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The Politics of Non-Proliferation

If there was a time when Iranian analysts and decision makers would question the benefits of continuing to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency, it would be now. The IAEA has allowed systematic US intervention in Iran's nuclear file paving the way to a third round of sanctions. But while US pressure on Iran with the knowledge that no evidence of a covert weapons programme exists, is perhaps in the hope that it will finally force Iran to leave the NPT in protest, Iran seems to be one step ahead and does exactly the opposite. On Monday March 3 rd , the UN Security Council following months of political wrestling voted in favour of a third sanctions resolution against Iran, repeating previous demands to stop uranium enrichment but this time ...>>>

The Road Ahead

The UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1803 on March 3, after nearly eight months of negotiations. The resolution will have an important symbolic impact, given that the December 2007 U.S. National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) seemed to halt international momentum to pressure Iran, making it unclear whether additional rounds of UN sanctions were even possible. The resolution's near-unanimous passage -- with fourteen members approving and Indonesia abstaining -- will send a strong message to Tehran. Those voting in favor included Russia, China, and South Africa -- all countries with longstanding economic ties to Iran>>>

Lilith to the lynx-eyed

Holding an armful of lilies
I fly out of the Garden of Eden alone at night to the light
of my own devising, squalling away in a glare, leaving
damned Adam of eye-whites red behind, as the moon soars
on my silvery wings.

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Another make believe

If sun were god,
not of everywhere, just here,
how easy it would be
to believe.
How eagerly,
every single morning
we could bask
in its obvious glory. >>>

Lion, sword, and sun

I'll be the first to admit that my knowledge of Indian films has been limited to Bollywood dance sequences, and over the top acting. This past Saturday that impression was roundly set on it's ear, as I watched what may become my favorite film of the year. Jodhaa Akbar is the epic period piece depicting the Mughal (Turko-Persio-Mongol dynasty) ruler Akbar, who ruled as the Moslem emperor over largely Hindu India during roughly the same era after the Mongolian invasion of Persia. >>>

Two targets, one goal

In the minds of conspiracy theorists it is actually their inferiority (stupidity), or the incredible wickedly genius of the conspirators, that constitutes the foundation for any serious event. But let's look at the world's mightiest conspirator, the US, and its actions and their results, in order to see how 'genius' that conspirator has been in order to evaluate how stupid the conspiracy-theorists may be!You want to know how the BIG conspiracy theory goes? America wants the Iraqis to have a pro-Iranian government in place, while neither the Iranians nor the Iraqis are aware of the wicked plan, so that later on they start to hate each other as any previously friendly Muslim states (and often individuals) do, right?>>>

Second to none

As a proposition of the Socialist International in 1910, International Women's Day (March 8) was celebrated for the first time in many industrial nations. It demanded the right to vote and to hold public office, right to work, to vocational training and to an end to discrimination on the job. Since then, the International Women's Day is commemorated and is a national holiday in communist countries. It symbolises a long struggle of all women on all continents, with different ethnics, religions, cultures and social classes, who have been deprived from the equal right with men>>>

The Spider Killings (6)

The opium was already starting to lift Ramin up onto a sensual, cottony cloud when he was suddenly yanked back violently to earth. Mandana’ smiling, rosy face had morphed into that of an eye-less, decaying Fati. Fati, the seventh victim. Fati, poor Fati. She was not anonymous anymore. She had been a wife, a mother. Her son, Babak, had stood there staring at Ramin with hate, telling him he was a liar, that his mother was not dead, that she was waiting for him at Kuh Sangi Park. But Fati was dead, and it was up to Ramin to find who had killed her, and the others. Some among his force were already nicknaming her murderer the Spider Killer. A fitting name>>>

Law of my life

I always consider coming to America and experiencing the life in a foreign country as one of the major turning points of my life during which I matured quickly and learned how to manage my living personally. When I first came here, I was facing a lot of difficulties with the issues like language, cultural distinctions, Americans’ prejudice against Middle Easterners, and separation from my life. At first I dealt with a miserable sense of alienation and social rejection mainly because of my accent. I considered myself lower of the class compared to the native born Americans, and sometimes I was even afraid to talk because I was afraid of mispronouncing the words which, I thought, would make other people laugh at me>>>

Disrupting discourse

On February 22, Amnesty International hosted a panel presentation and discussion titled, "Human Rights in Iran: How to Move Forward," in Beverly Hills, California. The event was disrupted by Mohammad Parvin’s MEHR-Iran organization, various monarchist factions, and members of the outlawed Iranian Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK); and was cancelled after the opening remarks. The Amnesty event featured four Iran specialists (including National Iranian American Council President, Trita Parsi), and was organized to highlight Iran’s abysmal human rights record. Amnesty International organizers hoped to use this event to initiate talks with the Iranian-American community in Southern California about Iran’s human rights situation>>>

Passionate believer in dialogue

HOSSEIN Alikhani, an Iranian-born citizen of Cyprus who was a committed advocate of dialogue between civilisations, passed away this week after a long illness. He was 63. Alikhani was a successful businessman whose Nicosia company dealt in oilfield equipment. But he was best known as a passionate believer in the necessity for improved understanding between the peoples of the world, and in particular between Muslim countries and the West. To further this goal, he established in 1995 the Centre for World Dialogue, an independent, non-profit research institution that publishes a quarterly journal, Global Dialogue, and has hosted in Cyprus a series of international conferences>>>

An Apology to a Woman I Didn’t Know

The violent crackdown of the Islamic Republic’s security forces on how women dress in public was well on its way when I arrived in Tehran last spring. One morning a few days after my arrival I decided to walk to the nearby Super Jordan food market , located at the corner of the famous Jordan Boulevard (aka Africa Blvd) and Golazin street, and do some food shopping. As I was approaching the store I noticed there is some commotion on the street not far from the store. The security forces had set up makeshift apprehension stations on both north and south bound direction of the boulevard>>>

God without demands

On the chest of the central plateau of Iran since more than 3000 years before Christ has stood a defiant warrior called Yasatis. Yasatis or Yazd is an ancient Iranian city that has survived many terrible events amongst them the Mongolian aggression. Although Genghis Khan did tremendous damage to the city and its people, he was not the toughest enemy the city had to face. It was the harsh desert climate surrounding the city that constantly attacking from every direction for thousands of years. People of Yazd are renowned among Iranians as modest and humble people>>>

Media Games

In recent days mass media have been broadcasting statements from an Israeli official, Matan Vilnai, that if true would have been quite shocking and extremely unnerving: `The deputy defence minister said the stepped-up rocket fire would trigger what he called a `bigger holocaust` in the Hamas-controlled coastal strip.` The truth is fortunately quite different. The Hebrew word Mr. Vilani used is `shoah`, a common word in hebrew meaning simply catastrophe. So what is the source of confusion?>>>

Chance for peace

In the wake of the latest report from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), clearing Iran of all the outstanding issues from its own work plan of August 2007, Iran has also agreed to accept and observe the Additional Protocol if its nuclear file is returned back to the IAEA jurisdiction from the UN Security Council. The Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran (CASMII) appeals to the 5+1 group to positively consider Iran’s offer of implementing the Additional Protocol and enter into unconditional negotiations with Iran>>>