Thursday, November 05, 2009

Obama claims the US does not intervene in Iranian affairs


Barack Obama's speech on the anniversary of the Iranian hostage crisis.
We do not interfere in Iran’s internal affairs. We have condemned terrorist attacks against Iran. ... We have made clear that if Iran lives up to the obligations that every nation has, it will have a path to a more prosperous and productive relationship with the international community.
"Obligations every nation has" is a very lawyerly formulation that is misleading even if true. Iran has an obligation to submit to the rules of the Security Council, but the UNSC action was not applied in a non-discriminatory fashion. Other nations, including nations that are known to have had nuclear weapons programs have not been required by the UNSC to cease enrichment, to subject their enrichment programs to US discretion or to go beyond their current obligations and ratify the Additional Protocols which is a voluntary treaty modification that would impose new legal requirements on Iran.

The relationship between the US demands on Iran and Israel's unusual security situation, surrounded by more populous states that most of whose people fundamentally believe that Israel's creation and Israel's continual denial of the rights of Palestinians is an injustice, is openly acknowledged even by Americans.

Very few people in Iran will agree with Obama that Iran's nuclear issue is being treated as "every other nation" 's. The statement certainly reads as a false one in Iran.

Which is more problematic because while it is widely reported, even in the West that "there was a well funded campaign of supporting separatist elements under Bush, all we have is Obama's word that this campaign has stopped "we do not interfere in Iran's internal affairs".

If two sentences later he makes a statement that is stretching the truth, the first statement, the more important one which is harder to evaluate, loses credibility.

I have not seen evidence of a decrease in separatist activity since Obama took office, while there was a substantial increase after the US invasion of Iraq that is reasonably attributed to US policy.

The issue of US support for Iranian separatist organizations is one Obama will have to deal with in a more serious way than a single statement in the middle of this speech. Especially in light of the attack in Balochistan.

If not, an atmosphere of trust or even of non-confrontation will be difficult, nearly impossible to build.

19 comments:

lidia said...

"greens" in iran openly called to Obama to support them. Of course, it says something about the nature of "green revolution" (if somebody STILL need it)

Anonymous said...

Obama's 1953 Moment:

http://iranian.com/main/blog/onlyiran/obamas-1953-moment

Anonymous said...

Death to Khamenie:

http://www.iranian.com/main/2009/nov/marg-bar-khamenei

Anonymous said...

AE: Shame on you for being the Islamic Republic's Rapists apologist.

Anonymous said...

I read some of your post and it's obvious that you are a palestinian hired mercenary of the IRI. Your days are numbered...

Anonymous said...

Green Revolution will come

http://www.iranian.com/main/blog/abarmard/green-revolution-will-come

Anonymous said...

Another IRR, the Islamist Rapist Republic, created occasion, another chance for the enslaved Iranians to use to show their abhorrence of the regime has just passed. Just like their so called “International Qods Day” did a while back, Islamist Rapists’ shameful commemoration of the crime in which American diplomats were taken hostage and kept for 444 days boomeranged on their faces.

The videos of the sporadic outbreaks of anti-Islamist Rapists show determined Iranians, especially women, braving certain unbelievably savage beating at the hands of the IRR thugs and yet not backing down.

The slogans, a barometer of any demonstration, are no longer about the stolen” election” and target the pillars of the Islamist regime including the Head Rapist Khamenei. Since all the raping, torturing and murdering of men, women and children have lost their effect- short of the Islamist Rapists having a metamorphosis into a sane entity with civilized norms of behavior- things are certain to become worse.

At this juncture to say the Islamist regime is at its most vulnerable is to make an understatement; therefore it is the most opportune time for the sane world to make the decision it has been delaying to make for years. As tempting as it might be, it would be deadly wrong to cut a deal with the weakened IRR, a colossal mistake sure to come back to haunt the West.

All versions of the Islamist Rapist regime have been given ample time and support none panned out; it is high time to empower the enslaved Iranians to take matters into their own capable hands.

Before it is too late and nuke acquiring IRR imposes a devastating war on the captive Iranians and the region, in tandem with airtight sanctions the sane world has to unremittingly support Iranian people with moral and material help to topple the unreformable Islamist menace.

Anonymous said...

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Iran: Peaceful Demonstrators Faced Disproportionate Use of Force
International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran
06-Nov-2009
4 November 2009) - Security forces and militia used brutal force to disperse thousands of protesters on the streets of Tehran and other cities today, resulting in a number of injuries and arrests, in violation of international standards regarding the proportionate use of force against peaceful demonstrations, according to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. The protests occurred parallel to officially sanctioned demonstrations on the 30th anniversary of the takeover of the United States Embassy in 1979.

Protests also took place in other cities, including Shiraz, Rasht, and Tabriz. Many protesters were reportedly arrested in Tabriz after security forces attacked demonstrators using pepper spray and tear gas.

Eyewitnesses have told the Campaign that, despite an intense intimidation program aimed at stifling the demonstrations by SMS threats promising prosecutions for taking part, and the closure of metro stops to discourage gatherings, thousands of protesters appeared at Hafte-e-Tir Square, Kargar Shomali, and other locations, and were met by vast numbers of riot police backed up by quasi-official militiamen. The presence of huge numbers of security and anti-riot forces and brutal attacks were common in all reports by eyewitnesses.

Numerous demonstrators were arrested, including Ali Mashmouli, Vahideh Movahed and other prominent persons. According to a report by his son, security forces shot tear gas canisters... >>>

http://www.payvand.com/news/09/nov/1050.html

There are 4500 Palestinian/Lebanese Mercnearies being paid $200 a month to kill, toruture, break their skulls, torture and rape Iranians.

The latest slogans in Iran was No Gaza, No Lebanon, Only Iran.

Other slogans were Death to Islamic Governement; we only want Iranian Republic without the Islam.

You and other welfare mercenaries days are numbered when Khamenies pictures are set on fire.

Shame on you, Akhi???

Anonymous said...

Arnold, just to let you know your perspectives are appreciated.

-Pirouz

Arnold Evans said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Arnold Evans said...

Thanks everyone. We're really going to have to limit the links to other sites and make the points we would like to make here in our own voices.

But I'm happy to have people who comment who disagree with my positions.

I don't see anything to respond to here. My policy is that if someone disagrees with me, I explain my positions until I find myself repeating myself. Then I give the other person the last word.

According to the only post-elections poll I've seen (pdf), 80% of Iranians believe that the elections were fair, 80% believe Ahmadinejad is honest, 80% are satisfied with Iran's electoral process in general, 90% are satisfied with Iran's system of government, two Iranians believe there should be a clerical body that can overturn laws of parliament for every one who doesn't and 60% (about what was reported) of people who said they voted said they voted for Ahmadinejad.

Obviously there are people in Iran who do not approve of Ahmadinejad or Iran's current system of government but I cannot say they are the majority. I don't think any state in the Middle East has more support from the people under its rule than Iran. I don't think any state in the Middle East has policies that match the wishes of all of those governed more closely than Iran. Maybe Turkey, but not Israel and clearly not Egypt, or any of the pro-US dictatorships.

Anonymous said...

The most glaring piece that has been ignored is the very admission of one of these polls:

"Naturally a question that arises is whether respondents are freely speaking their minds in such a poll, especially when the Iranian government has been recently cracking down on dissent. As discussed below, the fact that one in four respondents refused to answer the question about who they voted for in the presidential election suggests that some people may have felt uncomfortable answering and thus the findings need to be viewed with caution and not as a clear indication of how people voted. Some questions for which we have trendline data also show a bit less readiness to take controversial positions in the current poll.

Authors and journalists might be referring to this report as fact, but the conductors of the poll themselves have expressed doubt about the accuracy of their own polls and whether it actually demonstrates that a majority supports Ahmadinejad. If one were to scrutinize the semantics further, the statement, “people may have felt uncomfortable answering…of how people voted,” is a gross underestimate of the reality on the ground in Iran. The Iranian people live under constant duress not to be individually affiliated with any opposition member, party, or group. With Iran’s sophisticated monitoring tools and the ruthlessness of its internal intelligence and surveillance ministry to locate and crush dissent, it is striking that more discussion or scrutiny is not placed on the methods to conduct the interview in the first place.

As the report notes its methodology:

"The survey was executed by means of computer-assisted-telephone interviewing by a professional research agency outside Iran. All interviewers were native Farsi speakers. Telephone interviewing and an outside agency were chosen for this study so that there would be no political constraints on questions asked or speculation about the influence of Iranian authorities on the data collection process."

The lack of further elaboration on how this was achieved simply by the use of an “outside agency” in light of the Iranian regime’s crackdown on dissent makes the veracity of “no political constraints” hard to swallow.

http://www.iranian.com/main/2009/jul/who-are-they

http://www.iranian.com/main/blog/agha-bardia/how-accurate-are-public-opinion-polls-iran

Also the poll was conducted by a group that has McCain as one of his members. The idea is to demonize Iranians so they can bomb, bomb, bomb, and people like you fall for this ruse.

Again, stay away from Iranian affairs. You're clueless.

Anonymous said...

yOu need to read this:

http://www.rokhdaad.com/spip.php?article205

lidia said...

AE, I found your method a very sound one

Now, about "Also the poll was conducted by a group that has McCain as one of his members. The idea is to demonize Iranians so they can bomb, bomb, bomb, and people like you fall for this ruse."

I have to admit that it IS something new for me, unlike all other "arguments" here :)

I see, and Netaniahu supported "greens" only because he does NOT want to bomb Iran and tried to picture Iran as good.

I understan frustration of "greens" - after all, they durtied themeslves by spitting on Gaza's victims, licking up to the butchers of Iraq and Afhganistan (not mentioning other places) and still not being victorious! They should be very disappointed at this result. But they should blame themselves for it, not AE :)

lidia said...

At this juncture to say the "Islamist regime is at its most vulnerable is to make an understatement; therefore it is the most opportune time for the sane world to make the decision it has been delaying to make for years. As tempting as it might be, it would be deadly wrong to cut a deal with the weakened IRR, a colossal mistake sure to come back to haunt the West."

To ask the same "West" which is busy supporting Zionist crimes and waging colonial wars on the very borders of Iran for help means to put it even more clear WHO are the plaintives and what results could come from their wishes. "Greens" really know no shame at all, but it is not a problem - they lack reason as well.

Anonymous said...

lidia: are you the Jewish Russian commie lady on angryarab site??

lidia said...

suppose I am, so what?

lidia said...

"I am simply saying that Obama should take a stand and declare that the U.S. will not negotiate or sit at a table with a regime that shoots its population on the streets and corners a defenseless woman against a wall and beats her in the head with a baton."

If SO, obama whould have to NOT sit with HIMSELF first of all - as if USA rulers are not busy shooting and beating Americans (not mentioning NON-Americans). Then Obama should NOT sit with Israel, Columbia, Egypt, Sauidis and so on. Of course, Obama IS sitting with them and giving them a lot of money to use for shooting and beating their and others' population.

Really, "greens" are NOT very bright in their prop. But of course, why could they? Their case is not just and they could not find a sound defence for it. If one REALLY want to better things in Iran the LAST thing to do would be ask Obama for help.

Arnold Evans said...

Person from Iranian.com:

I don't believe you can give convincing evidence that opponents of Iran's regime are more numerous than its supporters.

If you can do so, please do.