I believe it is a great step forward to make Middle East somewhat safe. Only Israel is opposed to this deal which is baffling. Israel, a very small country, has over 200 nuclear war heads according to the former President of the U.S Jimmy Carter. Why Israel can have those
Continue readingTag: Iran
The Disaffected Lib: A Seismic Jolt That Most Won’t Even Notice
Just consider it the 21st century version of the “Great Game,” the superpower struggle to wrest control of South Asia. While it used to be a contest between Russia and Britain, today the players are Washington and Beijing. The latest round goes to China and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which
Continue readingIran is standing down—will the U.S. and Russia?
Iran has recently agreed, after intense negotiations, to take steps to ensure it cannot produce a nuclear weapon. It claimed it had no intention of doing so anyway, but has now bowed to bullying by the nuclear powers for assurances in black and white. Iran is in effect guaranteeing that
Continue readingWorlds apart—women in Iran and Saudi Arabia
On receiving her Master of Architecture degree from the University of British Columbia, Leila Araghian won the UBC Architecture Alumni Henry Elder Prize. Ms. Araghian has since continued in her prize-winning ways. Her Pol-e-Tabiat, or Nature Bridge, in Tehran has won three awards in Iran as well as a Popular
Continue readingIran holds the nuclear powers to account
So the United States finally bullied the Iranians into a nuclear deal. Iran has always said it had no intention of building a weapon, but that wasn’t good enough for the Americans, or for the other nuclear powers. They wanted it in writing and now they have it. Iran has
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: That Burnt Smell, That Hissing Sound? That’s the Fuze.
Well, if nothing else, Stephen Harper might just have earned Canada a ringside seat to the outbreak of a Middle East regional war. The way the International Crisis Group sees it, the Saudi air war on Shiite Yemeni rebels might just be the burning fuze that explodes the Sunni-Shia powder
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Did Bibi Spy on Barack? Easy Answer? Of Course.
Israel has never been reluctant to spy on its global benefactor, the United States. Now Washington is accusing Israel of having spied on American negotiations with Iran for a nuclear enrichment treaty. The apparent decision by the White House to leak the allegations is the latest symptom of the growing
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Whacking Iran – Maybe Sooner Than You Might Think – The Warmonger Digest, vol. 2
It’s reported that the Saudis have given Israel a green light to overfly Saudi Arabia should Netanyahu decide to launch an attack on Iran. Jerusalem and Riyadh do not have diplomatic ties, but unconfirmed reports have swirled for years of coordination between them against the common enemy of Iran, a
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Oh, snap! Iran Corners the US.
Iran has told the U.S. that it’s prepared to get rid of all of its nuclear hardware, down to the last nut and bolt, if only the U.S. complies with the 1970 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. “The Iranian people can no longer withstand the sanctions,” Mr. Iqhal said. “We have thrown
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: What Are We Doing Flooding this Place With Arms?
Saudi Arabia has now displaced India to become the largest armaments importer in the world. Saudi imports are reported to have shot up an alarming 54% over just the past year. Among the beneficiaries of the House of Saud’s largesse is Canada, having inked a contract to sell nearly $15-billion
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: The Rise and Fall of America’s Indispensable Ally – Israel
Israel has always been America’s indispensable ally in the Middle East. That may be changing. Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech yesterday to the US Congress might have been less of a bold stroke and more an act of desperation. The Sydney Morning Herald’s international affairs columnist, Paul McGeough, writes that Israel’s influence with
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: The Real Threat Facing Israel
No one expected Benjamin Netanyahu to win the gushing approval of the editorial board of Israel’s liberal newspaper Haaretz but they were decidedly unimpressed by their prime minister’s speech to part of the US Congress yesterday. Their view is that Netanyahu deliberately avoided any mention of the real existential threat
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Benjamin Netanyahu’s Speech and the Cowardice of Stephen Harper
Well it couldn't have been a more grotesque spectacle, the war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu addressing the U.S. Congress, and claiming that all he's interested in is peace.When the only reason he was there was to try to improve his chances of winning the next Israeli election, try to start a war with
Continue readingSoul mates and the politics of fear
Fabricating a threat to the nation in order to instill fear in the population may be demagoguery, but it is also a highly effective way for leaders to rally the people behind them. Frightened citizens turn conservative and cling to what they know, i.e. the incumbent government, rather than risk
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Benjamin Netanyahu and Stephen Harper’s Iran Bomb Problem
Well I'm sure you remember the day that Benjamin Netanyahu turned up at the United Nations with a crude cartoon bomb to claim that Iran could have a nuclear weapon within months.And managed to scare most of the world AND the Road Runner… And I'm sure you also remember how Stephen
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Six things we all need to think about when Canadians volunteer to fight for the Kurds
The Kurds: They should have had a country of their own, but since they don’t, and since Canada is allied by treaty to one of their principal enemies, letting Canadians join their fight isn’t a simple matter. We need clarity on just what Canada’s position is from the Canadian government.
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: When My Enemy’s Enemies Are Still My Enemies
One of the greatest mistakes we make in the conduct of modern warfare is to make our conflicts suit a politically palatable narrative. It can seem as though the spin doctors are as powerful as the generals which might explain why they seem to do an equally marginal job at
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Journalist Tired of Unfree Press Pushing War
A German journalist explains how the CIA misused him to manipulate people, to push war. “Non official cover”
Continue readingWhen Khomeini said no to nukes
When Iran claims it is not developing nuclear weapons because they are incompatible with Islam, the U.S. and its European allies suggest this is mere propaganda. According to an article in Foreign Policy magazine, they simply don’t understand how profoundly the Iranians hold this view for both historical and religious
Continue readingWho is "part of the problem," Mr. Cameron?
Recently British PM David Cameron, even while encouraging Iran to help deal with ISIS, couldn’t resist taking a shot at the country. In his UN speech, he stated superciliously that Iran can be “part of the solution, not part of the problem.” Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, took umbrage, declaring the
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