Zarif

Iran again

by Dave

Ok.  It’s almost like the Geico commercials.  Perhaps 99% of everyone has heard about enough.

But, the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khameni  made a speech yesterday,  about Israel not being around in another 25 years.    Lousy timing. “With Allah’s help, there will be no such thing as as a Zionist regime in 25 years,”  is what Khamenei said.   And the US is still the “Great Satan.”

The guy is 76 years old.   For sure, he’s not going to be around in another 25 years.   His hard line rhetoric  is contrasted with the President Rouhani and very importantly Foreign Minister Javad Zarif.  His title as “Supreme Leader” is a farce.  He  is all bark and no bite.  He is the spiritual leader of the past, not the real leader.

Next point- a lot of false statements were made by Republicans  about how Iran sponsored terrorism around the world.   But many of the speeches by House Republicans were ridiculous, because radical Islamic groups have thrived while the assets of Iran have been frozen and their economy is in dire straits.  This is a fact.

Where does most of the money for terrorism come from?   Experts will point first to Saudi Arabia, particularly in their aid to Hamas.  The worse group of terrorists in the world,   ISIL,  has many sources of income, ranging from the sale of artifacts and oil,  goods they acquire from looting of shops,  to selling of kidnapped foreigners, and private contributions.   Iran has supported the government of Syria and Hezbollah,  which are fighting both  ISIL and Al-Nusra (El Qaeda affiliated organization).

Bottom, bottom line- the sanctions were put in place because Iran was not complying with the nuclear non-proliferation agreement.   Lifting the Iranian sanctions  will  not help  ISIL  because Iran’s money is  going to organizations which are fighting  against ISIL.     The US is likely to put more troops in Iraq but has only limited options in Syria, if we don’t want to make things worse.

We can not economically wrestle countries to the floor and make them do what we want.  Sorry Dick Cheney, it doesn’t work.

Yes, the Iran deal will go through.  It is likely to strengthen the  moderates, who now run the country.   Forget the barking dog, please.  Time to move on.

Stay tuned,

David Lord

 

 

 

 

 

Death to America

by Dave

Not a nice thing to chant in the public square.   But does Iran really hate us?   The website, Irpedia.com, states, “Iran, the land of civilized and friendly people.”   Chants of “Death to America”  certainly doesn’t sound friendly.

Iran Travel

I have traveled extensive through the Middle East (Lebanon, Kuwait, Algeria, Libya, Syria, to name a few places) and I have been amazed at how outgoing the people have been to me.  This image of crazy Moslems ready to string up Americans, might play out in Representative Ted Poe’s district in Texas, but the reality is just the opposite.

So, what’s all this death talk about?  I think the New Yorker did a great job of talking to Iranians, particularly Dr. Nasser Hadian, a US educated Professor of Political Science, who says the slogan dates backs decades and is generally meaningless.  See quote below:

He went on, “For others, it’s part of a religious ritual. But the élite who use it exploit the term for political reasons. Poll after poll shows that Iranians are greater supporters of America than any other Muslim country in the region. “So whom does America want to rely on to judge public opinion?” Hadian asked. “The twenty per cent who do shout ‘Death to America!’ or the eighty per cent who don’t?”

New Yorker

In an interview, the Foreign Minister, Mohammad Zarif,   was asked why Iranians still repeat the chant.  He replied that Iranians do not hate Americans but they don’t like the way the US seems to meddle in the affairs of other countries.   So, why not change the chant to, “Stop US meddling, Please.”   I added the “please” because Iran is a country of civilized and friendly people.  I know this chant won’t be replacing the death one anytime soon.

There is some anti-American sentiment in any country.  You can’t avoid it.  Actually, you can.  It never hurts to brush up on you Canadian, remembering to end each sentence in “eh.”    Or tell people your from Malta- nobody speaks Maltese.

Lonely Planet is one guide book which really gets the inside scoop, of what to see in countries not on the well beaten path of tourists. Their secret is to recruit well seasoned travelers who know the particular country.

Their latest headline is:

If travel is most rewarding when it surprises, then Iran might just be the most rewarding destination on Earth.

Exactly why is pretty well explained in www.lonelyplanet.com/iran

I’m hopeful that Ted Poe is a dying breed of dinosaur.  His interrogation of Sec’y Kerry was shameful:

Rep Poe’s questions to Secy Kerry

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Poe

And hopefully,  the lawmakers can separate rhetoric from substance, and the nuclear deal gets signed.

And some Americans spend time in the ski resorts outside of Tehran.

David Lord

August 11, 2015