbeen

Yeah Peres spoke for 2500 minutes. Zionists pulled the relativistic time dilation on top of it too, Einstein being a Zionist Jew with his Jewish Physics and all that!
As everyone can check for themselves here:
//iranian.com/main/news/2009/01/30/davos-...

Peres spoke only a few minutes more answering allegations of two speakers of the arab/muslim side who spoke together around 30 minuts. Give the nonsense a rest.

You are right in one thing though. Patients indeed seem to be running out, and a lot of them seem to end up here.

Capt_ayhab ,   With

Capt_ayhab ,

With all due respect, as far as us Iranians are concerned, the real question is, how stupid is it to blame IRIs crimes against our country on Israel???

 The tragedy is that you see that “stupidity” displayed on this site every day!!!

Yare Dabestaniyeh Ma

Yare Dabestaniyeh Ma

//fr.youtube.com/watch?v=aQU4Z0Qoo30

Original Reminder to the Pro Palestinian Crocodile Tearjerkers  on this Site who forgot Iran:

Anonymousesss

two problems with your pieces there:

first, i never said that you had asked iran to apologize to israel. i was addressing the subject of the blog. are you farhad in disguise?

second, the argument you are trying to build does not hold water. in fact, your line of reasoning on reconciliation gives the impression that you reluctantly accept the notion because you have to acknowledge that it would be safer for iranians. it is as if you have to be convinced that it is not right for iranians to be killed. you see? I, however, stated that to me israel is the biggest threat to the region - that btw, includes iran - and this needs to be addressed urgently. this is because i want to avoid a nuclear holocaust on iran. you see?

on the question of who and what i choose to write about: this is not any of your business 'big brother'. it is part of the exercise of free expression, and you need to learn this and avoid attacking people so much on issues such as what or who they write about. stick to the subject, spend less time on calling people dogmatic or bolshevic or such like, and then it will be easier for all of us to talk more easily on whatever we choose to talk about. you are the oppressive one and you are the one openly and so cheekily 'clarifies the picture for all readers'. stick to the subject and stop wasting my time.

willow jan

good questions. my use of the term 'necessarily' there was misguided. it does not necessarily mean that, but i expect detente with the west to have a positive impact on the position of the reformists inside iran.

there were several overtures on iran's side toward the west especially by rafsanjani and khatami, but they were snubbed. there are many iranians who want to soften iran's position against the west and even israel, but they are not getting results. if the west reaches out to them, iranians may be heartened again to vote for the reformist camp.

on iran's global position: despite our distaste for the regime, iran is viewed as courageous and important by many people worldwide. from morocco to indonesia - and even beyond - the image of iran is far far brighter and more positive than how our own people view it in iran. this is simply because of the failure of the west and the likes of the UN to deliver on their stated ideals. iran is seen as the only country courageous enough to stand up against western hypocrisy and established interests. it is also seen as one that does not fall into the russian camp.

it stands out as one that believes in itself and speaks for what it believes is right, and willing to forgo benefits that would be gained from being a good little boy who does not challenge the established and clearly corrupt and hypocritical system.

one such example should be clear to us: the west was silent when iraq used chemical weapons against iran and the kurds. it actually supplied them. and the west is silent when israel is using chemical weapons against palestinian children. it actually supplies them.

Another case is the nuclear issue.

the whole world is aware of this hypocrisy, and more and more so because of the media and the internet.

Zion: Logic and humanity from Peres!

Saying Shimon Peres speaks logic and humanity is an utter insult to any human being.

Shimon Peres who is a pathological lair, who was fingered in murder of Yitzak Robin? And got a FREE MURDER. Same guy?

Or the Shimon Peres, the hero of Qana Massacre?

[The shelling of Qana, also referred to as the Qana massacre, took place on April 18, 1996 in Qana, a village in Southern Lebanon, when Israeli artillery hit the area of a UN compound near Qana. Of the 800 Lebanese
civilians who had taken refuge in the compound to escape the fighting, 106 were killed and around 116 injured. Four Fijian United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon soldiers were also seriously injured.]

Perhaps Shimon Peres, The OLD  Liar? Who has spent a lifetime serving the evil Zionist enterprise.?

Or Shimon Peres who is credited for the introduction of nuclear weapons to the Middle East via the "French connection,"?

May be Shimon Peres who charged that Hamas was impeding peace between Israel and the American-backed Palestinian Authority (PA), suggesting that Hamas's "extremism" was the main reason behind PA reluctance to sign a formal peace treaty with Israel.

How about Peres who overlooked the fact that Israel had more than 20 years without Hamas (1967-1987) and another 19 years during which Hamas was more or less weak or neutralized (1987-2006), but instead of making peace with the Palestinian leadership, namely the PLO, the Zionist state was busy building Jewish-only settlements and Jewish-only roads on a land that belongs to another people.

Bottom line is, for Peres to invoke the ideals of human rights and democracy against Israel's tormented victims, the Palestinians, is very much like having the likes of Adolph Hitler and Joseph Stalin lecturing their own victims on the sanctity of human life.

Actually, lets look at past 3 Israeli Premiers  and their humanitarian legacies:

Ehud Olmert, Ariel Sharon and Ehud Barak.

The first ordered the Israeli air force to drop 3 million cluster bomblets on Southern Lebanon. For those who don't know, three million bombs are sufficient to kill and maim three million children. In Gaza, Olmert ordered his army to murder innocent Palestinian civilians in the thousands and starve hundreds of thousands of innocent people on the ground that they had elected a political party that Israel didn't like.

And Sharon? Well, we are all aware of the dark legacy of that vile certified war criminal.

And Barak, the notorious child killer who with his own hands assassinated Palestinian writers and intellectuals in Beirut and who ordered his troops to open fire on unarmed Palestinian protesters. This is the man who had to appeal to the most primitive sadistic instincts of the Israeli public in order to be popular and get elected.

So Zion, what were you saying??? Give me a [Fudging] break man.

Regards

capt_ayhab [-YT]

Ms. Parsi

The difference between us is very clear. First, let me emphasize that in my opinion Israel is an apartheid, expansionist regime that commits crimes against humanity against Palestinians, such as it did in Gaza recently. This is not the subject of the discussion, but unfortunately, and through the efforts of people who recklessly throw the “Zionist” label at everyone, it has become obligatory for people who comment on this site to start every comment by making this declaration. Otherwise, we will be known as “blood thirsty Zionists”!!!!!!!!!

Now, to the ACTUAL subject. Here’s where we differ, Ms. Parsi. You can actually see it from our comments. I say that I am in favor of a dialogue with Iran because:

“….as much as I deeply believe that reconciliation with IRI will only strengthen its hold on power, I think that this is the safest scenario for the Iranian people. I also believe that this is what the majority of Iranians want and their wishes should be respected.”

You, on the other hand, say that you are in favor of the dialogue because:

“my reading of the situation tells me that it would necessarily lead to an internal softening of the regime while it would strengthen iran's global position. this is why i am so much in support of dialogue. in addition, it would weaken israel's position in the region, and it would reduce its warmongering tendencies once the US position shifts. all in all, it should bring a little more peace to the whole region with the 2 sides agreeing to stop their proxy wars everywhere.”

See the difference? My concern if for Iran and Iranians. Your main concern, however, is the Arab / Israeli conflict. The people of Iran deserve a democratic government which allows free press, free expression, political freedom, has no political prisons or political executions, doesn’t tell women what to dress and doesn’t deprive women of basic legal rights. I think that Iran’s “global position” should NOT be strengthened because it will only strengthens the hand of this dictatorship and will ensure its survival for decades to come. You, on the other hand, are willing to sacrifice the basic rights of the Iranian people so that Israel is somehow humiliated. See the difference now? You are willing to make the Iranian people the sacrificial lambs for the Palestinian cause. As bad as the situation is for the Palestinians---and it is terrible and inhumane---why should Iranians sacrifice their basic rights and submit to a dictatorship because of the Arab / Israeli conflict?

I hope that this clarifies the picture for all readers and show where your priorities lie. And I think that if anything, you have been pretty consistent on your position. That’s why we never see you commenting on any issues related to Iranians. By contrast, you are incredibly prolific when it comes to blogging, commenting and writing pieces about the Israeli / Palestinian conflict. That, in and of itself, speaks volumes.

Yes Zion

talk is cheap , actions speak louder, the whole world witnessing modern day holocaust in GAZA .
Of course you call Erdocan a bully because he speaks the truth. The stupid paid off moderator gives 25 minutes to peres to speak , but can not tolerate 1 minute answer from erdocan because he is Moslem despite the fact that his government has normal relation with that of peres. Patients are running out , every one is tired of this double standard, bullying attitude, and sickening arrogance.

keep dreaming