Iran - a fool falling prey to U.S. imperialism ?

From time to time I get the word about undemocratic procedures within the Islamic Republic of Iran. A group of Iranian lawyers are launching such news, and I happen to be on their mailing list. Being convinced that there is much truth in what they say about a cruel treatment of those citizens not willing to surrender to the system, and being simultaneously disgusted by the way, official Iranian sources are dealing with the holocaust of Jews during Nazi rule in Germany, I cannot ignore the fact that the Iranian people are surely backing their government when it comes to foreign attacks on their country. Even though the Iranian society seems to be deeply divided in the frame of a conflict between secular policy and Islamic fundamentalism, there is still much patriotism to be found in Iran. Recent military and scientific achievements, though rather moderate, are acclaimed by the Iranian people, and Western counterparts should seriously consider to deal with an enemy difficult to beat in an open military conflict, at least much more difficult to beat than, let's say, Iraq or Afghanistan. Furthermore, Iran is situated at the southern frontier of Russia's sphere of influence and incredibly near to the sources of oil and natural gas that are fuelling Russia's economy. With a Russian president behind his back, rather inclined to deliver latest missile technology to Iran than to accept the installation of a U.S. defence system against a diffuse "nuclear challenge" in Eastern Europe, the Iranian president seems to be in a better position than the Western alliance against "nuclear proliferation" might even imagine.

Done with Iran ? Next target Baku oilfield ?
Nice satellite views for the NeoCons to see !


Update on December 4, 2007:
Now that a brandnew U.S. intelligence report confirmed that Iran gave up the development of nuclear arms as early as 2003, president Bush's attitude towards Iran and his obvious intention to wage war against its people becomes more and more questionable. What still remains is what many observers suspected for long: The NeoCons are
getting more and more greedy for oil !

Cleaning Up The Mess

In an interview with CNN the 2002 Nobel Prize laureate and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has disclosed the fact that Guantánamo detainees are being tortured. Even though everybody suspected it from the very beginning, we now have clearer evidence as Carter underlined his statement with the words: "I don't think it. - I know it."
Read the whole story on my Guantánamo page and the linked website by CNN.

However, its not Guantánamo torturing alone that is darkening the image of the United States. The phoney "liberation by bombing out the bad guys", as practised in Afghanistan and Iraq and surely soon to be practised in Iran, has requested its toll as well when it comes to U.S. credibility abroad.
BLUEPRINT magazine, having become specialized in such ugly subjects, now offers you its visitor statistics and analysis of visiting domains. You will be surprised to learn who visited BLUEPRINT in the past months of 2007 and why he came !

Trading with China

The current pre-election campaign of leading Democratic and
Republican politicians has it that Republicans tend to accept
China as an ally, while Democrats are warning that China might
turn out the most dangerous adversary to U.S. economy. $400
billion in U.S. debt, held by the Chinese, are surely a fact to
support the Democratic pre-election position of, both, Clinton
and Obama. Seen in the frame of standard foreign politics, no-
toriously demanding further steps towards democracy in China,
this could make an issue in U.S.-Chinese relationships of any
possible Democratic President.
But the Chinese are striking back. In an article, recently published
in the Chinese online-edition of People's Daily, they state that the
U.S. exportation volume towards China has risen about 240% in
the last seven years to the benefit of U.S. economy, - another fact
not easily to be discussed away. Thus, all that verbal fighting bet-
ween high-ranking Democratic and Republican politicians might
finally lead to a kind of status quo towards China to the benefit of
both countries and remain a mere expression of U.S. pre-election
entertainment.

Sources:
1) CNNMoney.com - "The China conflict" - August 9, 2007.
2) www.people.com.cn - [U.S. statistics: U.S. exportation to
China increased 240% within seven years] - August 10, 2007.

Money of War

backside of a new Iranian 50.000 Rials banknote

Only one day before the Central Bank of Iran
issued a 50.000 Rials banknote, bearing a
nuclear symbol, the German daily Welt Online
disclosed informations on fake U.S. Dollars,
soon to be printed in an Iranian facility in
order to fuel the national nuclear programme.
As these informations, published by a paper of
a rather conservative reputation, is related to
"Western intelligence sources", everybody
is free to have his own thoughts about that.

I wonder how much fake money of how many
countries of anti-U.S. brand has been printed
and distributed during all those years the CIA
has conducted its "inofficial foreign policies".

Castro soon back in office ?古巴的 Castro 近再来 ?

Update:
"Live" from Caracas and Havana on October 15, 2007.
Castro now even better in shape than before.
When will he resume power ?





Update:
Now, even CNN took notice of the fact that Cuba's leader Fidel Castro
is far from dying. In a "round table interview", transmitted by Cuba's
National CUBAVISION TV, he appeared healthy enough to stand the
questions of his counterpart (June 5, 2007).



The neighbouring pictures
have been extracted from a
video, transmitted on Jan.
31, 2007, by Cuba's TV.


Another visit by Hugo Chavez, President of Venezuela, and Fidel Castro
on his feet again and even smiling. Could it be that his return to power
is merely a question of time ?