Libya, Iran: Leftist's Dilemma

The imposition of the no-fly zone over Libya by NATO forces and the bombing of Ghaddhafi’s military hardware have rejuvenated the opposition in Libya.  These operations are broadly supported by the other Arab states and their population.  The opposition is taking back territories, cities and towns which were savagely attacked and ran over by Ghaddhafi forces.  By all indications Ghaddhafi's days are numbered.

Measure of Democracy: Libyan War

The bombings of Ghadhafi’s positions by NATO forces have had broad support among the Arab populations and legalized by the vote in the UN Security Council.  There are reservations on the part of countries such as Russia and China but the consensus is that Ghadafi’s assault on the uprising in Libya must be stopped.

Libya: Unraveling of the “Anti-Imperialist” Front?

Initially I thought that Ghadhafi could resist the impact of Egyptian and Tunisian uprisings.  It had a relatively smaller population and greater oil revenue, theoretically that could help him buy off his subjects.  He was also trying to leave the “anti-imperialist” front of Castro’s Cuba, Ortega’s Nicaragua, Chavez’s Venezuela, Mugabe’s Zimbabwe and Ahmadinejad’s Iran.  Ghadhafi made amends with the US and other Western democracies, over the Lockerbie bombing and curtailed his ambitions to go nuclear.  The Libya’s economy was having a healthy growth and there were lots of foreign investment pouring in particularly from Europe.

Measure of Democracy: Egypt and Iran (II)

More than two decades of anti-imperialist ideological development rejecting a “Westoxicated” monarchy (see my post “Westoxication”) as the pivotal source of the Iranian problems, internally prepared the alignment of the Iranian intellectuals with the most backward ideological elements of the clergy.

Measure of Democracy: Egypt and Iran (I)

Is Egypt’s revolt leading to an Islamic government fulfilling multiple prophesies that I mentioned in the previous post?  One cannot dismiss this possibility out of hand but I believe the evidence does not support that outcome.

Measure of Democracy: Arab Uprising

For the last few days and weeks I have been watching the developments in Tunisia and Egypt with much apprehension and doubt reliving the past.  I have been through the youth radicalization of the 60s and 70s in the U.S., campaigned and participated in the overthrow of the Shah more than three decades ago – becoming emotionally overwhelmed and at times feeling drowned in the mass protests of 1978 and 79 in Iran.  With those experiences I could identify with the hopes and fears of the young Tunisians and Egyptians who were pouring into the streets.  I could see myself in them and their boundless energy, in their eyes full of hopes for a new future and full of fear about what might lie ahead.   They are pushing forward relentlessly changing the Middle East.

Uproar over WikiLeaks (II)

The United States government is furious over the publication of its classified documents by WikiLeaks and in my previous post I wrote about the role of secrecy in the new world order.  We have entered into a world of communication and openness where individuals are more active participants and this by itself will limit the governmental secrecy. 

Uproar over WikiLeaks (I)

WikiLeaks’ release of hundreds of thousands of pages of United States’ classified documents to the media has created a news sensation and paralyzing dilemmas for the governments around the globe.  All kinds of proposals are floating about in the news and talk shows on ways of dealing with WikiLeaks and Julian Assange, its founder.  They range from assassination of Mr. Assange to creation of new laws with severe penalties to deal with WikiLeaks and any future attempt at leaking classified information.

Interview with Mousavi!

Charlie Rose is a smooth interviewer. He can put his guest at ease and make him feel comfortable, all good characteristics of a skilled talk show host. But his questions this past Monday night, interviewing Mr. Larijani, barely moved to the core issues of freedom of thought, expression and press in Iran.

Master of Spin?

In relation to my last post, “Interviewing for Democracy”, a good friend sent me a link to a BBC article titled “Ahmadinejad, Master of Spin”. This article indicates that my displeasure with the major interviews of the Iranian officials is shared on a broader scale.

Interviewing for Democracy

This last Sunday I watched Fareed Zakaria’s GPS. Part of his program was devoted to an interview with Mohammad Javad Larijani. Mr. Larijani was visiting the UN as the head of Iran’s Human Rights Commission. Mr. Larijani along with his two brothers, Ali Larijani who is the speaker of the parliament and Sadegh Larijani, head of the Judiciary, are part of the influential power brokers of the Islamic Republic. It was disappointing to see Mr. Larijani dodging the questions and arguing his way out.

Stroke of Insight

This talk by Jill Bolte Taylor is truly an insight from inside.  Watch it and enjoy!
 

Catch Up and Join!

Some years ago I took my parents to an Iranian party to visit some of their old friends who were in town. I did not know the host or the other participants. When the party broke out singing one of the national anthems of Iran, I knew that I was in a super “Persian” gathering.

1953 Coup

The anniversary of the 1953 Coup in Iran is approaching (August 19^th) and the drumbeat of the “evils of Imperialist domination” will get louder.  For the Iranians it is a national ritual to call the 1953 coup – that returned the Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, to power – an American or CIA Coup.  For decades this has been part of an image that associated the United States government and the west in general with the dictatorships around the world; as if these associations were second nature for the western “imperialists”.  Close to six decades have passed, the dictatorships in Latin America and South East Asia have turned to democracies with the encouragement of the West, but the dark image of that event continues to persist in the Iranian psyche.

How Would You Bet?

If I had to bet on who won the presidential election a year ago in Iran, I would bet on Ahmadinejad. Am I a supporter of him? Obviously not but with the lack of hard evidence, that is a full investigation of the electoral process, my wager is my summary of what happened a year ago.

"Westoxication" a National Illusion

Gharbzadegi is a coined phrase popularized in Iran by Jalal Al-e Ahmad referring to a perceived “national” problem of intoxication or stricken by the Western values – Westoxication. Al-e Ahmad a renowned writer in his book, Gharbzadegi, has diagnosed Westoxication as the national disease. “We have not been able to preserve our cultural-historical character in the confrontation with the machine and its inevitable assault. We have disintegrated.” For him the “machine and its inevitable assault” is the summation of the Western influence. His thesis was stringing together a set of half truth geo-political and historical events, which as a leading intellectual is only indicative of the shallowness of the knowledge among the learned at the time.

Defense of the “Iranian Revolution”?

Is there anything left from that revolution worth defending?  The February 1979 insurrection toppled the regime of Mohammad Reza Shah.   Since that time many, particularly on the left, are struggling to digest that event and its aftermath.  The advocates in general see a continuation of the revolution through the rivalry between the Islamic Republic and the west, especially in its animosity toward the United States.  You can hear the “anti-imperialist” propaganda from the leaders of the Islamic Republic everyday and it is this subterfuge that hides all their failures and keeps them in power.

Leftist Fragmentation

A few days ago I received an e-mail from a friend which contained a chain of discussion between himself and one of his political associates.  At some point in our past the three of us were part of the same organization espousing Trotsky’s variation of Marxists views.   Their discussion was very heated where the subject of discussion was lost among the personal attack on each other – a typical leftist exchange.  A couple of decades earlier both of them were united in their opposition to me.  I have noted my memories of that discussion in another web site (this link).  I am not trying to revive the old disputes, but this e-mail brought to my attention the continuation of the fragmentation of our old organization.  As a matter of fact, this fragmentation was not only our problem but the problem of the entire spectrum of leftists.  They continuously fragmented.

Siddhartha

A subject that I never thought I would be commenting on, Siddhartha Gautama, Buddha. A few nights ago I could not sleep and I watched “The Buddha”, a PBS program, online.  It is very well made. The program through simple voices tells the story of Buddha.

The Healthcare War

The Delegates to the Washington state Democratic primary convention are selected through a caucus system. In our 2008 neighborhood caucus meeting, the highlight of argument in support of Mrs. Hillary Clinton was her position for the universal health care coverage. This was argued for by a articipant. I spoke in support of Mr. Obama’s position on the issue of health care. I was not so much interested in his specific promises, but in his approach to the problem. I felt he was advocating the need to take into consideration the specific American realities. To take personal responsibility in one’s own healthcare needed to be a part of the solution. I was thinking of an American solution and betting that he would come up with a vision toward solving this pestering problem.