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Masking Motives
12-Nov-2010
When Trita Parsi founded the National Iranian American Council in the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, he hoped to give a voice to Iranians in the United States who condemned the terrorist attacks as vehemently as most natural-born Americans did.
In the years since, the council has grown to include several thousand members and its role has taken on a more complex — and some say controversial — mission. Meanwhile, Parsi has become a celebrated author and leading scholar helping to bridge the cultural, philosophical and geopolitical divide between Americans and Iranians, and more broadly the East and West.
Last month, the Iranian-born Parsi, who holds a green card and lives in the Washington area, won the prestigious Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order, an honor bestowed as a result of his 2007 book, “Treacherous Alliance – The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran and the U.S.”
The award, previously granted to former Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev and other international heavyweights, gave Parsi more than just prestige. The author pocketed a $200,000 check, as well. Rodger Payne, a political science professor at the University of Louisville who administers the awards, said the judges thought the potential for conflict in the Middle East was one of the largest threats to world order and that Parsi’s book “addressed this problem very effectively.”
In a wide-ranging interview with the Washington Diplomat, Parsi explained that a primary focus of the National Iranian American Council (NIAC) in recent years has been helping to avert a potentially cataclysmic war between the United States and Iran. Toward the end of George W. Bush’s presidency, Parsi became increasingly alarmed that the United States was drifting toward war with the provocative Middle Eastern powerhouse. A draft resolution pending in Congress in late 2008 called on the U.S. president to stop all shipments of refined petroleum products from reaching Iran, and demanded that the president impose “stringent inspection requirements on all persons, vehicles, ships, planes, trains and cargo entering or departing Iran.”
“It was about putting a Navy blockade on Iran, but if you committed this act of war you were starting a war,” Parsi said. “It was clever of the proponents of the resolution to not use the word ‘war’ or even use the word ‘naval blockade,’ but that’s what it amounted to.”
The NIAC quickly rallied a large coalition of groups, including Jewish-American organizations, to condemn the resolution as a precursor to war, and despite having the support of hundreds of members of Congress, House Resolution 362 eventually fizzled. A couple of months later, Americans elected Barack Obama president and gave a less hawkish Democratic Party control of both chambers of Congress.
“Everyone mobilized and the fight, I think to a very large extent, was in the media,” Parsi recalled. “Being able to bring that to the attention of the public through the media, it ended up not being considered. It essentially died in committee, even though it had a huge number of co-sponsors and some of the most influential organizations were pushing for it.”
Asked what the repercussions would have been had the resolution succeeded, Parsi said it would have been disastrous to the burgeoning pro-democracy movement in Iran.
“The first victims of a war would be the pro-democracy movement,” he said.
However, the Washington Times in 2009 raised questions about the effort in an article that challenged the legality of the NIAC, as an educational group, to lobby Congress on the issue.
Parsi disagreed in the article and argued that the group is permitted by law to engage in lobbying with up to 20 percent of its budget. He added that “educational activities and advocacy for general policies, such as opposition to war — as opposed to specific legislation — are not lobbying under the law.”
Today, the idea of a U.S. military offensive against Iran — especially with American troops still mired in Iraq and Afghanistan and a fresh round of international sanctions against Tehran having just been passed — seems far less imminent, although the possibility remains on the table, especially as Iran presses forward with its nuclear ambitions and Israel remains adamant that it won’t allow a nuclear-armed Iran to happen on its watch. Still, the United States seems to have quelled Israeli fears for now, arguing that there’s enough time for diplomacy before Iran makes what one senior administration called a “dash” for a working nuclear weapon.
For years, Iran has also encountered significant problems in enriching uranium — possibly the result of reported sabotage schemes by the U.S. and other Western powers. Moreover, American and European officials are hopeful that the wave of unilateral and multilateral sanctions passed this summer against Iran will bite and perhaps splinter the regime by choking off critical energy and financial investment.
Nevertheless, the fundamental deadlock hasn’t really budged: Western countries have repeatedly pressed Tehran to halt its sensitive nuclear program but Iranian leaders have refused, insisting that the country’s nuclear activities are designed for peaceful civilian purposes.
Parsi, whose family fled Iran to Sweden when he was 4 years old to escape the political repression of Ayatollah Khomeini’s Islamic Republic, remains dubious of Iran’s various nuclear claims.
“The Iranians want to have the option of being able to build a nuclear bomb in case the security environment radically deteriorates,” Parsi said. “But the consensus view, including inside the U.S. intelligence bureau, is that no such decision has been made. But they are moving toward having the capability of making a decision and that is sufficient to worry some countries in the region, and certainly to worry the United States. The question is what can realistically be done about it?”
Parsi adds that the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), of which Iran is a signatory, is somewhat problematic in the context of Iran’s stated nuclear ambitions.
“The bottom line is that enrichment and production of civilian energy is considered a right under the Non-Proliferation Treaty and a majority of countries support that perspective,” Parsi pointed out. “There is plenty of literature on this. The way the NPT is structured, because of Article 4, it creates a loophole for countries to get to the verge of a nuclear bomb, and do so completely legally, without being in violation of anything in the NPT.”
But the United States and other Western powers say Iran forfeited its NPT rights when it kicked out inspectors and closed off its nuclear program to the outside world.
Yet Parsi argues that weapons inspections — largely thrown aside as an option prior to the U.S. invasion of Iraq — are the answer.
“What you can invest in is making sure you have maximum inspection and verification, and by doing that you have a guarantee that gives the international community confidence that there won’t be any weaponization,” he asserts.
But if that doesn’t work? Asked about the consequences of a U.S. military strike or invasion of Iran, Parsi shudders at the thought.
“The first effect you would see is a significant radicalization inside of Iran,” he predicted. “You will see those elements who have already tried to turn Iran into a military state being able to push forward with their agenda much more successfully than they have so far. It will give a pretext to the government to go out and completely crush the pro-democracy movement.
They have already done a significant amount of work on that front, but war would be giving them a gift from above when it comes to their ability to do so with even more ferociousness.”
Parsi also believes a war would have profound implications for the entire region, not just Iran.
“I think you would also likely see the Iranians escalate the war as much outside of their borders as possible,” he said. “They already have that as part of their defense doctrine. It would mean a significant destabilization of the region as a whole. I don’t think there are a lot of divergent views when it comes to these specific issues and repercussions of war.”
War, however, remains an option for Israel, which won’t rule out a pre-emptive strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, even though most experts say such an attack would only delay the program — and could even speed it up. Although it’s estimated to have its own large cache of nuclear weapons, Israel views Tehran as an existential threat — and at a minimum won’t allow Iran to upset its military hegemony in the region.
To that end, Parsi believes Israel’s real worries are more practical than existential.
“Even those Israeli officials who believe that Iran is hell-bent on destroying the Jewish state recognize that Tehran is unlikely to attack Israel with nuclear weapons due to the destruction Israel would inflict on Iran through its second-strike capability,” he wrote last year in the article “Netanyahu and Threat of Bombing Iran — The Bluff that Never Stops Giving?”
“The real danger a nuclear-capable Iran brings with it for Israel is twofold. First, an Iran with nuclear capability will significantly damage Israel’s ability to deter militant Palestinian and Lebanese organizations. Gone would be the days when Israel’s military supremacy would enable it to dictate the parameters of peace and pursue unilateral peace plans,” he argued. “Israel simply would not be able to afford a nuclear rivalry with Iran and continued territorial disputes with the Arabs at the same time. Second, the deterrence and power Iran would gain by mastering the fuel cycle could compel Washington to cut a deal with Tehran in which Iran would be recognized as a regional power and gain strategic significance in the Middle East at the expense of Israel.”
Yet Parsi discounts the notion of a deep-rooted Israeli-Iranian divide, arguing that the idea “is very much tied to the general view that the Jewish population has been unwelcome in that region,” he said. “This is just simply completely historically false — the Jewish people and Iranians have very positive relations over the centuries, and they also started off the relationship on a very positive note when they first came into contact about 2,500 years ago.”
Parsi points out that “the only non-Jew in the Bible” who is elevated to the level of a prophet is Cyrus the Great, founder of the Persian Empire who freed the Jews from Babylonian captivity.
“Even during the early stages of the Israeli state, the relations tended to be very positive and driven by a very political and strategic basis,” Parsi explained. “The two countries were in a tough neighborhood and shared a lot of common threats — threats from the Soviet Union and threats from more nationalist Arab states. This collaboration extended to deep security and intelligence collaboration but also into other areas. It wasn’t always a very comfortable relationship, but it was a strong and robust relationship.”
Parsi said that even when the Iranian Islamic Republic emerged after the 1979 Revolution and Tehran was headed by a hostile anti-Israeli government, close collaboration with Israel continued, especially in the realm of arms sales to ensure Iran’s defenses against Saddam Hussein.
He suggested that the current antagonism between Israel and Iran is at least partly manufactured as part of a larger geopolitical strategy on each country’s part.
“Both of them have an interest in portraying their conflict as an ideological conflict,” Parsi said. “From the Israeli perspective, if this is viewed as an ideological conflict in the United States, that means the conflict is framed as the sole democratic Western power in the region against a fundamentalist theocratic dictatorship — and the allegiance of the Western power is going to be pretty automatic.
“From the Iranian perspective, if you frame it for what it is, which is about Iran’s power ambitions or Iran’s desire to be recognized as a key player in the region, you’re not going to be able to attract a lot of Arab resources and sympathy or regional resources and sympathy to your cause,” Parsi continued. “But if you frame it as Iran is standing up for the honor of Islam, then suddenly you have the ability to attract a whole new set of actors who can be sympathetic and helpful to your cause. Both countries have a common interest in framing this issue in a way that can ideologically benefit them.”
All of which takes us to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran’s provocative and mercurial president and a persistent thorn in America’s side. Parsi claims the Iranian leader’s seemingly insane Holocaust denials and other anti-Semitic rants are calculated for political effect and domestic consumption.
“If the fight is with Israel, then it’s much more difficult for Arab states to side with the United States because siding with the U.S. would mean siding with Israel,” Parsi said. “This has had some effect on the audience that Iran is playing toward, which is the Muslim street — just as much as Israeli rhetoric about Iran being some version of a 1938 Germany has had some effect over here. Both sides are playing to their own audiences and having no consideration about how this plays out on the opposite side — and they have only managed to dig themselves deeper and deeper into the whole of conflict.”
Another problem with making the nuclear issue the centerpiece of the world’s interaction with Iran: It allows the regime to galvanize public support against foreign powers supposedly threatening the country, thereby diverting attention from the government’s own shortcomings and giving it an excuse to crush any challenge to its authority.
Parsi believes that Iran’s Green Movement, the pro-democratic political force that rose up to protest the country’s rigged elections last year, is in something of a dormant stage, but contrary to some reports, it’s still alive and well.
“I don’t think the movement is dead — it’s just not out on the street,” he said. “The underlying reasons for people being upset have not in any way or shape changed. You have more repression than before and you have more economic incompetence and corruption than before. What you do have at the same time is that some people have lost faith in the specific leadership of the movement. They had hoped the leadership would have been more bold or more effective, but the discontent is still there.”
However, a revolution won’t truly happen until it is clear that the alternative will be significantly better than the status quo — an assurance many pro-democracy Iranians don’t seem to have much confidence in at the moment.
“Mere discontent is not sufficient to rise up,” Parsi said. “You need to have some hope that your actions will lead to sustainable positive results. They want to have confidence that if they go out on the street and risk their life, they are not doing it to replace one bad system with another bad system.”
first published in The Washington Diplomat.
AUTHOR
Michael Coleman is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.
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Some problems with the first
by Escape on Tue Nov 16, 2010 10:57 AM PSTSome problems with the first sentences make this fit the fiction category,Which is quite a ongoing collection in this section.
'Expert' is not a loose term.Neither is 'Stalemate' which is meant for two parties,not one.If The NIAC hoped to give voice to Iranians condemning the Terrorist Attack's,they have been a COMPLETE FAILURE..Trita Parsi's defintion of War applied to a proposed Naval Blockade by the Bush Adminstration but apparently do not apply to Obama's proposed and enacted sanctions.The only thing gotten right here is 'Parsi believes Israel’s real worries are more practical than existential' and the Dog vs Cat mindframe in the Middle East.
I have a simple question for shushtari
by MOOSIRvaPIAZ on Sun Nov 14, 2010 06:57 PM PSTMaybe you should stop talking and read instead? If you put the same effort in listening to what people have to say instead of parroting neoconservative talking points you would begin to realise that Trita has acknowledged and even condemned the regimes long record of oppression.
I have a simple question
by shushtari on Sun Nov 14, 2010 06:04 PM PSTwhy doesn't this 'expert' ever condemn the akhoonds' brutal oppression of iranians for the past 31 years???
as far as I'm concerned, this parsi character is only an 'expert' at accepting the mullahs' bribes to push their agenda here in the US....
trita parsi
by asadabad on Sun Nov 14, 2010 03:25 PM PSTis no fan of the iri but he is smart enough to realize that any war would inevitably lead to the deaths of many innocent iranians just like the iraq war. thats probably the only reason he opposes attacking the iri. i guess in his eyes the iri removal isnt worth the deaath of 1-2 million iranians. his org is a joke though. the problem is that the iranian americans don't have a unified platform or reasonable alternative to the iri. his org. has no influence on us policy. even cair, which is much more professional and powerful than niac, can't even budge us foreign policy. there is only one pac that rules the american govt and it is aipac.
Maryam Hojjat
by MOOSIRvaPIAZ on Sun Nov 14, 2010 03:29 PM PSTstop the conspiracy mongering. Trita is no where near an IRI agent. The people who started the conspiracy are the same people who are pushing for war and ordinary-iranian-crippling sanctions with iran. they dont care about you or me. they care about their agenda coming to fruition. character assassinating other successful iranians is the norm in our culture. and until we fix that we dont deserve a free country.
First they called Trita an IR agent, then they called him a CIA agent. I dont know what is next but what I know for a fact is that there are people out there who will do the same thing to anyone who goes against their Iran views.
NIAC
by Veiled Prophet of Khorasan on Sun Nov 14, 2010 09:41 AM PSTis a perfectly legal and legitimate American organization. Its name, how its board is picked are perfectly normal by American political standards.
It does not speak for all Iranian American people.
We need not support it or its positions.
We need not agree with it.
Maybe they have elements that are sympathetic to IRI. But that is not my point. Here we have a potent Iranian led organization in the USA. There are people who don't like it.
You have two choices:
Building your own is a democratic; open minded response. It also increases general Iranian American influence. Destroying NIAC is undemocratic; intolerant and just as IRI and Shah behaved. It also leaves us with much reduced influence. Remember: there are times when all Iranians have common interests. We need more overall influence.
Why is it so difficult to accept there will be opposing forces? We must accept different ideologies or spend precious resources fighting ourselves.
links/references? Don't see them/video. See VPK's response.
by MM on Sun Nov 14, 2010 09:17 AM PSTI don't see any references, and especially the video of Parsi kissing up to AhmadiNejad that you quoted several times. Next time, check your references first before accusing others!
Also, see VPK's last response, which I agree with.
Good luck w/ your show, but I hope that you will be more journalistic rather than another speech therapist on Farsi satellite TV.
PS, I used to have a US green-card, just like Parsi, and I was politically active then, as I am today with a US citizenship. Understand the American system first before sounding off.
NIAC
by Veiled Prophet of Khorasan on Sun Nov 14, 2010 03:12 AM PSTI am having a very difficult time on this. People I deeply respect are on both sides. I like to have a powerful Iranian advocacy group. NIAC is the most powerful one in the USA. Do I agree with them all the time: No.
Are they in the pay of IRI: I don't know. I know that some of their people like Aslan are rotten and un-Iranian. Because I him I a have been ready to ditch it more than once. But on the other hand they have achieved things that the rest of us have not.
So we have to take a measured approach with NIAC. I think it is worth having. It should just focus on promoting Iranian issues in the USA. Don't even bother to go into IRI stuff. For that we need another group. We have "International Iranian Council" //en-gb.facebook.com/group.php?gid . Why don't more people join it? Let NIAC do its job and leave the international stuff to IIC.
Meanwhile we need more unity and not division. Not all organizations will be ideal.
ayatoilet1, Thanks very much
by Maryam Hojjat on Sun Nov 14, 2010 02:56 AM PSTfor your passionated responses to our friends in IC. I agree with all you said. Trita Parsi is being paid by IRR/IRI as an agent. He has a DOKOON and collecting money from gulliable IRANIANS. I have recieved more than 20 e-mail & mail from NIAC with Trita's signature to join there organization and pay. Thanks for standing for IRAN & IRANIANS. It is very honorable in the contrary to what Mr. Parsi is doing.
MM - I already sent you the links
by ayatoilet1 on Sat Nov 13, 2010 08:58 PM PSTIf you look down, you'll see the links.
And please do as fred said and just google Trita Parsi or talk to him directly (call him if you will) and he will be the first to tell you he has been at IRI functions; and look at the law suit that was filed. There is more there. I don't want to accuse him unfairly or unjustly, but I trust you will find that the evidence is all there. If it is not, and you make the effort and tell me so, then accept my apologies. I am man enough to apologise; but I have tracked him and the NIAC for a long time now, and my belief regarding NIAC is pretty established now (based on what I have seen and read).
Whether you or any of the 800 or so people that have read this article watch the show - is really meaningless to me. It runs across the planet, including Iran. And trust me I have a father too, and a grand father, and many uncles and could cry on your shoulder too with similar stuff; but all this talk is about tomorrow not yesterday.
What specifically are you suggesting? or Saying? How are you being constructive? What should we do to topple the regime in Iran and protect the welfare of Iranians in Iran and wherever they might be?
There is no ploy here, just a simple set of statements. (1) NIAC does not represent me or us in America, (2) Parsi is not American, so how can he be an Iranian-American and the president of NIAC (3) there has been no elections or change in leadership with the NIAC (that would suggest a commitment to democracy), (4) Their polices and advocacy has been basically to sustain the status quo and protect the regime in Iran (no militancy, no pressure on Iran has been advocated), (5) they have done nothing also to put pressure on the US government to support a change in the regime in Iran too....
Bottom line, like it or not these are the facts. Take it or leave it. Its the truth. Accept them or not, give me credit or don't , accuse me of alterior motives and false alliances or NOT --- you can not change the facts. Its right there infront of you. Let the readers judge for themselves.
The regimes days are numbered.
R U Expecting Cute Little Democratic Republic Bunny Rabbits
by bushtheliberator on Sat Nov 13, 2010 11:39 AM PSTto come scurrying out of the rubble, and corpses of war & revolution in Iran ?
Maybe so, but I wouldn't be surprised if they had long hairless tails.
ayatoilet1 - when u make accusations, U have 2 show evidence
by MM on Sat Nov 13, 2010 11:19 AM PSTWe do not know you, yet. We will give you credit when you can back up your accusations with evidence. So far, all accusations against NIAC have been in the form of "parvandeh saazi", a classic IRI tactic. And I, whose father was in IRI's jails due to innuendos/false accusations, and died soon afterwards because of it, will not stand to hear more of the same just because you want us to give you credit?
Produce the video of Trita in Iran kissing up to AN, or admit that you were wrong and was just repeating innuendos. In the future, if you want us to take you seriously, back up your accusations with evidence/sources. OTHERWISE, WE HAVE TO THINK THAT THIS IS ALL A PLOY TO GET VIEWERS TO WATCH YOUR SHOW.
war advocate Fred
by MOOSIRvaPIAZ on Sat Nov 13, 2010 10:55 AM PSTthey dont need to show evidence. All they have to do is link to your blog posts.
Vildemose: You can see my show
by ayatoilet1 on Sat Nov 13, 2010 10:54 AM PSTAs I said, I am nobody ...I have the Ayatoilet TV show on RAR at 9:30 pm on Sundays, and I will go anywhere to support the cause (speak etc.) ...but I have no ambition to start anything, be anyone ...just want to speak the truth, share my thoughts and visions; and motivate people to focus their energies in the right direction to topple the regime. I, alone, can not do anything...except project my voice. You are welcome to call in...its an open mike show.
If you agree with what I say, and share the mission, then try to persuade these folks to really sit back, reconcile their consciounces and re-consider what they are doing, and be more democratic and more honest with how they represent themselves and others. If you are one of the NIAC board members, then at least consider what I have said. I believe there are some nuggets of value and truth in what I have said.
That is it.
aytoilet: You seem to be the
by vildemose on Sat Nov 13, 2010 10:20 AM PSTBavafa - note the following
by ayatoilet1 on Sat Nov 13, 2010 09:37 AM PSTI would join any Iranian American organization that is democratic in ideals and actions. So far Trita has become president for life; and so far the Mujahedins are still with Maryam and Masood Rajavi ...30 years later. Any organization that proclaims democratic aspirations and has leaders for life is feeding everyone lies and nonsense. You have to be able to willingly give up power, and allow for civil transitions... that is at the core of the problem with all these organizations and the IRI (by the way).
They are individually based rather than "systematic" in their setup, operations, and infrastructure. One of the key differences with similar organizations and governments elsewhere. The leadership serves the membership or the people - not the other way arround. Without elections and changes there can be no accountability. At the very core of progress is the ability to "creatively destroy" i.e. get rid of the past and bring in the new (people, ideas, etc.)
This is fundamental. Show me a democratic organisation outside and inside Iran- I will join. NIAC is not democratic. Everything they claim they have done, has no value if they can not function democratically. Hey, that is exactly, specifically, uniquely what we are fighting for in Iran.
MM give me some credit
by ayatoilet1 on Sat Nov 13, 2010 09:25 AM PSTI told you and I will repeat again, I am nobody - alone - not affiliated with anyone, I have no position in any organisation, without ambition for any office ...give me some credit. No one has fed me anything, noone has told me anything and just by the way I'm on the east coast and I have a TV show on Rang-a-rang which I operate independently and you are welcome to watch it on Sunday nights 9:30 pm EST.
To answer your question, if the US government is supporting Poppy growth in afghanistan and allowing it to rise from 0 tons of product in 2001 to 270KMT where Iran is now the largest market, and 67% of the product is destined for Iran - where Iran now has millions of addicts - then poppy growth in afghanistan is clearly defact an Iranian Issue, and it is the direct result of US policy - which in turn makes it and Iranian-American issue. We can and should advocate policies that are helpful to both countries. That is absolutely an Iranian-American issue. If you don't understand - then just sit back and reflect or maybe go get a hot cup of tea and think about it again. It is absolutely an Iranian-American Issue.
I am not advocating any other Iranian-American group in the US. And quite honestly the NIAC has achieved nil. There can only be one task for any group - and that is to topple the regime in Iran. That has to be the sole focus. This can be done by (a) empowering Iranians in the west (helping them develop a strong and unified voice) and (b) humiliating and embarassing western politicians (and their policies) that put the Mullahs in charge and continues to secretly support them.
NIAC has done neither. No other group I know has done it either. We can and should do more. We need to be more vocal, more prominent, more militant, more unified - with a single anti-regime voice. Nothing else is acceptable to me. And as I said before, the NIAC does not represent me, and I do not represent anyone. Trita Parsi is not an Iranian-American. All this other talk is simply a distraction.
I have already provided you with a link to a IRI conference that one of the NIAC board members was at. And I am looking for the other one which I think was sometime in late August or September - dinner with Ahmadinejad. Its not important everyone knows where the money comes from.
I do think Iranians abroad need to elect a representative body with a unified anti-regime voice.
Ayatoilet1: I believe I get it
by Bavafa on Sat Nov 13, 2010 09:14 AM PST"The west has no leg to stand on. They put this regime in power in Iran"
If you truly believe in that statement which I do… then we can't possibly be expecting and hoping for American's help in our struggle against IRI, specially in the form of a military action. That would be a complete betrayal to our men and women who have been suffering at the hand of Mullahs.
"NIAC does not represent us properly"
If you truly believe in that, then please work to come up with an alternative to NIAC to give a voice to Iranian-Americans. Or join the group and try to reform it. If you know of an alternative… I am all ears, and if it was really an organization that was to remove IRI yet protect Iranians from the foreign wolves (bombing and killing Iranians) then I will join and will support it financially, morally and if need to with man power.
Mehrdad
ayatoilet1 - please find the video - AO - ur funny
by MM on Sat Nov 13, 2010 08:42 AM PSTayatoilet1, please find the video. I am sure that you are just repeating the BS that others are feeding you. Furthermore, what does an Iranian-American organization, who only represents fellow members, with a staff of ca. 7, have to do with poppy growing in Afghanistan? If you want the answers for your other questions, please ask NIAC directly. Or, better yet, participate in their surveys, as a member, and express your opinion on the direction of NIAC
Also, see James D.'s references and as MOOSIRvaPIAZ noted, look at my blog (//iranian.com/main/blog/mm/sorry-mind-if-i-mop-while-you-mope) on NIAC's accomplishments and tell me which other Iranian-American organization has come within miles of NIAC's accomplishments.
AO, You cracked me up. In this case, they would represent Mr. Jekkyl and Dr. Hyde, wouldn't it??? We have to consult MPD on your opinion!
Fred: "Liars"??? only if you knew the meaning of that word
by Bavafa on Sat Nov 13, 2010 08:37 AM PSTOnly if you had the honor, dignity and morality to proof who is the liar here?
You and I well know how many times I have proven it that you lie with reference to your own blogs and you were coward enough to either acknowledge and own up to, dispute or try to set the record straight.
You see, there are others on IC cheering for war and I never think of them the same as you, since at least they are man enough to own up to their own words, unlike you.
Mehrdad
I Don't think you really get it
by ayatoilet1 on Sat Nov 13, 2010 08:22 AM PSTIts not about the war, its about representations. Why is NIAC and trita parsi saying they represent Iranian-Americans? I am upset about that...its false.
The war issue is a distraction. Don't go down that road. The real key is to focus on toppling the regime and being focused on that - and the NIAC is trying to splinter what is basically a united opposition to the regime ...they do NOT represent Iranian-Americans or Iranians for that matter -- who ALL want this regime out - by any means.
The Nuclear issue is a distraction too. Don't go down that road either. The west has no leg to stand on. They put this regime in power in Iran knowing full well that Iran had Nuclear technology that they had sold to Iran. Its just a total load of nonesense and hipocracy on thier part.
The real issue is that Iran is neither a republic nor islamic. These mullahs are frauds - and do not even uphold the constitution, do not uphold proper elections, and that they have gived away Iranian sovereignty in the Caspian Sea (more territory than any regime in the recent past), there are 6 million Iranian casual opiate users, 2 million addicts, the economy is in a hole, they are traficking in human organs, torturing, raping, executing, terrorising ...you name it. And the west put these MF in power...the west owns the problem...they have to fix it.
The Iranian-American community should throw this problem squarely in their lap - use all our influence to do this. Softness and talk will not bring this regime down - embarassing, and humiliating those in power in the west that put them in power will....the American electorate will extract a heavy price from their politicians...we need to expose them. This policy of public enmity and private anmity with the regime must stop.
We can do more as an Iranian-American community. NIAC does not represent us properly. We can do so much more. Their talk and positions are distractions ...from the real issues. They do not represent us. They do not represent us. Do you understand? Do you get it?
Hilarious - Fred and Trita Parsi saying the same things. :-)))
by Anonymous Observer on Sat Nov 13, 2010 07:57 AM PSTLook at these experts:
“This is just simply completely historically false — the Jewish people and Iranians have very positive relations over the centuries, and they also started off the relationship on a very positive note when they first came into contact about 2,500 years ago.”
“The two countries were in a tough neighborhood and shared a lot of common threats — threats from the Soviet Union and threats from more nationalist Arab states. This collaboration extended to deep security and intelligence collaboration but also into other areas. It wasn’t always a very comfortable relationship, but it was a strong and robust relationship.”
Aren't these what Fred has been saying in his blogs forever?
I think that Fred is the secret username for Trita Parsi. :-))
ayatoilet1
by Veiled Prophet of Khorasan on Sat Nov 13, 2010 04:12 AM PSTYou bring a lot of points I will respond to some then I have to go
NIAC lobby's cyber-goons
by Fred on Fri Nov 12, 2010 11:33 PM PSTThose sack of Islamist liars and other NIAC lobby cyber-goons who accuse their detractors as “warmonger”, they better show their evidence.
BTW, the Islamist Palestinian crop-dusters need to get a job and stop mooching on Iranians.
"The only way to dislodge them might be an all out war"
by Bavafa on Fri Nov 12, 2010 11:26 PM PSTAnd here we have some of the truth that our friend was speaking of.
آخه نوکرتم، خوب اینرو زودتر میگفتی، لازم به ۶ صفحه نامه نوشتن واو از این شاخ به اون شاخ پریدن نداشت
Some folks like you or Fred support war against Iranians, NIAC does not and this set you on a collision course with NIAC, pure and simple. it is not that complicated
However, if you think the 5 million Iranian outside Iran and the other 70+ million in Iran also want war, then you are have got it right. As for me… I don't want any war against Iranians and my mother land, so I will support all those groups who are also against war.
Mehrdad
P.S. And how appropriate to use the two most pro war advocacy on IC as your reference
Some Useful Links (for Ari, Veiled Prophet, James D, Bavafa,etc)
by ayatoilet1 on Fri Nov 12, 2010 10:06 PM PST//iranian.com/main/blog/fred/niac-lobby-board-member-tehran-expat-conference
//iranian.com/main/blog/masoud-kazemzadeh/questions-niac-official
It is our Duty to track the Regime's Activities in the US
by ayatoilet1 on Fri Nov 12, 2010 09:13 PM PSTI think it is very honorable to keep track of the NIAC's activities in the US. And I am proud to do so. I personally do not want to see the IRI successfully lobby the US government to form relations, and maintain their grip on power in Iran. That is my right.
And the NIAC is nothing, but they want to be something... that is clear. That is what this article is all about. It is all showboating. I think they should be shown up for what they are and what they want to be - at every opportunity.
And facts are facts. Investigate for yourself; and if you trust him send all your money to Trita Parsi please. Don't take my word for it. I am nothing, I am not the president of any organisation, I make no claims, I have no ambitions, I have no standing. I do not represent anyone. Don't listen to me. Ignore me. Please all your money to the NIAC and Mr. Trita Parsi.
But, here are some basic facts, tell me if I am wrong. I have a right as an individual not to trust someone who claims he represents me, or has a swedish passport and claims to represent the Iranian-American community in the US, or who has not reliquished his position of presidency of the NIAC to someone else ...and runs a dokoon...and sends me and others emails for money.
If I do not trust him, that is my right. My absolute right. With no direspect to you or to any other Iranian-American...or indeed to him. He can be respected without being trusted. I have a right to form my own opinions and beliefs and to share them in a public forum.
In addition, a true Iranian-American organization would support the toppling of the regime in Iran, the promotion of democracy in iran, it would protect Iranian-American interests in US political sphere ...and would support a militant stance against the regime in Iran.
That is my view. This is a democracy. Free speech is guaranteed. Trita Parsi is a public figure. He solicits donations. I have a right to express my views and opinions about him and his organization,and his positions.
The Islamic republic in Iran is neither Islamic nor a republic. It is a fralsehood. The IRI is also perpetrating falsehoods outside Iran too. Open your eyes please.
Two Last Points
by ayatoilet1 on Fri Nov 12, 2010 08:57 PM PSTIt is my RIGHT to ELECT whoever represents me. That is what democracy is about. NIAC does not represent me, nor the nearly 1 million first and second generation iranians in this country; NOR the 5 Million in the diaspora outside Iran. He (Trita Parsi) can not call his organization NIAC representing the iranian-american community...It is a fraud.
Secondly, the vast majority of the diaspora want this regime in Iran out. I also believe, given a truly free choice, the vast majority of Iranians would opt for a change. The regime is holding tight, and behaving like the Nazi's in Germany before the world war. The only way to dislodge them might be an all out war...they won't listen to the will of the people. No amount of manipulation will enable the NIAC to claim otherwise, or former CIA agents like the leveretts (who put them in power) to claim otherwise ....
The regime's days are numbered and with them everyone affiliated with them.
Ayatoilet1: One wonders…
by Bavafa on Fri Nov 12, 2010 08:41 PM PSTFor some one who claims to know how polices are developed in Washington and the repeated claim that "NIAC is nothing" , "NIAC is not representing anyone" and "only a money making scheme for Parsi" , etc then why this informed person concern himself so much with NIAC.
Doesn't your strong and repeated rejection of NIAC and Mr. Parsi just reaffirms NIAC power and influence?
And speaking of fact Mr. Ayatoilet1… please present us your facts as about all the claims you have made against NIAC or should we just take your word for it?
Mehrdad
ARI - What are you talking about?
by ayatoilet1 on Fri Nov 12, 2010 08:14 PM PSTTrial by fire? What nonesense?
NIAC has not been tried at all. Its a dokoon (a business), another money making scheme. They don't represent anyone, and are evidently part of a scheme to keep the Mullahs in power... an attack would clearly spell their end. There is no mudslinging - just a statements of fact. They had nothing to do with the fizzling out of 362.
Why don't you send NIAC all your money so they can represent you and continue all their great work on your behalf and Iranian-Americans like you!! What a joke? Are you serious? " Like this incredible shield they stood infront of the US government and they stopped this grand attack on Iran!!"??!!
Look, realistically NIAC is nothing - but a money making scheme for Parsi. Nothing. He does not represent anyone, and he has no influence. He can walk into some meetings, but so can I, so can you. In DC there are a lot of meetings...it doesn't mean anything.
Comeon, maybe we're idiots - but your statement is beyond idiotic - its moronic, ludicruous, ridiculous... you clearly don't understand how policy is developed in Washington. Even if the resolution was passed, it didn't mean anything. NIAC can't take credit for anything.
Iranians in the US need a truly representative organisation for themselves in the US. One that is not under the shadow of the IRI.