Shryke Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Unless the Republican saber-rattlers pressuring Obama to leap into the fray get their way.http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/...obama_and_iran/More GOP simple-think."If the President isn't doing anything showy, he isn't donig anything at all!!! And the US MUST act, everytime! We are the World's Police!!!!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Scot A Ellison Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Shryke,I think Pres. Obama has shown good instincts foreign policy wise so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shryke Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Watching McCain's comments on Fox and such makes me SO SO happy he lost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalThor Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Shryke,I think Pres. Obama has shown good instincts foreign policy wise so far.Personally, his staying out of it is the best choice. I don't think McCain's whining is going to get him to change what he's doing.I loved twitters statement that although they'd change the maintenance time they just wanted to let everyone know that "the State Dept. doesn't influence company policy"I too love the thread title - but now I can't get that song out of my head! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Scot A Ellison Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Shryke,No argument regarding this situation. Foreign policy requires subtlety something the Republican Party in general is sorely lacking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanteGabriel Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Watching McCain's comments on Fox and such makes me SO SO happy he lost.There was an interesting article on Salon a day or two ago, about what things would look like now if McCain had won.http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2009/...cain/index.htmlAnd he doesn't even mention Palin... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IheartTesla Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 I read this article in the Asia Times that made me understand internal Iranian politics a little more. This is emerging as a no-holds-barred civil war at the very top of the Islamic Republic. The undisputed elite is now supposed to be embodied by the Ahmadinejad faction, the IRGC, the intelligence apparatus, the Ministry of the Interior, the Basij volunteer militias, and most of all the Supreme Leader himself. The elite wants subdued, muzzled, if not destroyed, reformists of all strands: any relatively moderate cleric; the late 1970s clerical/technocratic Revolution Old Guard (which includes Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, Mohammad Khatami and Mousavi); "globalized" students; urban, educated women; and the urban intelligentsia.Apart from Mousavi and Ahmed, other people were running too...Mohsen Rezai, who ran as a conservative and who is nothing less than a former head of the IRGC, also sent a letter to the Council of Guardians saying the election was illegitimate. This is crucial; it means a serious crack inside the IRGC - because Rezai's former subordinates are still active and will inevitably support him (he remains very influential). "Officially", Rezai had less than 1 million votes. He maintains that according to his own polls, "in a worst-case scenario I should have had between 3.5 and 7 million votes."Thats seems a little optimistic on his behalf, but I guess its more important that an IRGC member thought the election was illegit.Well, we'll see what happens after the funeral processions tomorrow, I guess. Would also be interesting to see if Rafsanjani's power play will bear any fruit or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wouter Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 According to Acig, there are rumours in Iran that Khamenei is under house arrest (presumably by revolutionary guards). The rumours seem to originate mostly from Khamenei not appearing in public since shortly after the elections. Rafsanjani has called for an emergency meeting of the Assembly of wises/experts (or whatever it is called). This was mentioned on CNN. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckman Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 So how credible do people think claims of American interference will be?I find it fascinating that the conservatives in Iran use the US exactly like the conservatives in the US use Iran. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanteGabriel Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 I find it fascinating that the conservatives in Iran use the US exactly like the conservatives in the US use Iran.Sometimes I suspect they've been in it together since the days when Reagan was selling them weapons to illegally fund paramilitary operations in Central America. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wouter Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 "Tom Cooper" from acig know also writing that "Der Spiegel" claims to have obtained "confirmation" that Lebanese Hezbollah are active in Iran, right now. I guess this is still the same rumours from earlier doing the rounds (depending on what "Der Spiegel" considers "confirmation"), but it's interesting it keeps coming up. Even if not true at all, it seems to indicate a degree of mistrust and dislike between significant parts of the Iranian public and the Lebanese Hezbollah. Nasrallah is closely allied to Ahmadinejad, apparently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wouter Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Sometimes I suspect they've been in it together since the days when Reagan was selling them weapons to illegally fund paramilitary operations in Central America.Israel reportedly also, silently, delivered parts for weapons to Iran during the Iran-Iraq war. Then again, Israel also bombed Iraq's reactor during this war. Despite the west generally supporting Iraq in the war (as did the Soviet Union, though), France especially, US weapons actually found their way to Iran rather than Iraq (where the US had an embargo on weapon systems). Ironic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shryke Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 I find it fascinating that the conservatives in Iran use the US exactly like the conservatives in the US use Iran.The best part is, their so damn similar. They both draw their support from poor, rural areas, have a simplistic "Us vs Them" mentality, are highly religious and big on the Country-Worship thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazydog7 Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 I'd also like to echo those thanking the boarders for their insight, knowledge, and analysis of the Iran situation. I has been a fascinating thread to read.No, if you really want to get me off on a tangent we need to start a Chechnya thread. Iran, North Korea, if you looking for a good brutal conflict no other people can compare to the Russian/Chechen hate and genocide thats gone on for what 150 years? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turinturambar Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Wow, that's just a really dumb statement.You know the protesters on the street screaming for their voices to be heard and for a non-sham election? Those people STILL fucking hate the US for the CIA led coup back in the day.That's why Obama is staying the fuck out of this whole situation.Not really. I lived with a Persian for over 2 years, my wife's best friend is Persian. We spend every Persian New year with their families celebrating for the weekend. I've got a better grasp on people's feelings than most. Most of the youth in Iran don't hate the US, most support open relations and open trade with the US. Most know that Stuff that happened decades ago has little to do with today's global environment. Ya some of them are still bitter about it, but most of them are intelligent enough to seperate the issues and realize that what happened then has nothing to do with what can and will happen now. I think you need to give them a bit more credit than that. Persians are very liberal compared to their middleast counterparts and pride themselves in being more western than their neighbors and the fact that their country is ruled by religious zealots pisses them off to no end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annelise Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 More GOP simple-think."If the President isn't doing anything showy, he isn't donig anything at all!!! And the US MUST act, everytime! We are the World's Police!!!!"To be fair, the Republicans are split on this. You have your McCains, you have your Lugars. Was reading an article earlier discussing their uncharacteristic split on foreign policy. So at least it's not full-on pressure from the GOP for Obama to do/say more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shryke Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Having spent alot of time with Persian youths as well, I can tell you that, in my experience, they are generally about the same as any of the youths you meet from Europe or Canada or the like. They don't hate the US as "The Great Satan" or anything of the like, but they are well aware of the US propensity for meddling and they hate THAT alot.Regardless, any overt moves by the US only strengthen Ahmadinejad's position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shryke Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 To be fair, the Republicans are split on this. You have your McCains, you have your Lugars. Was reading an article earlier discussing their uncharacteristic split on foreign policy.I think it's a divide between the Neo-Con/War Hawk types and the Libertarians. But I could be wrong on that, as I haven't seen much on any divide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annelise Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 I think it's a divide between the Neo-Con/War Hawk types and the Libertarians. But I could be wrong on that, as I haven't seen much on any divide.Let me see if I can find it.. ah, here it is. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0609/23827.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IheartTesla Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Just a thought, but Iranian expatriates living in North America and calling themselves Persians may not be reflective of the general mood re: US sentiments, even in urban Tehran. I presume most of the expatriates are monied, elite, educated Iranians or their progeny who had to leave or chose to after the Shah was deposed.But I think it is true that most Iranian youth probably dont hate the US and watch bootleg DVDs of 'Friends' episodes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.