Iran

As readers know, in general terms I think the Obama administration has taken a fairly sensible, moderate approach towards Iran. Nevertheless, it’s possible to take this too far. And this seems, on the face of it, to be one example of when carefulness crosses the line and becomes craven: For the past five years, researchers in a modest office overlooking the New Haven green have carefully documented cases of assassination and torture of democracy activists in Iran. With more than $3 million in grants from the US State Department, they have pored over thousands of documents and Persian-language press reports and interviewed scores of witnesses and survivors to build dossiers

The news that Iran has a second, secret nuclear installation can hardly be considered a surprise. Nor, alas, is there anything surprising about Charles Krauthammer’s reaction to Barack Obama’s decision to make nuclear proliferation an issue at the UN General Assembly: What did he accomplish? Nothing. This is really quite surreal. As we speak, the Iranians are spinning thousands of centrifuges and developing uranium. The American delegate at IAEA announces that Iran already has enough uranium to construct a bomb. It’s testing its missiles, flouting all U.N. resolutions, as are the North Koreans. And the response of America? The president of the United States — on camera, of course —

As is customary, James and I disagree about Iran. Or perhaps we merely have different ideas about what constitutes the most important Persian questions. James, I think (and I’m sure he’ll correct me if I’m wrong), places the nuclear issue above all others. I’m more agitated by the nature of the regime in Tehran. That is, I doubt that we can prevent Iran from acquiring a nulear capability at some point and that, while it would certainly be preferable if Iran didn’t have the bomb, we might have to get used to the idea that it will. It’s also quite possible, perhaps even probable, that a new regime in Tehran

David T over at Harry’s Place blog has drawn my attention to this post from “habibi”. I’m happy to endorse the message. “This Thursday is the tenth anniversary of the brutal repression of students in Iran. Today a new round of repression is underway in Iran.Here is something you can do about it. An anniversary demonstration at the Iranian embassy in London is scheduled for this Thursday, starting at 6 PM. Please wear green and come along to 16 Prince’s Gate, SW7. The nearest Tube station is South Kensington.The only point – and I hope this leads other British bloggers to echo this call – is to show solidarity with

I thought my old friend Yvonne Ridley was just taking the money from the clerical fascists as a presenter at Iranian state channel Press TV. I didn’t realise she had been spouting the Iranian regime’s line on the election.  But here’s her reply to my post to her Facebook page asking her when she was going to resign: “What I find particularly upsetting is the inference that the working class and poor living in rural areas don’t really count — that their votes are inferior to the elite classes in north Tehran… maybe it’s ‘cos I’m a working class lass from Tyneside.” I must say it’s the first time I’ve

The latest outrage committed by the Iranian state broadcaster Press TV is its coverage of the arrest of film maker and journalist Maziar Bahari. Maziar, a Canadian-Iranian, was arrested on June 21 and paraded on TV nine days later “confessing” to his role in a western plot to destabilise the Iranian regime. He had provided footage of the crackdown on protestors to Channel 4. I am loathe to encourage readers to look at the Press TV site, so check out the story at The Spittoon, an excellent website opposed to clerical fascism. The author of the piece, “shikwa”, concludes: “How can anyone continue doubting the bias of Press TV which spews this rubbish at the behest

In one sense, of course, John McCain is correct to say: “The president saying that we didn’t want to be perceived as meddling, is, frankly, not what America’s history is all about.” And while one may say that, more often than not, the United States has been one of, for want of a less crude way of putting it, the Good Guys even that country’s admirers must acknowledge that this has not always or universally been the case. And that has led to problems. It also, frankly, makes one pretty happy that John McCain ain’t President. Relatedly, it would be useful if Obama’s advisors ceased this sort of nonsense: But

Really interesting debate on who is winning the Blog/Comment War last night at Edelman HQ in Victoria Street. I tried to argue that they are part of the same continuum. I have never seen them as particularly antagonistic.  I suggested that we are yet to see a “classic” or “great” blog posting in the way that you have memorable comment pieces that stay with you for life. Peter Beaumont’s Observer piece about Iran at the weekend is one such article. There has been some good discussion of the debate at journalism.co.uk and Mark Reckons. Mark (a Lib Dem blogger) has challenged my assertion that there are no classic blog posts and