Bitterlemons has a great series on the feasibility of unilateral peace, a concept where only one side attempts to forge a climate for peace regardless of the other party’s actions. Israel arguably embarked on a unilateral peace process through the Ariel Sharon-ordered disengagement from the Gaza Stip that led to the Hamas coup of the […]
As the United States, Britain, Germany and France threaten Iran with sanctions over its nuclear program, Iran can at least count support from its loyal friend, Venezuela. Al Jazeera quoted Chavez as stating, “We are certain that Iran, as it has shown, will not back down in its effort to obtain what is a sovereign […]
As tension between Iraq and Syria grows, it looks like Iran is stepping in to play the mediator role between the two neighbors. The already poor relationship between Iraq and Syria deteriorated further in the aftermath of August 19th suicide attacks in Baghdad that left 100 people dead. Iraq has accused Syria of sheltering the […]
If you’re for an Israeli freeze on settlements, there is some good and bad news for you (and if you’re opposed to a freeze, just swap the two headings). The good news: Some reports indicate that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu intends to initiate a settlement freeze in the West Bank, excluding East Jerusalem construction. The […]
For the first time in the 30-year history of the Islamic Republic, the Iranian cabinet will have a female minister. Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi won the approval from the Parliament to become the health minister. She was one of 18 nominations for President Ahmadinejad’s new cabinet to be approved. Two other women were among three rejected […]
The Iranian government supplied the terrorist group Hezbollah with chemical weapons and weapons of mass destruction protective gear, according to officials quoted in a Kuwaiti daily today. Hezbollah reportedly stored the chemical weapons in a warehouse that exploded in mid July, killing eight terrorists. The terror group refused to grant Lebanese military and UN workers access to […]
The recent announcement by the Turkish government that it is preparing a serious plan to address its Kurdish problem should also serve as a reminder to the Iranian government that it needs to address the Kurdish issue as well. Iran, which contains the second largest population of Kurds, has also treated its Kurdish population egregiously. […]
High-ranking Israeli and Palestinian officials met in Jerusalem today to discuss administrative issues, such as visas to the West Bank, medical treatment for Palestinians, and other export/import issues. The meeting between Palestinian Minister of National Economy Bassem Khoury and Israeli Vice Prime Minister and Minister for Regional Development Silvan Shalom marks the first direct high-level talks since […]
Up until the recent past, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) dominated the discourse in Washington as the voice of pro-Israel advocates and (unofficially) Jews in America. Because of AIPAC’s arguable reputation as a “right-wing” organization that places Israel’s interests above all else, a new group sprouted to woo moderate and left wing Jews […]
The juxtaposition of the two images of former Vice-President Mohammad Ali Abtahi – one before his arrest and the other at his hearing- show the absurdity of the trials taking place in Iran. Abtahi, best known as the “blogging mullah,” is the ebullient cleric interviewed in the Daily Show. In the interview, as Jason Jones […]
The climate of cooperation that followed the June parliamentary elections has evaporated and efforts to form a new government have come to a standstill. After the results of the elections were announced, the March 8 coalition graciously accepted its “defeat”, while Saad Hariri’s March 14 alliance promised to work closely with the new opposition. Now, […]
Iranian political system is characterized by its duality of power: In the executive branch we have the dual offices of the President and the Supreme Leader, in the legislative branch we have the Parliament and the Council of Guardians, and in the military we have the regular forces and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). […]
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