In an Impotent World Even the Bankrupt Can Prevail

punditman says...In this article, Paul Craig Roberts says that the US has given the green light to Israel to go ahead and attack Iran. He also implies that with help from Rafsanjani and Mousavi, the US media orchestrated the Iranian elections as “stolen,” in order to further isolate and discredit the Iranian government, thus making it easier to attack Iran. It's all about PSYOPS.

Roberts then asks whether or not the "naive youthful upper class Iranian protesters have set Iran up for destruction," concluding that the rest of the world is completely powerless to stop it. This is quite a series of claims. But Punditman would not be surprised if they all turn out to be true, because Paul Craig Roberts has a habit of turning out to be correct—unfortunately.

Threatening Iran

By PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS

When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Japan did not spend years preparing her public case and demonstrating her deployment of forces for the attack. Japan did not make a world issue out of her view that the US was denying Japan her role in the Pacific by hindering Japan’s access to raw materials and energy.

Similarly, when Hitler attacked Russia, he did not preface his invasion with endless threats and a public case that blamed the war on England.

These events happened before the PSYOPS era. Today, America and Israel’s wars of aggression are preceded by years of propaganda and international meetings, so that by the time the attack comes it is an expected event, not a monstrous surprise attack with its connotation of naked aggression.

The US, which has been threatening Iran with attack for years, has passed the job to Israel. During the third week of July, the American vice president and secretary of state gave Israel the go-ahead. Israel has made great public disclosure of its warships passing through the Suez Canal on their way to Iran. “Muslim” Egypt is complicit, offering no objection to Israel’s naval forces on their way to a war crime under the Nuremberg standard that the US imposed on the world.

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The full US/UK spin on events in Iran

punditman says...What's happening with the domestic Iranian situation lately? Seems to have fallen off the radar these past few days. I think.
Punditman came across an interesting bit of analysis over at Joe Bageant's website, and Joe has been kind enough to allow me to republish, in full, his correspondence with one of his readers on the situation. Punditman didn't ask for Matt's permission (the emailer), but presumably Matt, a self-described "fellow working class (landscaper) lefty in dying rust belt Michigan," doesn't mind a little web fame. Punditman is in agreement with the general ideas contained in the exchange. Are you?

(email sent on June 28, 2009)

Hi Joe,

Am I the only one not celebrating the violent turmoil and chaos in Iran? To me it has the same feel as the phony "color revolutions" that were engineered by the "National Endowment for Democracy", a benign sounding organization that in fact masks a cadre of spooks working to enrich corporate interests by destabilizing governments that don't toe the neo-liberal corporate globalist line.

It appears very much like the neo-cons on the march again, only this time the well meaning naïve "liberals" aren't going to say anything about U.S. imperialism because they are entranced by the super slick public relations machine Obama has. This worries me because at least Bush was awkward enough that many people could see through his malicious schemes, it seems this time around that 90% of the population is going to swallow the endless imperialist interventionist Kool-Aid.

I voted for Obama, and now I very much feel I owe Cynthia McKinney a giant apology.

In your opinion, am I onto something here, or have I read one too many "conspiracy" books? It's very lonely questioning both the "left" and "right" on their celebrations of Iran's nascent uprising, but something just doesn't feel right about it to me, it feels too slick and well timed to be a true spontaneous uprising against the admittedly somewhat odious Ahmadinejad.

Sincerely,

Matt,
a fellow working class (landscaper) lefty in dying rust belt Michigan

------

Matt,

I too suspect the US propaganda machine at work here. Some native Iranian friends tell me the incumbent could very well have won the election because he has massive support from people outside the two major cities -- that millions of Iranians live on farms, in villages and large towns we've never heard of, and support Mahmoud Ahmadinejad because he has built roads, health clinics and infrastructure in rural and village areas. They tend to be conservative and more religious, like our heartland American voters that got Bush elected.

In Tehran and Mashhad more people tend to be educated in the western sense, especially the women, and wish for more western style civil liberties. However, these cities are also home to most conservative Muslim immigrants to Iran. One Iranian woman here, married to an American, said she thought Ahmadinejad probnably won (and she dislikes the guy) but the stupid fucking system overstated the margins way too far because, like all theocratic states, they just don't get it asbout the democratic process, just don't know when to quit.

So I dunno. And truthfully, I do not care at this point. Just as the average Iranian doesn't think much about the US, (despite what we are told) I don't think much about Iran -- despite that the media yabbering antagonistically in both countries. We are are among the little guys of the world, misled by the big guys, and much too busy with the struggles of daily life to obsess on political details and day to day machinations of the powerful. I am more concerned with my own people, not the "American people," but the plain old working human beings in this country, and their fate, and global solidarity among them.

One thing for sure, we're getting the full US/UK spin on events that are much more complicated than we are led to believe. For instance, the so-called "Twitter Revolution," wherein Twitter was supposed to have brought hundreds of thousands together in the demonstrations. According to communications researchers, There were less than 1000 Twitter communications during the mass demonstrations, and most of them were the same silly shit we see here. Doubtlessly our agents there are at work, doncha think? Just as theirs must be at work here in some dark corners of the Empire. Or maybe openly in certain mosques.

Anyway, I think nearly all the world's governments are corrupt (some just give the people more for their money), so I'm never much interested in the official version of anyone's news. Including ours.

In art and labor,

Joe

Tehran Street Photos – “The Genie is Out of the Bottle”

Here are some pics from Iran. Looks like the protests may not be over. Here is the link to more pics. Peacenik

by Al Rodgers

Share this on Twitter - Tehran Street Photos – “The Genie is Out of the Bottle”

Thu Jul 09, 2009 at 02:53:43 PM PDT

Iran Open Thread: Government Continues Brutal Crackdown

Peacenik thinks the only thing left to be decided in Iran is whether or not the status quo can be maintained. And Peacenik thinks the status quo has been shattered. Yes the government may be able to retain power. But the government's knowledge and the people's knowledge, and the world's knowledge that a huge groundswell of opposition to the present regime exists has forever changed the dynamics.

There will be repression, and murder, and mayhem, but the illusion of control is gone. The protesters have won. How their victory plays out though is still up in the air. But Peacenik thinks a majority of Iran is sick of living in a theocracy. The victory is that simple. Peacenik looks forward to the day when the majority of the U.S. is sick of living in a kleptocracy. It can happen.

by Zoltan

Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 09:46:26 PM PDT

Iran is rapidly fading from the public consciousness. Two high profile celebrity deaths, of course, will drown out all significant news in the corporate media for some time to come (and to some extent even on the blogs - three recommended diaries on the deaths in one day here, for example). The Irani government has been increasinlgy more successful in creating a media blackout, which is also contributing to the general loss of interest that seems to be taking place in the West.

But I would like to keep the discussion about Iran going. Please post news, thoughts, and analysis.

I have a few thoughts of my own below the fold.

Nico Pitney has changed his link:

Nico Pitney at the Huffington Post

And a link to Sullivan, who is still devoting a lot of his blog to Iran:

Andrew Sullivan's Daily Dish

Read on...

On Iran and the Media Double Standard

punditman says...

It is time for Punditman to weigh in on the Iranian election. First, there's always a reason to recount votes in all countries wherever discrepancies exist; that way votes actually count and the correct people get elected to represent the correct regions. And there are irregularities all over the world. Just ask Jimmy Carter. However, as Esam Al-Amin points out, in the Counterpunch piece, A Hard Look at the Numbers: What Actually Happened in the Iranian Presidential Election?, since 1980, Iran

...has conducted over thirty elections nationwide. Indeed, a tradition of election orderliness has been established, much like election precincts in the U.S. or boroughs in the U.K. The elections in Iran are organized, monitored and counted by teachers and professionals including civil servants and retirees (again much like the U.S.)

There has not been a tradition of election fraud in Iran. Say what you will about the system of the Islamic Republic, but its elected legislators have impeached ministers and “borked” nominees of several Presidents, including Ahmadinejad. Rubberstamps, they are not. In fact, former President Mohammad Khatami, considered one of the leading reformists in Iran, was elected president by the people, when the interior ministry was run by archconservatives. He won with over 70 percent of the vote, not once, but twice.

When it comes to elections, the real problem in Iran is not fraud but candidates’ access to the ballots (a problem not unique to the country, just ask Ralph Nader or any other third party candidate in the U.S.) It is highly unlikely that there was a huge conspiracy involving tens of thousands of teachers, professionals and civil servants that somehow remained totally hidden and unexposed.

Ask yourself: do we hear about these facts in our corporate media? Instead, it is all but assumed that the Iranian election was a fraud because Ahmadinejad is a thug and a buffoon who says nasty things about Israel. Oh, and the Iran nuclear question, including all the misinformation, covered extensively here at punditman. But imagine if things were reversed: if Ahmedinejad had lost and his supporters were out in the streets crying foul, what would be the reaction? Western governments and media, led by the US, would be saying the election was fair and would be calling Ahmedinejad a bratty loser. You better believe it.

On Monday, Iran's top electoral body, said in a rare acknowledgement that it found voting irregularities in 50 of 170 districts, including vote counts that exceeded the number of eligible voters but that the discrepancies, involving 3 million votes were not widespread enough to affect the outcome. Who knows? Punditman would not be surprised if hard evidence emerges of deliberate attempts to steal an election (echoes of the US in both 2000, and 2004). But he awaits proof.

Meanwhile, the Ahmedinejad forces claim Western interference. Writer and commentator Paul Craig Roberts agrees, which by the way does not make him a mullah-lover. Others on the anti-interventionist left and right disagree. Of interest here is the way Western corporate media covers that particular question because it involves avoiding or barely mentioning a history of unpleasant truths, thus eliminating the context in which the accusation is made. These include the CIA's overthrow of Iranian Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh who had the nerve to stand up for his country's interests and nationalize the Iranian oil industry much to the displeasure of the US and Britain. The coup installed the Shaw who then ruled for 25 years in an increasingly brutal fashion, which in turn, led to Islamic revolution in 1979 and rule by fanatically anti-Western clerics. The rest is the recent history of US-Iranian relations, beginning with the hostage crisis and leading up the fact that the US is currently investing millions of dollars trying to destabilize Iran's government. Does this include interference in Iran's electoral process? It is hard to know but easy to presume.

What we mostly hear about right now is how bad the Iranian police and security forces are when faced with peaceful demonstrators—and they are no doubt a murderous bunch. But a rhetorical question is in order: are none of the demonstrators rock throwing rioters?—which of course does not mean they deserve to be killed or tortured in custody. Nobody does. But consider the reaction here when some people set fires in the streets and throw rocks at police. Do the media sympathize with them or consider them hooligans?

Undoubtedly, many millions of courageous Iranians would like nothing better than to overthrow this corrupt and brutal regime. But clearly there is a division amongst the population. Interestingly, when some people riot in this part of the world (as part of mainly peaceful demonstrations), the police are almost always portrayed as restrained, yet forced to go after bad apple anarchists. So they shoot rubber bullets and teargas into large crowds and use tasers to squelch free speech as they infiltrate crowds as agent provocateurs. Imagine what would have happened if millions of Americans had taken to the streets in 2000 not just to challenge the legitimacy of the Florida vote but to demand regime change in Washington? Or in 2004, where the crucial Ohio vote was widely reported to have been tampered with? Punditman says you better believe there would have been blood in the streets.

Punditman listened to a CBC radio interview the other morning conducted by Anna Maria Tremonti, with Queen Farah Pahlavi, widow of the Shaw of Iran. She talked about the good old days when her husband was in power and portrayed dissent against her husband's rule as being entirely the work of the clergy and fundamentalists even though anti-Shaw unity involved a plurality of forces. The blatant lie went uncontested; nor was there any mention of her husband's horrific human rights record or his crackdown on dissent. It was like he was fine fella until the wingnuts took over. Punditman was disappointed with the interview.

Punditman doesn't presume to know exactly what happened with Iran's election and neither should anyone else. Not at this point. But that doesn't stop the propagandists and laptop regime changers who inhabit our media, governments, think tanks and blogosphere.

All power to the Iranian people.

Neocons Are Clueless About Iran

Peacenik hoped that by the time Peacenik got back from the wilderness Iran would have a new regime. But the situation is still muddled. The protests continue. And Peacenik continues to think there is a chance there will be a positive outcome. A new regime.

Peacenik sees Punditman has a new poll. Before Peacenik's trip to the wilderness Peacenik probably would have selected number two. Peacenik was feeling upbeat. But Peacenik discovered something frightening while Peacenik was harvesting mushrooms and leeks. The bottom of the food chain has disappeared. That's right there were no mosquitoes in the wilderness. Peacenik has rarely sensed a more ominous development. Peacenik never used to worry about the food chain. Now Peacenik is very worried and it feels this morning like number 4 is the only choice for Peacenik in Punditman's poll.

By Leslie Savan, The Nation. Posted June 22, 2009.

The Iran protests have thrown Republican ideologues into such a tizzy of circular logic that they're stepping on their own propaganda.

The democracy movement in Iran has thrown Republican ideologues into such a tizzy of circular logic that they're stepping on their own dicta.

Neocons and hardliners may be as eager as ever to bomb-bomb-bomb, bomb bomb Iran, but are restrained this time out by the feeling that they must support Iran's courageous protesters. After all, the Twittering Green Revolutionaries, as the rightwing brain sees it, are marching in the name of George W. Bush's own vision of a "democratic Middle East," the same vision that led him to occupy Iran's next-door neighbor. ("That's not meddling at all," says conservative conventional wisdom poobah Fred Barnes. "That's supporting the people who see America as a model that they like to emulate.") Yet at the same time, the GOP worries about the meaning of an eventual Mousavi victory in the streets -- neocons in particular have openly hoped for Ahmadinejad's survival, for fear that a more reasonable face on the Islamic Revolution might preclude future opportunities for either us or Israel to bomb Iran back to the 7th Century (where Ahmadinejad would like to take his country anyway).

Read on...

Iran Updates (VIDEO): Live-Blogging The Uprising

Peacenik thought Peacenik should post something up-to-date about the situation in Iran. Like what is happening right now. And Peacenik discovered it is hard to know what is happening right now. The New York Times stories datelined June 18 are really about what happened yesterday. Likewise some blogs seem to be behind the news curve. This analysis from Nation magazine could already be superceded by events.

Peacenik wonders if the protests will lead to regime change, or will the protests dwindle away. A revolutionary spark seems to have been ignited in Iran. Peacenik also wonders what would happen if Obama reached out to the protesters. Encouraged them. And Peacenik will continue to wonder because Peacenik is heading north into an information blackout. Peacenik hopes that when Peacenik fires up Peacenik's computer on Sunday there will be a new regime in Iran.


Iran Updates (VIDEO): Live-Blogging The Uprising

I'm liveblogging the latest Iran election fallout. Email me with any news or thoughts, scroll down for news related to the headlines on the front page.

1:56 AM ET -- Gruesome details from the Tehran University attacks emerge. The Wall Street Journal continues its stellar coverage:

At the same time, Iran's Interior Ministry ordered a probe into an attack late Sunday night on Tehran University students in a dormitory reported to have left several students dead and many more injured or arrested. Students say it was carried out by Islamic militia and police. Iran's English-language Press TV said the ministry urged Tehran's governor's office to identify those involved. Iran's influential speaker of parliament, Ali Larijani, condemned the attack.

Read on...