Links April 09 09 – Moon of Alabama

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April 9, 2009

Links April 09 09

It is legal: Iran’s ‘Outlawed’ Nuclear Program (FP Journal)
Fake negotiations: U.S. to Join Iran Talks Over Nuclear Program NYT

"By showing a readiness to engage Iran, American officials said, the administration is trying to build support among allies like Germany and France, and more skeptical players, like Russia, so that if diplomatic efforts fail, it can marshal support for tougher sanctions against Tehran."
Also: How the corporate media alienate Iran: Prof. Mojtahedzadeh (FP Journal)

Buffet is old: Moody’s downgrades Berkshire Hathaway (FT)
Nassim Nicholas Taleb: Ten principles for a Black Swan-proof world (FT)

"In France in the 1980s, the socialists took over the banks. In the US in the 2000s, the banks took over the government."

What was his share of the loot? Former FBI chief defends flow of money to Saudi ambassador (LAT)
Defense pork propaganda: US electricity grid hit by cyber attacks: report (AFP)
Only chimps? Study shows chimps exchange meat for sex (UPI)

Racist writing: "At least one is believed to be a student, the others were born in Pakistan."
Met blunder prompts terror arrests (Guardian)

Please add your news and views in the comments.

Posted by b on April 9, 2009 at 05:34 UTC | Permalink

Comments

The only problem with the fake negotiations idea is that Iran is certainly developing a nuclear weapons **capability** Once they are a turn of a screw away, Europe will be much less interested in antagonism towards Iran. Trying to isolate Iran, push it around and impose harsh sanctions will only encourage Iran to turn potential nukes into the real thing.

Posted by: Lysander | Apr 9 2009 6:08 utc | 1

Very interesting:
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=46367
US-ISRAEL: Visa for Top Netanyahu Aide In Question
By Stephen Green*
WASHINGTON, Apr 2 (IPS) – The first official test of wills between the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama and the new Likud-led government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could well be waged over the issuance, or restoration, of a simple entry visa.
For the past two years, Dr. Uzi Arad, the former director of intelligence for Israel’s Mossad, has been denied entry into the United States based on a 2004 meeting he held with a Pentagon official who has since been sentenced to 12 years in prison for passing classified information to Israel. Under a long-standing section of the Immigration and Nationality Act (NA), foreign individuals suspected of engaging in espionage or sabotage against the U.S. cannot be granted a visa to come here. (Cont’d)

Posted by: Parviz | Apr 9 2009 8:02 utc | 2

Equally interesting:
The Israel Lobby Archive has just released for the first time on the Internet newly obtained documents from the District of Columbia Superior Court. They provide inside information confirming the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s (AIPAC) ongoing illicit acquisition and distribution of classified US national defense information:
http://irmep.org/ila/rosen/
IRmep has also just published a lengthy analysis about how Steven J. Rosen’s March 2, 2009 civil lawsuit against AIPAC is really a last-ditch effort to compel the Obama administration to quash the Justice Department’s 2005 criminal indictments under the Espionage Act before the criminal case against Steve Rosen and Keith Weisman goes to trial on May 27, 2009
http://original.antiwar.com/smith_grant/2009/04/07/the-samson-gambit/

Posted by: Parviz | Apr 9 2009 8:03 utc | 3

The above 2 posts confirms Israel is increasingly under pressure not just from global public opinion but from the U.S. government itself.
For me personally the most extraordinary recent development was Roger Cohen´s Op-Ed in today´s NYT. Read it, it´s amazing, so I´m re-posting it:

Israel Cries Wolf

Posted by: Parviz | Apr 9 2009 8:06 utc | 4

Today’s barometer of US-Iran relations: improving (Obama team debates stance on Israeli attack threat,IPS news, Obama team readying for confrontation with Netanyahu , Haaretz).

Posted by: andrew | Apr 9 2009 10:02 utc | 5

Real News video: Obama’s military budget.
Obama’s obscene remarks in Iraq.
Israeli army: it may be possible that Earth is round.

Posted by: andrew | Apr 9 2009 10:09 utc | 6

Two interesting interviews from Antiwar Radio about the lawsuit against AIPAC and Afghanistan.
Syria says willing to renew peace talks with Israel.

Posted by: andrew | Apr 9 2009 10:15 utc | 7

From Tom Dispatch, a great article from Tom Engelhardt about the drone war (with an audio track of an interview on the same subject).
The political economy of taliban terror in Swat valley.

Posted by: andrew | Apr 9 2009 10:21 utc | 8

Today’s barometer of UK-Iran relations: not good.
Way cleared for IPI pipeline as Iran price accepted .
Obama’s new strategy sours US-Pakistan ties.

Posted by: andrew | Apr 9 2009 10:24 utc | 9

A great analysis: Pentagon budget envisions a series of Iraq-style wars.
Obama’s visit to Iraq: a page from Bush’s playbook.

Posted by: andrew | Apr 9 2009 10:32 utc | 10

Paviz-
Thanks, I’m glad you re-posted Roger Cohen´s piece. Sound like you could have wrote it 🙂

Posted by: DavidS | Apr 9 2009 15:18 utc | 11

Note that Roger Cohen’s piece is datelined Istanbul Apr. 8. I suspect he was there for Obama’s visit. I wonder to what extent his piece reflects discussions with people in the Obama administration.
Cohen also prominently mentions Israel’s nukes. The silence about them is going to have to end before Iran will enter into serious negotiations about its nuclear programs.

Posted by: lysias | Apr 9 2009 15:29 utc | 12

DavidS, when I come out of the closet (no, not when I reveal I´m gay, which I´m not, but when I leave Iran for good) you may be in for a big surprise.

Posted by: Parviz | Apr 9 2009 15:39 utc | 13

andrew, #9 pipeline link

A cabinet meeting accepted Iran’s offer to export one billion cubic feet per day of gas at 80 per cent of the crude oil price in the international market. A sale-purchase agreement is likely to be signed this year.
Briefing newsmen after the meeting, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira said Pakistan had decided to go ahead with the gas pipeline project in accordance with its needs without caring about ‘US pressure, that forced India to pull out of it’.
The cabinet decided that the government would own responsibility of paying Rs31 billion outstanding against the Karachi Electric Supply Company to help its management invest the promised amount of Rs28 billion on development projects to increase power generation.
It approved ratification of an agreement on cooperation in the field of transportation and transit of goods between Pakistan and Uzbekistan with the objective to provide the latter an access for transhipment of its trade cargo to and from Gwadar port.
The cabinet decided to set up a four-member committee to oversee Gwadar port operations. It would also propose incentives for the proposed export processing zone.

hmm
re cohen’s post, the comments are very telling. i only read a few pages of them but they are overwhelmingly in favor of the column.
b, great first (FP journal) link.

Posted by: annie | Apr 9 2009 15:54 utc | 14

check the comments for elliot abrams grossly dishonest WAPO article. as it currently stands there is only one pro in the whole first page.

Posted by: annie | Apr 9 2009 16:19 utc | 15

Parviz-
I can’t wait! It would be even nicer if Iran became progressive enough so you could be more open publicly. I’ll buy your book if you decide to have it published; damn the idiots of every race, creed and color who want to suppress other people’s ideas!

Posted by: DavidS | Apr 9 2009 17:04 utc | 16

Since 6 years, Iranians and Americans have been having secret talks.
Here in Geneva.
The process in US parlance is called -now- Track II. Latest meeting was on 6-8 March 09: about 30 participants, from several countries, incl. Arab states and Israelis, some mandated by Gvmts, others not, many University ppl.
All this is reported from time to time, maybe once/twice/3x a year, in the local press. The latest article, from Le Temps, in French (link won’t last very long I think):
link
A kind of re-make of the Oslo process. Secrecy protects the individuals.
The nuclear question is not the first on the agenda but is treated.
The main upshot of the article seems to be whether anything can be done right now, waiting for Obama to pontificate and pronounce. In the sense, the question asked is, should one continue with a multilateral approach, – US. F. GB. China, Ru, D – facing Iran, or are bi-lateral agreements the best way to go?
No answer.
Rivalries (according to article, again) amongst the US hoi polloi are slowing things down – William Burns (part of the track I, 2008) is competing with R. Holbrooke (that old hack, smooth though, heard him speak once) and Dennis Ross… !
The conclusion: just possible that some general accord (on *what* exactly is not specified) may emerge, but it is unlikely.
Iran, the article says, is just happy to be talked about.
(Le Temps is a right wing paper and takes for granted that Iran is a threat.)
The article lauds some opening up of negotiations and their longstanding ongoing nature…
Ok, it is a Swiss Paper, and Switzerland and represented US interests in Iran for 30 years, so it is always News.

Posted by: Tangerine | Apr 9 2009 17:14 utc | 17

webpages as graphs – MoA

Posted by: b real | Apr 9 2009 19:45 utc | 18

that’s bloody beautiful, b real
!

Posted by: rudolf | Apr 9 2009 22:19 utc | 19

the truth & nothing but the truth – for uncle $cam

Posted by: remembereringgiap | Apr 10 2009 0:32 utc | 20

from NYT link Parviz #4:

Netanyahu insists (too much) that Iran is “a country that glorifies blood and death, including its own self-immolation.” Huh

Lovely example of accuser focusing on own crimes, obsessions.

Posted by: plushtown | Apr 10 2009 1:00 utc | 21

plushtown,
I´m glad you read it. Some of the comments are first-class, and overwhelmingly anti-Israel.

Posted by: Parviz | Apr 10 2009 7:13 utc | 22

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