NIAC’s inner contradictions never cease to surprise me, but then I guess that is the nature of Politics. Trita Parsi who staunchly opposed Western intervention in Libya virtually blaming it on Sarkozy’s warmongering and conforted in his views by the ever clueless moralist Hamid Dabashi accusing the hidden agenda’s of Western "Imperialism" with his Broken record rants on European "Neo Colonialism" while people were being mercilessly slaughtered by Libya's Caligula has now added to it’s new list of Ambassador’s for 2012 an Iranian academic of Syrian heritage. But One who for a change seems to speak some sense in regard to a country he seems to understand far more deeply than NIAC understands Iran ...
Majid Rafizadeh is an Iranian/Syrian Fulbright teaching scholar, currently conducting research at Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and columnist for Harvard International Review and Aljazeera.
Having acknowledged the bloody turnout of the Syrian uprising and Deadly crackdown by Bachar Al Assad he seems to have reached the conclusion that a Policy of appeasement and dialogue with Iran’s only ally in the region has reached a dead end.
Given the recent visit of Hamas leadership to Iran and their departure from Syria where their presence jeapordized their « image » in the eyes of the Sunni opposition to Assad’s regime, one can only wonder what the IRI is cooking up as a new strategy aimed at it’s own long term survival in the advent of Bachar Al Assad’s downfall ?
Is the IRI seeking the West’s approval of it’s nuclear program in exchange of it’s abandoning it’s Syrian ally in the region ?
If so then how can the IRI reassert itself as a reliable partner of be it the West or even Israel amidst the Rising Sunni influence in the region thanks to the Muslim Brotherhood itself strongly supported by powerful allies like the Emirates of Qatar ( Beaming it’s own subtle propaganda via it's Mouthpiece : Al Jazeera).
Are we to see another diplomatic stint on behalf of NIAC and it’s « experts » aimed at selling us another « Soft » version of the IRI after the « reformist » version failed to deliver ?
In which case be ready for another endless grand bargain lured to American Public opinion thanks to the suave voice of Fareed Zakaria and Co via CNN in the weeks and months to come.
If not then I guess the choice of Majid Rafizadeh as new Ambassador for NIAC is all the more intriguing to say the least.
Fool me Once … Fool me Twice ? ….
Only time will say …
Time for Intervention in Syria?:
CNN's Hala Gorani speaks with Iranian-Syrian scholar Majid Rafizadeh about solutions for Syria
(NOTE : if you cannot see this vidéo in your région you can also go here)
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SYRIA IRAN : RELUCTANT ALLIES ?
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BBC Persian with Majid Rafizadeh:
VOA OFOGH:
Part I:
Part II :
About Majid Rafizadeh:
Majid Rafizadeh is an Iranian-Syrian human rights activist and writes columns for Harvard International Review. He serves as the ambassador for the National Iranian-American Council (See Here). He completed his Fulbright Teaching scholarship in the United States where he taught in the Religious Department at University of California, Santa Barbara. (More on him Here)
Amongst his students while living and teaching in Damascus, Syria were Sarah Emily Shroud and her fiancé Shane Michael Bauer (see article in support of their liberation).
Related Blogs:
IN DENIAL: Barbara Walters' Interview with Syria's President Bashar al-Assad
WANTED: Did Nazi Criminal Alois Brunner train Syria’s Security Forces ?
WARLORD's INTELLECTUAL: BHL the Mind behind Sarkozy's Libyan Success
Simin Behbahani Compares Khamenei's Rule to That of Gaddafi's
BBC Report: Mir Hossein Moussavi next to Gaddafi's Defecting Sidekick ;0)
Karim Sadjadpour on Sultan Qaboos’ 'honest broker' role in ending US hikers Ordeal
Other Related Blogs:
NIAC’s Hamid Dabashi Denounces Hypocrisy of Foreign Intervention in Libya
WHO'S THE EXPERT? John Simpson Proves Barbara Slavin Wrong on Libya
LOST IN TRANSLATION: NIAC Welcomes Hamid Dabashi on Advisory Board
COLUMBIA PRESENTS: Academic Excellence With Hamid Dabashi & Sadri Bros
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France 24 Debate: Should Syria talks include Iran?
by Darius Kadivar on Wed Dec 05, 2012 12:40 AM PSTIn the France 24 Debate, ex-US ambassador to Iraq and Turkey James Jeffrey and Hürriyet Daily News editor-in-chief Murat Yetkin argue the pros and cons of a Syria solution that includes Iran.
Former Syrian PM Riad Hijab: Iran is running Syria
by Darius Kadivar on Wed Nov 21, 2012 09:36 AM PSTRiad Hijab: 'Iran is running Syria'(bbc, video)
The former Syrian Prime Minister Riad Hijab who defected from the regime of President Bashar al-Assad earlier this year says Russia - and particularly Iran - are now deciding policy in Syria.
He told HARDtalk's Stephen Sackur in the the Jordanian capital Amman, that President Assad would never voluntarily surrender power even if he were offered safe passage to another country.
Video: Syrian rebels say they will kill Iranian hostages
by Darius Kadivar on Fri Oct 05, 2012 05:29 AM PDTVideo: Syrian rebels say they will kill Iranian hostages (cnn)
CNN) -- Syrian rebels said they will start executing a group of about 48 Shiite pilgrims from Iran if Tehran does not comply with their demands, according to a video posted on YouTube this week.
The pilgrims were abducted in August.
In the video, a rebel officer dressed in camouflage standing in front of what appeared to be a group of hostages, addressed the Iranian and Syrian governments.
"Within 48 hours starting from the moment this statement is read, we inform you that for every martyr who gets killed by the Syrian regime, we will kill one of the Iranian hostages."
CNN can not verify the authenticity of the video.
Report: Iran transfers $10 billion to Syria via Iraq
by Darius Kadivar on Mon Oct 01, 2012 01:28 PM PDTReport: Iran transfers $10 billion to Syria
Iran says it has forces as 'advisers' in Syria
by Darius Kadivar on Sun Sep 16, 2012 09:33 AM PDTIran says it has forces as 'advisers' in Syria (cnn)
Damascus, Syria (CNN) -- Iran has had forces in Syria as "advisers," the commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Sunday, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.
A spokesman for Iran's foreign ministry said the country has no such personnel in Syria now.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NIAC's Syrian scholar says family held by 'fake rebels'
by Darius Kadivar on Sat Sep 01, 2012 03:25 PM PDTSyrian scholar says family held by 'fake rebels' (France 24)
Armed men claiming to be Syrian rebels have kidnapped relatives of outspoken US-based Middle East expert Majid Rafizadeh, who tells FRANCE 24 the captors are more likely to be militiamen loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.
What do you get supporting RP?
by amirkabear4u on Tue Aug 14, 2012 12:55 AM PDTIt is JUST basic polotics. Everyone has a belief. This belief is dictated by thoughts and level of intelligence.
The more deeply rooted and politically based thoughts result in a more meaningful belief.
Tim Lister: What does Iran get for supporting al-Assad?
by Darius Kadivar on Thu Aug 09, 2012 08:45 AM PDTIran and its links to al-Assad (cnn)
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Iran to host its own regional summit on Syria violence
by Darius Kadivar on Thu Aug 09, 2012 01:13 AM PDTIran to host its own regional summit on Syria violence
How Syrian regime change could diminish Tehran's power
by Darius Kadivar on Wed Aug 01, 2012 02:30 AM PDTWhy Iran needs Assad (bbc)
How Syrian regime change could diminish Tehran's power
When the Arab Spring began in early 2011, Iran's government declared that it was happy with what it was seeing.
The people of the Middle East, it announced, were following the example set by Iran in 1979 when Ayatollah Khomeini overthrew the Shah.
But that happiness has given way to anxiety as Iran sees its only reliable ally in the region struggle to stay in power.
Iran and Syria are unlikely partners. Iran is a theocracy, Syria is a secular state. One country is Persian, the other Arab.
But after the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, the two countries found that they had considerable mutual interests.Syrian officials tell Iran: 'We are facing global war'
by Darius Kadivar on Sun Jul 29, 2012 07:00 AM PDTSyrian officials tell Iran: 'We are facing global war' (cnn)
Syria's foreign minister meets Iranian officials, with both sides decrying what they call an international plot against the Assad regime, as fighting mounts in Aleppo, above
Iran offers to host Syria talks
by Darius Kadivar on Sun Jul 15, 2012 04:01 PM PDTIran offers to host Syria talks (cnn)
ran has offered to host talks between Syria's government and opposition in Tehran, its foreign minister said Sunday.
"Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi says the Islamic Republic is prepared to facilitate talks between the Syrian government and opposition by hosting a meeting between the two sides in Tehran," state-run Press TV reported.
Salehi told reporters Iran will invite dissidents "in a bid to prepare and facilitate the ground for talks between the Syrian dissidents and government," according to the semi-official Fars news agency.
Salehi emphasized that Iran supports the six-point plan proposed by Kofi Annan, the joint United Nations-Arab League envoy to Syria.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Kofi Annan meets Iran's Ali Akbar Salehi to seek help on Syria
by Darius Kadivar on Wed Jul 11, 2012 02:14 AM PDTThe UN's joint envoy to Syria says Iran can play a positive role resolving the crisis in Syria. Kofi Annan met Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi in Tehran, trying to build support for a new agreement with Syria's President Bashar al Assad. Al Jazeera's Cal Perry reports.
Kofi Annan in Tehran: Iran could play a "positive role" in Syria
by Darius Kadivar on Wed Jul 11, 2012 12:34 AM PDTAnnan talks with Syria neighbours (bbc)
UN and Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan holds talks in Iraq and Iran to discuss possible solutions for ending the conflict in Syria.
UN's Annan: Iran should be part of Syria solution
by Darius Kadivar on Fri Jun 22, 2012 02:46 PM PDTUN's Annan: Iran should be part of Syria solution - Yahoo! News
GENEVA (AP) — U.N. envoy Kofi Annan said Friday that Iranshould be involved in efforts to end the escalating violence that has claimed thousands of lives and forced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes.
Annan, the joint U.N.-Arab League envoy, told reporters that he is working to convene a so-called "contact group" meeting on Syria in Geneva on June 30. The United States has vehemently opposed the involvement of Iran, which Russia has demanded. Annan said the composition of the meeting is one of the sticking points that may not be resolved until next week.
"I have made it quite clear that I believe Iran should be part of the solution," the former U.N. secretary general told reporters in Geneva, flanked by Maj. Gen. Robert Mood, the head of the struggling U.N. observer mission in Syria. "If we continue the way we are going and competing with each other, it could lead to destructive competition and everyone will pay the price."
Annan said it was "time for countries of influence to raise the level of pressure on the parties on the ground." However, he had no specific proposals for changing his six-point peace plan, which he said Syria had not yet implemented but still might support in the future.Syria's bond with Iran
by Darius Kadivar on Fri Jun 08, 2012 10:23 AM PDTSyria's bond with Iran (bbc)
By James Reynolds
BBC Iran correspondent
Iran and Syria make for strange allies. Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, leads a religious administration. Syria's President Bashar al-Assad heads a secular and socialist government. One country is Persian, the other Arab. But since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, the two have found reason to stick together.
Why Syria should matter to Americans
by Darius Kadivar on Mon May 14, 2012 12:30 AM PDTWhy Syria should matter to Americans (cnn)
Beyond human suffering, Syria has practical implications for people in the United States, experts say.
Syrian-Americans struggle with human cost of revolt
by Darius Kadivar on Mon Apr 16, 2012 09:59 AM PDTSyrian-Americans struggle with human cost of revolt (CNN, VIDEO)
(CNN) -- Far from the mortar shells and sniper fire, Syrian-Americans are trying to cope with the humanitarian crisis plaguing their beloved country since the southern city of Daraa sparked an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad's police state in March 2011.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Iran: Syria envoy Kofi Annan arrives in Tehran
by Darius Kadivar on Tue Apr 10, 2012 01:55 PM PDTIran: Syria envoy Kofi Annan arrives in Tehran - CBS News
The Tuesday report says the joint U.N. and Arab League envoy and his six aides will meet Iranian leaders to discuss the Syrian crisis.
Iran is Syria's main ally in the region. Annan has been pushing Damascus to withdraw its troops from cities and halt all violence in 48 hours to salvage his peace plan.Iraq warns of Syria 'proxy war'
by Darius Kadivar on Thu Mar 29, 2012 10:58 AM PDTIraq warns of Syria 'proxy war' (bbc)
raq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has warned that arming either side in Syria will lead to a "proxy war".
He was speaking at the opening of an Arab League summit which is discussing a joint plan with the UN to end a year of violence in Syria.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has agreed to the plan and will spare no effort to make it succeed, Syrian state news agency Sana reported.
The summit is the first such meeting in Baghdad for at least two decades.
President Assad's remarks were contained in a message to the world's emerging powers - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - who are meeting in Delhi on Thursday.
How two Syrian-American brothers joined the anti-Assad rebels
by Darius Kadivar on Thu Mar 29, 2012 01:20 AM PDTKalashnikov homecoming (bbc) by Marine Olivesi
Two Syrian-American brothers sneaked back into Syria to fight the Assad government. They ran into their father in the besieged city of Idlib, and he was not happy to see them.
Last week, a 20-year-old man called Abdul knocked on the door of a house outside Philadelphia.
Syrian-American artist reconnects with her identity
by Darius Kadivar on Mon Mar 26, 2012 03:50 PM PDTMiddle East to Mid West (BBC, VIDEO)
Diana Al-Hadid left Syria when she was a young child but the American artist says the violence in her homeland has forced her to reconnect.
The 31-year-old contemporary artist, whose larger than life sculptures have been shown in prestigious international galleries, describes herself as a "middle child, who moved from the Middle East to the Mid West".
Although she was born in Aleppo, Diana admits she is very Americanised. It was via Disney's "Aladdin" movie, she jokes, that she first learned about one of the classic Arabic stories.
But with the violence in Syria in the news every day now, Diana tells the BBC how she is looking back at her roots and trying to reconnect with her own identity.
Produced by Anna Bressanin. Camera by Giuseppe Malpasso.Anderson Cooper: "Iran stands firm behind Assad"
by Darius Kadivar on Sat Mar 10, 2012 03:36 AM PSTIran stands firm behind Assad (CNN, VIDEO)
New U.S. intelligence suggests the Assad regime keeps a firm grip on Syria with military and material support from Iran.
'Americans, don't ignore Syria' say's dissident Ahed Al Hendi
by Darius Kadivar on Fri Mar 02, 2012 02:31 PM PST'Americans, don't ignore Syria' (cnn)
Ahed Al Hendi is a dissident who fled his native Syria after being imprisoned and tortured by Syrian authorities for establishing a secular student organization that was against the regime. He is now the Arabic Programs Coordinator atCyberDissidents.org, a New York-based human rights organization that highlights the voices of pro-democracy bloggers in the Middle East.
Interesting fellow, thank
by Sadegh Bozorgmehr on Mon Feb 20, 2012 05:57 PM PSTInteresting fellow, thank you for introducing him.
Syria Conflict Tension
by vildemose on Mon Feb 20, 2012 03:52 PM PSTSyria Conflict Tension Rises As Iran Ships Dock And China Warns Of Civil War
//www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/20/syria-iran-ships-china-civil-war_n_1288601.html
A state of war only serves as an excuse for domestic tyranny.--Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.
Syria Conflict: Military
by vildemose on Mon Feb 20, 2012 03:51 PM PSTSyria Conflict: Military Sends Tanks To Homs, Activists Say
//www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/20/syria-conflict-military-reinforcements_n_1288810.html
A state of war only serves as an excuse for domestic tyranny.--Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.
Syria too is in a big mess thanks to the world
by MOOSIRvaPIAZ on Mon Feb 20, 2012 12:59 PM PSTenabled by west and arab despots on one hand, china, russia and iran on the other.
//angryarab.blogspot.com/2012/02/crimes-of-armed-groups-in-syria.html
Crimes of armed groups in Syria
This does not get any attention in the Western press. Kidnappings, torture, shelling, assassinations, sniper killing, and murder of a French journalist by Syrian armed groups do not get any attention in the Western press whatsoever because the dominant narrative is that those violent groups are 1) non-violent; 2) that they resort to good violence, or as the Huffington Post called their assassination of a judge and a prosecutor "retaliation"--we now apply the same label that is reserved for Israel to justify its war crimes at all times. Even this well-known opposition intellectual (with whom I engaged in a bitter political and polemical duel), admits that some groups resort to "random kidnapping" and "ransom" and that one of the fanatical clerics of one of the fanatical groups in the Northwest issued a fatwa to permit ransom kidnappings (very much like the Taliban in Pakistan). He even admits that former thieves have joined the rebel ranks. And when you hear about assassinations (which are not reported in the Western press), like the assassination of a cleric in Damascus last week or the assassination of a judge and a prosecutor yesterday. This is from the playbook of Ikhwan in the 1970s and 1980s: and when they assassinate you know that they are back to targeting `Alawites qua `Alawites. Enjoy your rebels just as you enjoyed your NATO rebels.
Darius
by MOOSIRvaPIAZ on Mon Feb 20, 2012 12:51 PM PSTWhy is it that the world forgets to check on the poor middle-eastern people only after they've been bombarded by NATO/western bombs?
Go look at the news coming out of Libya now. The country is in a big mess thanks to all the internevsionists who advocated war and sanctions. It is haven for extremists gangs now.
Libya: Al Qaeda flag flown above Benghazi courthouse
//www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8861608/Libya-Al-Qaeda-flag-flown-above-Benghazi-courthouse.html
Dk jan
by amirkabear4u on Mon Feb 20, 2012 08:42 AM PSTThank you and very informative.