WMD Free Zone

The seemingly never-ending spectacle around the so-called Iran nuclear conflict, which is more often tilting towards war than a peaceful resolution, has again produced heated debates on its whereabouts. With the bulk of the policy debates endlessly vacillating between a rock (war) and a hard place (sanctions), it is clear that both options will not alleviate concerns for both nuclear proliferation and the Iranian civil society’s well-being>>>

An Hour With Rick Steves

More than three decades have gone by, and yet the sounds of fury are strong. Not a day goes by without someone mentioning the name of Iran with disrespect, if not disgust. Poor Iran with its unique people, a strong heart, and all her hopes being taken away by an oppressive regime that seems to care less. Last week, my husband and I were invited to a gathering in San Diego to meet Rick Steves and hear his talk on European waterways>>>

غبار شکسته

چندان شکسته ایم که نتوان دگر شکست
کوچکتر از غبار شکسته دگر چه هست؟

گردیم و دامنت شده جای نشست ما
دستش مریزاد آنکه مرا اینچنین شکست >>>

ضرورت فوری تنش زدایی

تنش‌آفرینی‌های بین‌المللی نظام جمهوری‌اسلامی وارد مرحله‌ای بسیار خطرناک شده است. حکومت نه تنها گام موثری در جهت رفع ابهامات روزافزون در مورد برنامه‌ هسته‌ای‌اش برنداشته، بلکه به سیاست‌های ماجراجویانه خود نیز افزوده است. حمله سازمان یافته به سفارت بریتانیا، انزوای بیشتر بین‌المللی و تشدید تحریم‌ها به عنوان پیامدهای آن، گام بلندی برای کشیدن مردم ایران به جنگی ناخواسته است>>>

How to Avoid War

Calls are rising in the West for tougher actions against Iran, especially after a mob attack on the British Embassy in Tehran, Iranian plans to kill a Saudi envoy in Washington, and the latest report on the country’s nuclear program. Some Israeli leaders are again beating the war drums for an attack to prevent Iran from making atomic weapons. The US Congress wants to cripple Iran’s economy by punishing any country that does business with its central bank>>>

The Biggest Problem That's Not

Suddenly the struggle to stop Iran is not about saving Israel from nuclear annihilation. After a decade of scare-mongering about the second coming of Nazi Germany, the Iran hawks are admitting that they have other reasons for wanting to take out Iran, and saving Israeli lives may not be one of them. Suddenly the neoconservatives have discovered the concept of truth-telling, although, no doubt, the change will be ephemeral. The shift in the rationale for war was kicked off this week when Danielle Pletka explained what the current obsession with Iran's nuclear program is all about>>>

Comic Clerics

I have a few Islamic clerics, mullahs, on my list of Facebook friends. They are fun to be connected to. Physically, their distinguishing features are a black or white turban immaculately wrapped around their head and a long beard they call mahasen, nice qualities. Sometimes during a conversation, they will move their turbans up or down to draw attention to themselves, or to signify their control of the situation, or simply to scratch their consecrated heads>>>

انتظار بیشتری داشتم

بالاخره بعد از یکی دو هفته کلنجار با خودم تصمیم گرفتم ترس و محافظه کاری را کنار گذاشته و آن چه که در این مدت در برنامه ی گوگوش موزیک آکادمی دیدم و درک کردم را بیان کنم. قبل از شروع می خواهم از تمام دوستان خوبم که از طرفداران خانم گوگوش هستند خواهش کنم یا این مطلب را نخوانند یا سعی کنند با دیدگاهی منطقی به کلیت داستان فکر کنند>>>

ملکه

و هنگامی که تو ظاهر می شوی
صدای همه ی رودخانه ها
در بدنم طنین انداز میشوند و زنگها
آسمان را به لرزه در می آورند،
و جهان از سرودِ ستایش پر می شود

>>>

خونِ سرخ، خونِ سپید

زیبا رشید دل‌آرا
اینجا ست دزد
برده از هیئت
یك جفت سنج
برای؟
خواب یا بیداری؟ آشپزخانه یا مهمانی؟
>>>

Haji Yadet Nist

...>>>

A Nuclear Iran: Get Used To It

The very countries calling on Iran to scrap their nuclear program are armed to the teeth with their own nuclear weapons. The United States, the United Kingdom, France and Israel are all nuclear powers. Germany, the Netherlands and the rest of the NATO countries are "sharers" of nukes kindly supplied to them by the US. Together they could destroy all of mankind ensuring that no life will exist on this planet for, lets say, the next several million millenniums>>>

Pissing Off the U.S.

Some of us seek to argue for a soft landing for US-Iran relations through things like serious mutually beneficial and peaceful dialog, and discussion, and well, for lack of the these days rarely used term, diplomacy. Having seen how entrenched Iran is after 32 years. If there was a chance to overthrow the current system and move it back on track to democracy, I think a pragmatic, less idealistic person would say, that time has passed>>>