generalspeaking

Charm Offensive

"Participation in the 2009 Israeli-American [engineered] sedition is nothing other than selling the country and committing treason. The place for those who participated in the sedition is prison, not the ministry."
Hossein Shariatmadari, editor, Kayhan

For those who believe in the unfelicitous effects of conspiracies, perhaps there is one afoot. Of the type that those of the Middle East are well skilled in. To throw off the suspicion of their enemies, portraying themselves as innocent of ill intention, wholly committed to sound relations with others, with no plan whatever to embark on a course seen by their enemies to be harmful. In the period of calm that results from reassurance, the opportunity is taken to embark on just that very course.

Iran's new president, Hasan Rowhani has wasted no time in presenting a list of those he has nominated to head the country's ministries. Those nominated are popularly seen as moderates -- those who agitated against the work of the ayatollahs. And whom the conservative fanatics with whom Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei places his trust, label as "seditionists" eager to take down the theocratic government.

Legislators are set to vote for approval of rejection for each nominee for the ministership of Mr. Rowhani's new 18-member Cabinet. Iran's new president has trumpeted his intention to focus on the improvement of Iran's sanction-savaged economic situation. He plans to install technocrats to decision-making, to mend the shattered relationships with the international community. He has nominated individuals with academic pedigrees.

His candidates have achieved their academic standing abroad, attending universities in California, Washington and London. His own studies took place in Scotland. They are said to be suspect for their intentions for the future of the country, aligned with the 2009 street protests. The green movement that sent out signals to the rest of the world that popular opinion was set against the ruling theocracy. But which was expeditiously and violently tamped down by the Republican Guard and the basij militias.

"Society is tired of extremism. Moderation is the path the nation has welcomed", said newly-installed President Rowhani sanctimoniously. As though he was representative of a moderate Islamist mindset, one the oppressed people of Iran would have voted for if any other candidates might have appeared on the presidential slate, other than those which received the official sanction of the ruling elite.

"The government pursues a parallel two-pronged path. On one hand, we will try in the area of diplomacy ... to overcome the existing international challenge and stop the current inappropriate trend. On the other hand, we consider the existing shortage of resources as an opportunity to upgrade activities, increase economic resources and allocate the existing resources in an optimal manner." Yes indeed.

He appears to have been persuasive enough to impress some in Washington. And those who appear prepared to wait and see, despite the increased warning of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the tiger hasn't changed its stripes, that the purported moderation evinced by the new Iranian president is just that; purported ... a ploy to relieve the pressure of international sanctions, in the process permitting the Islamic Republic additional time to achieve its nuclear threshhold.

The second-ranking Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives has spoken: "We have a new [Iranian] president", said Rep. Steny Hoyer, even while he led a tour of Israel for 36 fellow House Democrats. "It makes sense of the [Obama] administration to test the sincerity, willingness and ability of the new president to accomplish the objective of assuring the West and Israel and the U.N. what the Iranians are not doing, and will reverse what they have already done, toward a nuclear capability."

Dreaming ... in technicolour. The dismay now felt by the Israeli authorities and pro-Israel lawmakers is evident in the urgency of meetings with congressional delegations to Israel where hard lobbying has taken place to persuade American leaders they must ignore the overtures that appear so convincingly trustworthy by President Rohani. "I know that some place their hopes on Iran's new president. He knows how to exploit this, and yesterday he called for more talks", said Prime Minister Netanyahu.

"Of course he wants more talks. He wants to talk and talk and talk. And while everybody is busy talking to him, he'll be busy enriching uranium The centrifuges will keep on spinning." Completely contrary to what President Rohani is pledging; to improve relations with the U.S. increase transparency of Iran's nuclear program -- an entirely peaceful one, needless to say. Iran "will defend its people's rights and at the same time will remove the concerns of the other party."


"If we feel that the Americans are truly serious about resolving problems, Iran is serious in its will to resolve problems and dismiss worries." A sham, scoffs Mr. Netanyahu. Not so, disagrees the U.S. House Democratic leadership. And though Rep. Nancy Pelosi, minority House leader joined the majority of the House on July 31 to stiffen sanctions against Iran, she has welcomed Mr. Rohani's 'openness to talks aimed at ending the nuclear standoff'.


"Let's do it diplomatically. Let's do it with economic sanctions. Let's do it by encouraging dialogue, engagement and the rest. But let's do that engagement from strength", said the erstwhile supporters of a very worried Israel. A letter signed by 131 House members urged President Obama to test President Rohani's offer.

"The letter and the actions of the house of representatives are consistent with what the prime minister has said. Words are cheap, talk is cheap and let's see what the walk is", commented Rep. Steny Hoyer.

Labels: Controversy, Diplomacy, Iran, Islamism, Israel, Nuclear Technology, Security, United States

posted by Pieface @ Wednesday, August 14, 2013