SAHIMI:There is also no question in my mind that at the bottom the issue is that, as you pointed out, both the United States and Israel do not want Iran to become a major regional power. But Iran is already a major regional power: its enemies in Afghanistan and Iraq have been eliminated; it is on the verge of having complete uranium enrichment technology; it’s making $100 billion a year from exporting its oil; it has a dynamic population of 75 million, two-thirds of whom are below the age of thirty; it has a very highly dynamic and educated population, as a matter of fact, and it is sitting in the most strategic area of the world [inaudible] on the shores of Persian Gulf, where 70 percent of all the oil produced by Middle East passes through Strait of Hormuz that is controlled by Iran. So Iran is already a major regional power.
…
Iran is not Iraq. Iranian nationalism is extremely strong. If Iran is attacked by the United States and/or Israel, Iran will respond and retaliate in a very dramatic fashion. Unlike what some neocons recently said, like Patrick Clawson and people like him, Iran has full capability for retaliation. And if Iran does retaliate-and I believe it will retaliate if it is attacked-then the whole region will be engulfed in war and blood, and will spread to the rest of the world. This is not what we want. As peaceful people, this is what we want: what we want is to keep that region away from the confrontation between Iran, Israel, and the United States. And the only way to do that is not to threaten Iran, but rather to negotiate with Iran; the way to do it is not to threaten militarily or impose sanctions on Iran, rather to negotiate with Iran. I think Iranian leaders, as bad as they might be internally, are interested in negotiating and reaching a solution with the United States and through the United States with Israel. And I think we should take that path and try to reach an agreement in Iran.
July 23, 2008 archive
Jul 23 2008
Real News: Iran and the US: Beyond the War of Rhetoric
Jul 23 2008
Laying the groundwork
In order to grok the future, it is necessary to understand the present and remember the past. In order to influence the future, strategies must be emplaced. This is my attempt to bring the docudharma nation to concensus of understanding.
Apparently, something is more important to members of Congress
Submitted by feline on July 17, 2008 – 9:57am.
than public opinion; more important than the U.S. Constitution, the treaties of the Geneva Conventions, and the Principles of the Nuremberg Tribunal; more important than truth, justice, accountability, restoration of the rule of law. It’s something so terribly important that the opinions of the United Nations, the International Red Cross, retired generals, veterans and enlisted military personnel, the intelligence community, imbedded journalists, victims’ families, judges, constitutional and international legal scholars, psychiatrists, etc. are basically obsolete. Something is more important than our civil liberties, real national security, a stable domestic infrastructure, and diplomatic foreign policy.Providing immunity to violators of the law and perpetrators of obstruction is more important than any of our opinions.
Jul 23 2008
Call and Response in Kafka Kountry
I recently expressed a limited criticism of points made in an essay. When I began receiving responses which twisted my words or mischaracterized me, I made a decision and set up an algorithm for myself: I would keep responding so long as my words were twisted or I was left with an insult or a mischaracterization of any kind. I tried not to escalate, just defend. And I would end with anyone who stopped with a neutral remark, such as let’s just drop this or this is going nowhere. From that simple position, it became clear that unless I allowed an inaccurate statement to stand, the discussion would continue to escalate indefinitely. The longer I stuck around, the higher the stakes became and the more I was demonized, until two other essays were born, apparently for little other reason than to demonize the person who would not back down. It was disorienting in the extreme to wander into two essays based on the false premise that 1) I didn’t want a certain person on the site and 2) I simply refuse stubbornly to learn. Starting from that extreme misrepresentation, hundreds of words were written, many high-minded notions expressed, all kinds of brilliant theories expounded. It was truly Kafkaesque. Seeing so many people buy in and participate in what was, more than anything, a trashing of me, has been disappointing but informative.
I offer the following as a mere record. I don’t expect movement, I don’t expect anything to change. Please don’t express sympathy for my feelings or ask me to stay. I’m not looking for that. I take responsibility for my choices, and I chose to behave in a way that has brought me to this point. I am not complaining, I am not putting anyone down, I am recording how the experience looked and felt to me. In the end, this was a lot closer to Alice’s Wonderland than anything I have ever experienced. By a long shot.
Jul 23 2008
Ponyshoes Party
No le gusta caminar. No puede montar a caballo
(She doesn’t like to walk, she can’t ride a horse)
Como se puede bailar? Es un escandolo
(But the way she dances, it’s a scandal)
~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~ ~♥~ Pony Party is an Open Thread. Please don’t wRECk the pony. ~♥~ ~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~
Jul 23 2008
Through the Darkest of Nights: Testament XXVIII
Every few days over the next several months I will be posting installments of a novel about life, death, war and politics in America since 9/11. Through the Darkest of Nights is a story of hope, reflection, determination, and redemption. It is a testament to the progressive values we all believe in, have always defended, and always will defend no matter how long this darkness lasts. But most of all, it is a search for identity and meaning in an empty world.
Naked and alone we came into exile. In her dark womb, we did not know our mother’s face; from the prison of her flesh have we come into the unspeakable and incommunicable prison of this earth. Which of us has known his brother? Which of us has looked into his father’s heart? Which of us has not remained prison-pent? Which of us is not forever a stranger and alone? ~Thomas Wolfe
All installments are available for reading here on Docudharma’s Series page, and also here on Docudharma’s Fiction Page, where refuge from politicians, blogging overload, and one BushCo outrage after another can always be found.
Jul 23 2008
Quote for Discussion: Arthur Schopenhauer
The deep pain that is felt at the death of every friendly soul arises from the feeling that there is in every individual something which is inexpressible, peculiar to him alone, and is, therefore, absolutely and irretrievably lost.
~Arthur Schopenhauer
For Michael.
Jul 23 2008
From Global Cop to Global Problem Solver: Changing Course for America
Posted at dKos: Sun Sep 04, 2005 at 05:18:37 PM EDT
Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the United States has operated as Global Cop. I believe that this is a noble job for a country to take on, and had we pursued it in ernest, it might have been a good path for the United States to take.
Unfortunately, the old addage: Absolute power corrupts absolutely, also applies to the United States, and our global police efforts have been more concerned with self interest than the interests of the people we, as Global Cop are protecting and serving.
Think about it… What is worse than a dirty cop? A cop who looks to pad his pockets at the expense of the people he serves is one of the most lowly characters in the realm of story telling. That is who we are today.
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