Lobe on Neocons and Public Diplomacy
Boston Review on Iran
Veteran journalist and neocon watcher, Jim Lobe points out that as the Neoconservatives have lost direct political power, they have emerged in key positions in public diplomacy-- especially Radio Farda ('Radio Marti' for Iran) and al-Hurra (the US-owned Arabic satellite tv channel that is struggling with viewership).
No one knows more about the Neconservative movement than Jim Lobe; he is worth bookmarking.
Also, check out The Boston Review's current issue, on Iran.
Robert Antonio on the US economic war against Iran.
Justin Raimondo also addresses this economic war.
Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, who was overthrown by the CIA in 1953, was described in the American press with precisely the same adjectives as is Ahmadinejad today.
A recent article on the reaction of Iran's neighbors to its nuclear program is available on the web. Click on "html" to view.
And, on Palestine, see Richard Augustus Norton's canny piece at The Boston Globe.
Labels: Iran
posted by Juan Cole @ 6/28/2007 09:05:00 AM
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5 Comments:
Jim Lobe - am quite a fan but I wonder have the neocons truly lost power or has the pressure finally gotten to Bush???
Bush cites Israel as model for Iraq
Bush is now certifiably certifiable.
Has AIPAC been involved in any clandestine drug experiments???
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I've been following Iran's energy for a little while and I read the Daily Telegraph article that you linked which is basically right.
But the only relevance of UN sanctions to Iran deciding to ration gasoline is if the report is correct that the govt. had decided to stockpile fuel supplies in case sanctions on exporting gasoline to Iran are imposed.I haven't heard this anywhere else but it may be the case, I don't know.
Basically, the majlis has been toying with the idea of rationing gasoline/rising its price because of the high import bill for gasoline. Refining capacity is not growing quick enough to meet this growing demand, which means having to import the gasoline (40% of local usage is now imported).
Also, domestic oil consumption is rising quickly while oil production is not growing fast enough. (Currently Iran produces 4 million b/d and domestic oil demand is 1.5 million b/d but this 2.5 million b/d gap is beginning to narrow). A greater share of oil produced in Iran used for domestic demand means less available for export.This spells danger for Iran in the longer term as its economy is so dependent on oil export revenues.
Basically, Iran needs to do something because its domestic gasoline consumption is going through the roof but they did it in a pretty clumsy way that has upset alot of people. People will probably blame AN although any Iranian president would face this dilemna, and it will make the majlis unpopular as well because of they way they handled it.
But one ticking bomb Iran does have is a) the need to expand refining capacity to make more of their own fuels, and b) maintain production levels high enough to allow for healthy levels of crude oil exports to generate revenues.They have announced big investments in refineries but projects for expanding crude oil otuput have been stalling for a while.
The next five years will be pretty crucial and they'll have to make some unpopular decisions as well as make terms more attractive if they want the investment.There is an understanding of this but its much harder to do something about it. Just look at the process for determining energy policy here!
Superb article on Hamas by Alastairr Crooke in new issue of lrb. Highlight:
"One reason for Fatah’s election defeat was its failure to recognise that the Bush administration was different from the Clinton administration. Fatah persisted in its assumption that, at bottom, the Bush administration shared its vision of a Palestinian state based on Israeli withdrawal from the territories occupied in 1967. The leadership continued to assume that if they pleased the US they would eventually be rewarded by pressure on Israel to concede a viable Palestinian state. It has long been obvious to most Palestinians, including many in Fatah, that the vision Bush shared was not Fatah’s, but that of Tel Aviv, and it sees Israel remaining in the West Bank for ever."
http://www.lrb.co.uk/v29/n13/print/croo01_.html
"'saudi Salafism', this official said, was 'the real nuclear bomb of the Arabian Peninsula'."
This needs to be widely desseminated; why our 'Representatives/Senators' cannot see this re the 'war on terrorism' is not understandable even given oil.
Funny how the article on the reaction of the neighbors to Iran's "nuclear weapons capability" forgets to mention that both Egypt and Saudi Arabia already have their own nuclear programs (Egypt was in fact caught by the IAEA conducting secret weapons-related experiments) and it doesn't see fit to similarly speculate about the "reaction" of the Arabs to the real, existing Israeli nuclear bombs. Where was this concern about Iran's "nuclear weapons capability" when the US was urging Iran to develop nuclear energy?
Yes, quite funny that.
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