You are here: Home / Archives for Politics, Conflict, Africa, Middle East / Middle East and Beyond / Iran
Cheap Cigarettes

The Trouble with Activism

May 5, 2013 By Firouzeh Afsharnia Leave a Comment

It was a double bill.  An Israeli singer and an Iranian who I had heard perform on numerous occasions before that day at this new venue. My ticket named a famous celebrity as the presenter – a producer to the stars, practically the Godfather of the recording industry and the patron saint of who’s who on the A-list.   So I figured it must be a marketing plug.  Probably Mr. Big Shot sat on some board and had graciously lent his name to one among many events on the season’s calendar.  After all, the entire cultural scene in this town runs on philanthropy and celebrity horse trading rather than Uncle Sam’s love for the arts who, judging by those head shots pasted all over the country jabbing his finger in my face and yours, is probably more interested in fine arsenal rather than fine jazz – much less in obscure world music from the rural Middle East. 

So you can imagine my surprise when I saw the celebrity producer, in the flesh, a little older and a little heavier than his TV persona, walk up on that stage, slightly hunched, and dressed in his finest, festooned with a blue silk scarf to make the introductions.

He said he was so happy and moved to be presenting an Israeli artist along with an Iranian.  Really?  I am sitting in the audience puzzled as to why that is interesting — more interesting than say an artist from Zimbabwe with an Iranian. Or an Eskimo with the Israeli.  It goes to show the power of music, he said, clasping his hands in reverence.  That despite all their differences, music is the language of peace and can bring people together. Shalom. Salaam ….

Peace? Between Iranians and the Israelis? Does he mean the Jews and Persians?  Jews and Arabs? Israelis and the Arabs?  The Palestinians? One never knows with celebrity activists.

For a while it seemed that an adopted African child was an absolute must have accessory to a designer outfit just in case one was caught off guard walking out of Kitson’s by the paparazzi. But with all the modern day upheavals; the Arab spring, the Syrian revolution, the poor Afghani women sequestered inside their burqa – (now that we know what the heck a burqa is, never mind that they have been wrapped in that thing for centuries) – with the mass rapes in eastern Congo; the Maasai land grab in Tanzania; oil exploitation by Shell in the Niger delta; Yanomami evictions from their ancestral land in the Brazilian Amazon; oppression of the Nepalese Dalit; the Tibetans, Burmese, Darfuries ….and did you know that the Saudi women can’t even drive?… well — Its practically a supermarket out there!

A giant outlet of pet causes, discount and premium brand raison d’etres right for every pocketbook — the privileged Brentwood dweller wishing to get a whiff of the exotic from the safety of her security patrolled, pesticide-free, air conditioned mansion without missing a single Pilates class; the suburban minivan-driving soccer mom wanting to escape the routine of humdrum PTA meetings, Costco hoarding exercises and Wednesday nights at the in-laws; and of course that constant mother lode of activism — the idealistic college kid who has channeled all his frustrations growing up in a dysfunctional family with an abusive or absent parent into saving the world whose army of middle men sit ready at call centers tethered to donate buttons happy to help pay his way into his inner humanitarian through a simplistic, ready packed and pre-digested narrative to fund raise, validate mainstream agenda, and stamp that free-trade locally grown designer-diet, free of guilt in spite of its higher price tag because an undisclosed amount is going to some tribe with an unpronounceable name in the middle of a war zone.

Excuse me, but since when are the people of Iran and the people of Israel at war with each other and in need of peace, understanding and a hearty sing-along? If you can’t recognize a conflict for what it is – namely a pissing contest on the highest levels to wield influence over the cradle of civilization – nowadays simply the cradle of strategic trade routes and bottomless oil and gas fields, kindly refrain from opining on the subject, let alone using our position and status to give it oxygen.  Because you know what?  You may actually be breathing life into a non-existent problem; worse – diverting from the actual one.   In other words, if you can’t be bothered to read an in depth analysis from all angels – and I don’t mean listening to Wolf Blitzer on an infinite CNN loop – then stop.  Do no harm.

But in the event you should find yourself in the position of wanting to engage in the fine art of political activism, here are a few thoughts.

Did you know that over 80,000 homeless wander the streets right here in Los Angeles, or that we in the U.S. incarcerate a larger number of our own people than any other country – that’s a quarter of all documented prisoners in the world.

Did you know that the prisons are privatized and that their lobbies, like all other lobbies in this great democracy have short-circuited the system, passing laws to maximize sentencing terms for profit?

Did you know that The U.S. is among the top five countries carrying out executions along with Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and China. And did you know that once the hysteria around the Boston Marathon bombing subsides and the main stream media is done mourning the lives of the three victims and dissecting the two suspects ad-nauseam, there will still be a violent crime committed in this country every 25.3 seconds,  that’s up to 30 gun related deaths, 162 injuries, not to mention 53 suicides each day.

Now; in case you do decide on that fundraiser, here’s also an idea for an opening concert:  An evening of songs for peace and understanding – a double bill — An upcoming young Chechen duo along with a band from the Czech Republic!

….Now that is what I call interesting.

 

Filed Under: Can We Talk?!!, Iran, Israel, Middle East and Beyond Tagged With: , , , , ,

A Special Relationship: Musings of a Hyphenated American…

March 7, 2013 By Firouzeh Afsharnia Leave a Comment
512px-Brezhnev_and_Honecker_kiss

The Washington-AIPAC love-fest season is once again upon us.   The New York Times’ featured article sports a picture of Biden and Israeli Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, in loving embrace pledging support and allegiance, unconditional and eternal. Kiss! Kiss!

All talk of settlement freeze is shelved for the moment as the most formidable Washington Lobby – for all intent and purposes, agents of a foreign country – push for yet more resolutions choking Iran; seek blanket agreement for congressional backing of whatever measure Israel deems necessary to pursue their interests; and secure their 3.1 billion yearly aid even as sequestration threatens American jobs and economic recovery.   Not bad! If the forefathers could see the turn this democracy has taken, they would be thrilled I’m sure.

My reaction as a hyphenated American is pure horror!   My Persian side – because of the double standard applied to policy issues and the mess it has created by selective meddling in my region.  My American side — because of the constant hemorrhage of resource, blood and money due to this “special relationship” which seems only to benefit the Israeli hardliners and political aspirees in the U.S. Congress. My Persian side – because of the chokehold the sanctions impose on 70 million innocent Iranians destroying generations through lack of opportunities and basic needs; my American side — because it squanders any good will I presume to project in terms of standing up for human rights and democracy to my Persian side. On both fronts, this special relationship pits me against the world and my ideals; my hyphenated existence; and etches ever more deep scars of cynicism in the myth of exceptionalism my adopted country preaches day after day.

In a day and age where my American government routinely throws about terminology invoking notions of “Homeland”, “Patriotism” and “Security”, I wonder how so many of my compatriots can promptly pin their lapels with the American flag, applaud multiple invasions squandering over a trillion dollars at the first breach of air space on 9/11; yet remain unphased by our elected officials who routinely pledge allegiance to the Israeli flag; get fitted for a yarmulke and pose for photographs at the wailing wall before every election; and unreservedly throw about terms like “unconditional support” when support means continued undermining of the rights of other people, of international law and of our own national interests.

The peace process is all but dead in the face of continuing settlements on occupied land thanks to this alliance that extends blanket diplomatic immunity to Israel no matter how outrageous the act. Instead, the focus is squarely diverted on nonexistent nuclear ambitions of Iran even as experts fail to find evidence of such intentions.  The former director of IAEA, Hans Blix, has once again gone on record to confirm that Iran has not violated the NPT; that there is no evidence that Iran has plans to weaponize and that military threats based on mere suspicion is not justified. Yet the hysteria around nuclear threats seems to have a life of its own, continuing to escalate on autopilot as Israel and the U.S. bond in front of cameras just in case anyone had doubts as to how special, special was.

Advocates of this relationship say things will change organically.   Look – J Street is the answer to AIPAC and slowly we are witnessing criticism of Israel and this unique relationship creep into pop culture and mainstream discourse.   Journalists, thinkers, artists have taken a bolder approach to questioning the nature of this relationship and who it is really benefiting.  The recent SNL sketch and the spirited debate over Chuck Hagel’s confirmation are good examples.   The New York Times itself opened the article half-mockingly by referring to the “thunderous ovations” and “slick videos” of the annual conference captioning the Biden – Barak huddle, reminiscent of the 1970’s Brezhnev – Honecker embrace.

This week at the conference there was no mention of settlements. No mention of peace talks.  Instead standing ovations of the 13,000 strong friends of Israel, delighting at promises of military action against Iran.

“From the bottom of my heart, and with the clarity of my brain, words alone will not stop Iran. Sanctions alone will not stop Iran. Sanctions must be coupled with a clear and credible military threat if diplomacy and sanctions fail.” Netanyahu declared. Well, he should know, he is an authority on serial non-compliance yet shielded from action by a special friend who finds it more expedient to tackle the fall out rather than the root problem.

Soon President Obama will be making a visit to Israel – a first American president to go to Jerusalem. It is sure to ruffle some Palestinian feathers who dream of making part of this city their homeland. Contrary to his first term when he pushed for a halt to illegal settlements as a precursor to meaningful peace talks, there will be no more mention of a freeze.  There will be no criticism of Israel for the oppression of Palestinians on occupied land.  There will be no demands for compliance with U.N. resolutions.

Obama is going to Jerusalem to show that the American President does not bluff.  At least not when it comes to Iran.

Filed Under: Can We Talk?!!, Iran, Israel, Middle East and Beyond, Politics, Conflict, Africa, Middle East Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Last Encore at the U.N.

October 5, 2012 By Firouzeh Afsharnia Leave a Comment
This is how you wipe a country off a map

“I speak on behalf of an angry people…” Mahmoud Abbas; 67th GA address; New York.

The yearly orations and political posturing at the disempowered assembly hall of the United Nations are over.   Once again the elected and non-elected leaders of the new world order used their thirty minutes in the sun to lecture, to scare, to grandstand, to remind – and in the case of the Palestinians, to implore for justice in front of a powerless albeit sympathetic audience who have been forced to turn their attention to phantom warnings of one non-existent bomb by a madman in the Middle East who is making daily threats of imminent attacks. And I don’t mean Ahmadinejad.   In fact, if you suspend disbelief and look past the glaring duplicity of what his own government represents, all that talk of Rumi, poetry, and harmony between the children of Adam may have even given you the warm fuzzies, especially when followed by the ramblings of this year’s comic relief – Wyle Bibi Coyote.

Too bad political leaders are often deaf to their own preachings, as if reading from a script written by an alter ego in a foreign language.  This year’s dueling event at the GA address was also marked by breathtaking hypocrisy as the Iranian leader orated on the interdependence of all human beings as limbs of the same body and lamented the killing of Bin-Laden without legal due process, while hundreds of political activists languish in Tehran prisons, and homosexuals find themselves to be endangered species in their own land.

Ahmadinejad spoke of equality and Justice, apparently drawing a blank on the condition of women who live as second-class citizens, segregated — indeed considered half their hairy counterparts in the eyes of Islamic law.   And for those thriving on Israel hate-talk, he denounced the “Zionist regime” as a fake government, yet failing to address the irony of his own ascent to a second term in the now famous “where-is-my-vote” 2009 fraudulent elections.

Not to be outdone, Bibi drew on history to rebut the “fake” label by mapping out thousands of years of Jewish roots in the Middle East – blond and blue eyed included – evidently seeing no paradox in uprooting millions from the same land and relegated to ghetto existence. Then he reached out to garner world empathy for the primordial Jewish dream of return, knowing fully well these are the policies denying the same dream to millions of Palestinians in their homeland.

He mocked the outdated Islamic orders of the neighboring states as throwbacks to the medieval ages, all the while quoting Abraham, Isaiah and Jeremiah; framing Jewish claim to the land of Israel in biblical terms; and he postured as the region’s only force of modernity, technology and progress as if the nuclear advances in Iran were resulting from black market dealings, rather then fruits of achievements of a highly educated population in the fields of math and sciences.

He spoke of the sacredness of life, of democracy and protection of the rights of people – all except that of the Palestinians of course; and of those who may perish in the eventual elective attack he lobbies for on a daily basis. He went on to hail the Israeli humanitarian compassionate efforts in Japan, Haiti and elsewhere, while dismissing his government’s direct hand in sustaining the catastrophic conditions of 1.7 million sardine-packed inhabitants of the 140 sq mile Gaza strip – a place described as “hell on earth” by those who have seen it first hand.

And finally, he lobbies daily for the U.S. to go to war with Iran based on self proclaimed unilateral red lines, while denouncing the desperate lone appeals for statehood and self determination by the Palestinians at the United Nations, the only international forum for such a plea, as unilateral — therefore irrelevant.

This is how you wipe a country off a map

At the end, the leadership in Israel and Iran have more in common than they realize – both rooted in hypocrisy, each needing the other to self legitimize as the rightful upholders of justice and the protectors of the persecuted – two sides of the same coin, one drawing on centuries of shi’i martyrdom; the other, exploiting Jewish collective victimization — the Islamic Republic, enjoying a welcome distraction to its widespread human rights abuses; Israel diverting world attention to something other than illegal and expanding settlements on stolen land.

Bibi will sorely miss Ahmadinejad when he finishes his term next year.   Polarizing figures are crucial to political maneuvering and divisive posturing. Meanwhile, for me, the takeaway was the haunting words of Mahmoud Abbas on the podium alarming the world of impending catastrophe in the holy land.  “…I am here on behalf of an angry people. “ — a sober forewarning of what is to come.  If the recent events in the Middle East are any indication, the road map from hopelessness to violence and destruction should be self-evident, not that anyone’s listening.

I don’t know if Bibi’s red line on his toy bomb will get him the regime change he is hoping for, be it in the U.S. or Iran – but one thing is for sure, Islamic regime now has a great excuse to step up production towards a real bomb – after all, they say, there is a crazy man on the loose in the neighborhood.

Filed Under: Can We Talk?!!, Iran, Middle East and Beyond, Politics, Conflict, Africa, Middle East, United_Nations

Existential Threats and Trayvon Martin: The bumper sticker politics of fear.

April 14, 2012 By Firouzeh Afsharnia 4 Comments

The first season of the Trayvon Martin reality show is finally over. George Zimmerman is behind bars 45 days after the shooting of an unarmed African American teen-ager which snowballed into a national soul searching crisis as to whether Americans are closet racists.

Activists, celebrities and ordinary citizens stepped up to express their outrage and demand justice. Tweets from Justine Beiber and Spike Lee along with thousands of irate phone calls flooded the airwaves; and civil rights politicians like Reverend Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson came out to denounce the act as an egregious example of racial hate crime.  The Rainbow Push coalition held hands, singing “We Shall Overcome” and the “Million Hoodie March” rallied in cities across America.   In a short period of time, over 2 million signatures petitioned for the arrest of George Zimmerman who continued to invoke self-defense under the “Stand-Your-Ground” law, which expands the rights of citizens to use deadly force in any public space if they feel threatened – albeit by a small framed, unarmed, skittles chewing minor like Trayvon.

The law which has been promoted by the National Rifle Association and Republican politicians have now been passed in 25 States and since its enactment in 2005, “justifiable” murders have increased several fold – 36 in Florida, up from 12 just 5 years ago.  Had the other 24 been literally getting away with murder before the law, or are we getting jumpier as a nation?

Mayor Bloomberg says it is clear that the law has undermined the integrity of the justice system, made the country less safe, and that it is promoting a culture of impunity.  Others call it “kill at will” or “shoot first”.   The national debate is curiously timely considering the broader global context.

In the past ten years, since the attacks on the twin towers, the U.S. has been increasingly basing its foreign policy narrative on the concept of preventive and pre-emptive attacks.  Dick Cheney even went so far as to make a case for action with as little as one percent probability of a threat clearly ruling out leaving his house in case of encounter with a discarded banana peel – a fear many of us wish he had heeded. Over the course of the past decade what started as a deadly attack by a handful of non-state loosely aligned actors in New York City, has lead to the invasion of several countries, the death of hundreds of thousand, and the displacement of millions in the Middle East and beyond as America consistently “stood its ground”.

George Bush rightly stressed his war on terror was not anti-muslim; no more than the Trayvon Martin case is anti black.  Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen and the proxy wars we wage in the horn of Africa and beyond are not about hate as much as they are about fear — fear that continues to get packaged and sold for political and economic gain by an increasingly violent America which uses violence as its principal currency as sure as it does its greenback.  We use violence as currency for entertainment, casually feeding it to our children in ever more brutal video games and demanding more of it in our movies — more than our European counterparts who seem to prefer sex – thanks to their Mediterranean DNA; and we use it as the prime currency to define ourselves as individuals whether at home, in our neighborhoods; or on the world stage by “standing our ground”, resolute and uncompromising no matter how asymmetric, intransigent and one sided our demands.

We nurture violence through the exploitation of fear by the right wing with links to a multi billion dollar arms industry which brings jobs to constituents who fund their Washington representatives to preserve their livelihoods; by the political machinery where each side postures as the more patriotic by being hardest on crime – hardest on terrorism; and mostly we nurture fear and violence by a disconnected public who gladly consumes the messages of a lazy and complicit media who mostly amplifies the conventional narrative of power without trying to reframe the conversation.

The Iraqi WMD wild goose chase quickly became “support our troops”; a multi billion dollar military expansion across the globe was sold as “peace through strength”; and the “war on terror” became the catch all phrase for the pursuit of all things evil by our heroic forces whose patriotism bars them from asking why.

The result is a polarized world with a clear “us” versus “them” narrative framed by fear, resolved through force. As the Trayvon Martin story plays itself on an endless loop on national channels, another round of “negotiations” to stop Iran from enriching uranium is taking place so that we may get over the election hump before bombing yet another country. Who knew election season could be so hazardous to your health.

As others more astute than myself have observed, and Mark Twain’s powerful reminder we choose to ignore, the rhetoric rhymes alarmingly with the argument for the Iraqi invasion – the mushroom cloud was it?  It is ironic how asymmetric “strength” can in fact lead to conflict rather than peace.  Even more ironic that the citizens of the strongest, most powerful country should be so ruled by fear that they should seek to eradicate even the smallest, most minute possibility of harm to the point that they would be scared out of their wits by a hoodie, or see a country with no evidence of a weapons program an existential threat to themselves and their ally who, between them, own over 8,000 nuclear warheads.

Barack Obama has successfully fended off an Israeli attack for the moment even as he embarks on non-starter negotiations, demanding the unreasonable even as he ratchets up “crippling sanctions” against 70 million Iranians.  Israel for its part is preparing for a strike by securing bases in Azerbaijan and unleashing AIPAC on the U.S. congress.

Following the tsunami of outrage against the injustice in the Trayvon Martin case, Mr. Obama finally broke his silence and offered this measured response:  “If I had a son, he would look like Trayvon Martin.”

Mr. president, in this election season as you walk the fine line between your Nobel Peace Prize and your second term, consider seeing beyond color – beyond borders, to see every child, every where, as your own.

Filed Under: Can We Talk?!!, Elections, Iran, Israel, Middle East and Beyond Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Separation: of Films and Bombs.

March 5, 2012 By Firouzeh Afsharnia 2 Comments
Separation wins Oscar

Amidst talk of bombs and wars, a small Iranian film sweeps up the highest honors in western cinema.   Its unassuming director goes up on stage, faces Hollywood aristocracy and his voice, soft and humble flows across the airways reaching millions dedicating his golden statue to the good people of his ancient land.

The following day various sites hailed the event as an example of cultural camaraderie ignoring the threats of imminent strikes and annihilation red lines; and you tubes of Iranian families sitting spellbound in front of their satellite TVs, holding their breath to be ushered into the hall of fame by their archenemy, spiraled throughout the internet.  Once again it was clear — people will ignore the rantings of their politicians to come together in celebration of all that their humanity has in common while embracing diversity.

The Iranian PR machine predictably declared the whole thing to be a triumph over Israel – since the “Zionist Nation” was also competing in the same category. Well thank goodness for small nothings. That’s what I love about movies.  It can be all things to all people — and come Kodak day, those who lose can snub the whole thing as a meaningless self-congratulation exercise, while winners graciously fumble for words in front of a blank teleprompter basking in their two minutes of sun in front of Hollywood royalty. As for the peanut gallery, they can thank whomever they want.

I had heard volumes about the movie.  As it picked up awards from Berlin to France, Canada and the Golden Globes, I went to see it.  I found myself in a familiar place.  A place of my childhood. A place where I remembered so well that I felt I knew all the characters in their multiple layers with their emotional subtexts – It is every day Middle East where millions of lives negotiate the burdens of cultural obligations, economic hardships, faith, politics and thousands of years of complex history which has equipped them, above all, with the unique art of nuance – a multilayered capacity to cope, to reinvent, to thrive, even as they try to maintain a sense of integrity and social cohesion.

The story is set against the backdrop of an old man suffering from Alzheimer – like his native country sunken in a sense of oblivion, the old man meanders in the background, disoriented, helpless or asleep while the young Termeh, the future, convulses in the conflict between two poles — one who wants to leave, wishing for change – and another who wants to stay — out of duty, out of choice or simply, out of love because even if his father may no longer recognize him, that he nevertheless knows he is his father, knows this is where he belongs.

Our helpless background hero is entrusted to a devout religious caretaker who is going through her own crisis – financial and personal. A series of encounters pits characters against each other, testing the limits of truth, faith and duty in anticipation of a final verdict – will Termeh choose to go, or will she stay behind – like her country, caught in turmoil, the answer is hard to come by. As the credits crawl by, the audience is no closer to a resolution. The future remains uncertain.

Like any good story, the parallels between fiction and reality are skillfully crafted even getting a pass from the Iranian authorities who failed to put a finger on anything which could be construed as overtly political.   But of course it was.  How could one be from the Middle East and not be touched by politics. Hidden in between the crevasses of the personal stories, a larger story looms in layered subtext.

The triumph of the film was its brilliant ability to portray the multiple layers of conflict and heartbreak without commentary, without judgment – and despite the lies, deceptions – even a murder charge – no villain – just a complex set of personal predicaments juxtaposed on a larger canvas, crafted with details of human interdependence that at the end leaves the audience with a profound sense of compassion for each character.

The couple are estranged not because they reject one other, but for individual choices; the accused intervenes on behalf of his accuser; the prosecutor listens with concern and the devout character is taken beyond the current caricatures in the media to reveal a deep sense of morality, unable to swear on the Koran even if it could bring her personal gain. Throughout the story, a quest for truth runs like a silent witness, reassuring and ever present.

These days, when talk of war and binary choices seeks only to dominate and vilify, rather than approach and understand, the world is presented as a struggle between good and evil, each narrator posing as the custodian of truth – indivisible and uncompromising – as if competing to keep from understanding the other. The success of “separation” could be a nod to the humanity in all of us, which longs to bridge and empathize.

If only we could stop playing the polarizing roles we are so used to.

Filed Under: Can We Talk?!!, Iran, Middle East and Beyond Tagged With: , , , , , ,

IRAN: News or Reality TV?

February 20, 2012 By Firouzeh Afsharnia Leave a Comment

A stern faced broadcaster opens against a backdrop of military drums and bold captions: “ The Sum of All Fears”!    He goes on to speak of President Obama as the “Commander in Chief” – and announces that the  “conflict with Iran is escalating”.

A map of the strait of Hormuz, reminiscent of war room paraphernalia flashes, pointing to the “apparent provocation” by an Iranian vessel, which got so close to an American navy ship that the latter was “forced to fire flares” in response to the “hostile action”.

Then came the MSNBC report, which in an eerie echo of the run up to the Iraq invasion, opened with: “…now that it looks like Iran is actually trying to start a war either with the United States or with Israel…” and went on to ask his guest whether there was still hope for diplomacy even after the attacks against the Israeli diplomats in Georgia, India and Thailand.

All this alarmist talk may be great for TV ratings, and perfect consumption material for an audience who by now fear all things Middle East, but it raises serious questions as to the role of media in a democracy and their responsibility to provide unbiased account of all sides over public airwaves.

In fact, the hostile elements were small smuggling boats, hardly a match for an aircraft carrier, not belonging to the Iranian government, its military or even the revolutionary guards and acting on their own. It would be like bracing for war with the Somali government in response to the Somali pirates – although wait – did we do that?  – Furthermore, the details of the bomb blasts are still unclear despite the almost buffoonish episode in Bangkok which left an Iranian legless, so let’s not buckle up for war just yet.  Perhaps they were behind the blasts, why pick India, or Thailand as staging grounds and risk losing friendly allies in a shrinking network of trading partners. More puzzling — if they did mean to teach Israel a lesson for the assassination of their nuclear scientists, why not take credit?  i.e. what is the point of taking revenge if the “revengee” does not know where the blow comes from?  It would be like the loan shark letting the banana peel take the wrap for the broken leg.

Yet, the Iranians have flatly denied all three attacks in contrast to the Israelis who have remained silent on whether they were behind the assassinations of the Iranian scientists, much like their policy on whether or not they own nuclear arsenal.  Or whether they arm, fund and train the MEK, a terrorist organization, to conduct attacks in Iran – points which merely get a passing mention in the press, and have been drowned by the hysteria over Iran’s nuclear program — no real investigation, no indignation and most certainly no bold headlines demanding U.N. action.

It is not surprising that Israel should push for war in spite of its own best interest.  It is also not surprising that the likes of Lieberman and Graham should wish to rule out diplomacy and insist on a red line, sooner, rather than later, even as Defense Secretary Leon Panetta confirms there is no evidence that Iran has decided to make a bomb.    The US and Israel both have an interest in placating hard line elements in their administrations and of course, what could be better than war-talk to distract from real issues like jobs, economy, and illegal settlements in an election year.

The single-visioned focus on the nuclear issue has already sidelined the human rights tragedy and snowballed into “crippling” sanctions, tightening the noose on ordinary people.  Over 70 million innocent Iranians – men, women and children increasingly find it difficult to get access to basics, with staggering effects on health care, nutrition, education and basic livelihoods, rippling through years to come.   We only have to look to Iraq to see the devastating toll years of sanctions took as it impoverished and displaced hundreds of thousands even before Bush unleashed his war on “terror”.  It is ironic that the West should be repeating the same scenario and tightening the screws on millions of civilians in Iran, all the while rising up in protection of the same in Syria – as though civilians have ever been anything but tools of manipulation for politicians anywhere in the world.

One thing is certain.   The days of the chivalrous state warfare are long gone and countries now work in parallel with covert operations, targeted assassinations, unmanned drones, proxies and contraband arm deals through third parties to accomplish their objectives.   They leave the justifications to the media, then brutally repress dissent or deftly horse trade on the Security Council to block opposition.  Iran is no exception, but let’s ask the right questions and hang blame at the door of the appropriate aggressor.

We live in a realistic world – and power seeks to consolidate, whichever its face and whatever its cost.  It’s the media we count on to give us the facts and hold each party to scrutiny.

Press!  Do your job!  This is news — not reality TV.

Filed Under: Can We Talk?!!, Iran, Israel Tagged With: , , ,

Good Guys and Bad Guys

March 4, 2011 By Firouzeh Afsharnia 5 Comments
throw-Gaddafi-out-color-598x515-1

Well. 2011 certainly started with a bang. I don’t know whether it is the winding down of the Mayan calendar, or the alignment of the astral bodies which has triggered the cascade of what some call events rivaling the fall of the soviet empire.

I have been permanently tethered to Al Jezeera. Not just because unlike its American counterparts, it offers actual news and in depth analysis – but because it does so from the front seat it occupies in the Middle East — a vantage point that has elevated its relevance as a news outlet almost overnight.

The Middle East, along its Arab fault line, has come unraveled in the most unpredictable manner, throwing off balance traditional entrenched interests, career revolutionaries, skeptics and analysts — and most of all those who have been lecturing democracy – seemingly because they never thought it might actually happen. The events have provided new narrative for a region which has been written off as forever seeped in retrograde notions of social contracts daring the more righteous among the international community to rise up to the occasion to match their eloquent speeches with action. They have also shown that revolutions need not necessarily be bloody, but that the longer power resists the lower the likelihood of peaceful transformation. There is a lesson in there for the Iranians. Pity they don’t speak Arabic.

At times there has been flair and intrigue, informing and educating with a dose of entertainment, even a bit of comedy – a perfect mix for live TV. You tubes of “Ga-Daffy” — as in the Duck — starring in Looney Tunes cartoon clips circled the internet delivering the ramblings of an incoherent leader calling his “beoble” rats and blaming Al Quaeda for the unrest. After all, invoking this name has had magical powers of protection against national insurgencies since the U.S. national trauma, mixed in with a dose of orchestrated patriotism created the bottomless fund for “terror” after 9/11.

“Is quaeda ….. is quaeda …. is quaeda…” he repeated again and again to Christian Amanpour, meaning — go and send reinforcements.

As the Libyans stomped on their green flags and shredded their beloved leader’s green manifesto, opposition movement took up the same color in Tehran to protest against their own once revolutionary government which came to power some thirty years ago under the auspices of standing up against tyranny. In a formidable move of double talk and hypocrisy bordering on multiple personality disorder, the Iranian regime was quick to crush their protestors with savage beatings while lauding the uprisings in the Arab world, even taking credit for having inspired them. Incidentally – in case anyone is interested, the Persian word for “Chutzpah” is “Porroo!” The Iranian champion of the underdog and self proclaimed voice of conscience – not to mention vision of masculine virility and style — expressed shock at the Libyan leaders crackdown and went on record to say “..it is unimaginable that someone is killing his citizens.” Unimaginable – Indeed!

It seems the lines between the good guys and the bad guys are getting increasingly blurred. After an initial prevarication, Obama and Clinton urged Mubarak – a long time ally and lynchpin of the Israeli “peace” process to step down. They have also spearheaded sanctions against Gadaffi, even voting to refer the deranged leader to the International Criminal Court in spite of not being signatories, while Chavez, Ortega and Fidel, traditional defenders of the downtrodden are urging restraint and standing with their ally based on the brilliant doctrine that my enemy’s enemy is my friend.

Like a bewildered deer caught in the headlights of global transformation, I eagerly anticipate the next installment of the social avalanche which has been unleashed, and for once, instead of opting for oppositional angles implicating Western intrigue, I am inclined to indulge in a wave of human optimism that is seeking to redefine previous narratives of power versus people. So, until the dust settles and I can see a bit more clearly, I opt to believe that some good things have come to pass, no matter what the dictates of real-politik.

I opt to believe that a more nuanced narrative of good and evil has emerged, that yesterday’s revolutionaries can be today’s tyrants once vested in power; and imperialist hegemons – yes even veto wielding ones sustaining double standards can once in a while come out in support of justice elsewhere and when they do, that could becomes impetus for further change. And that is a good thing.

I opt to believe that if Power can prolong injustice by co-opting traditional resources like the media and the Army, that the people can push back through the emerging powers of new technology and the consistent determination of the Street to remind their rulers who they are to serve. And that is a good thing.

I opt to believe that it is now clear that Moslems and Arabs are no different than other people on earth. They have the same aspirations and contrary to the rhetoric delivered by dictators and their sponsors, they are capable of peaceful pursuit of justice; that they hunger for liberty and equal rights and that violence becomes possible only when all other channels fail. And that is a good thing.

I also opt to believe that all of this is possible without looking towards the West for a sign of approval. Yes – the eyes of the traditional media are still fixed on what the White House has to say, but to those demonstrating in the streets of Cairo, Libya and Tunis it is the voice of from within that mattered – a sure sign that imperial determinism may have found its match. And that is a good thing.

At the end, I may eat my words. Perhaps behind the jubilating scenes of Tahrir square there is a plot to launch Mubarak 2.0 in collusion with the US trained Egyptian Army. Perhaps as we speak, Nato members are hunched over a sprawling map of the Libyan oil fields drawing lines with the same ruler that the Europeans used to carve up Africa in 1884. Perhaps the Shi’a in Bahrain will be bought off by Saudi money in lieu of political concessions to temper Iranian influence in the region and all of this may provide the pretext for a prolonged US presence in Iraq.

It is clear that the American ideals of democracy have traditionally run contrary to its strategic interests but perhaps it is becoming more apparent that pursuit of universal democratic gains necessitates forfeiture of individual interests, and that national security narratives must make space for human rights and justice — definitely a good thing.

By the way — After years of singular focus on Iran’s nuclear issue, to the detriment of support for human rights, announcement was made yesterday that the United States and Sweden are at long last working with the international community to establish an independent human rights monitor on Iran at the UN Human Rights Council.

Now that – my friends – is a very good thing :)

Filed Under: Can We Talk?!!, Egypt, Iran, Middle East and Beyond Tagged With: , , , , ,

From Tunis to Egypt: Democracy in Subtitles

January 29, 2011 By Firouzeh Afsharnia 11 Comments
163630_147279308664078_100001460287782_275990_2626182_t

A simple fruit vendor sets himself ablaze in the sleepy hinterlands of Tunis as he finally snaps under the weight of the injustice of his life — and overnight nothing is as it was before. Martyr turned national hero, his scorched body triggers a deep pool of imbedded resentments from Algeria to Jordan and Yemen; and finally hundreds of thousands explode on the streets of Alexandria and Cairo, demanding change, screaming for justice and telling their unelected leaders to go home. Enough!


Captions across the international press are calling it the Tunisian “virus” – like a disease that is slowly taking contagion, putting long corrupt regimes on notice.

Algeria promptly took measures to step up grain imports on the theory that revolutionaries are less inclined to revolutionize on a full stomach; and Libya’s Ghaddafi, himself a 42 year veteran of a corrupt rule has denounced foreign plots and Wikileaks for being behind the intrigues.

Within days the 23-year patronage rule of President Ben Ali of Tunis came to an end as he and his entourage packed their Vuitton bags and boarded a plane for Saudi Arabia. What is it about this desert kingdom that makes it such a popular destination for dictators on the run?

After unprecedented curfew defying demonstrations across Egypt, Mr. Mubarak came out to face his people, promising a new cabinet. The old one he says was defective — a fantastic position in view of the fact that he is the one making all the decisions.

The winds of democracy have started to blow across a region whose demographic profile is textbook for such movements – young, unemployed, repressed and reviling their leaders. No wonder Allah is so popular in that part of the world — which brings us to the delicate balance of all things Middle East: The U.S. – Democracy – Islam and the Peace Process.

The Obama administration is admittedly in an awkward position, negotiating the balance between support for their anchor leader in the region and … well — the people of the region. The choices are to either abandon an ally and risk being thrown to the Islamic wolves; or walk the talk of Democracy, even if for no other reason than to prove to whoever is still listening that Iraq and Afghanistan were selfless adventures in nation building. They would be lucky if El Baradei is allowed political space before things get too out of hand. More likely, in a region where El Baradei and the U.N. is interpreted as U.S. influence, that prospect may be a delusion entertained by the same people clueless enough to think leaders like Mubarak could be viable allies in fostering peace.

Mubarak like others before him is making all the predictable arguments about the proverbial “fine line” between chaos and freedom – clichés used by every strong man from the Shah of Iran and Pinochet to the present day Saleh of Yemen and the Saudi family to justify repression. More important, he is the appointed regional crusader on the war on terror. Leaders of his generation are cartoon cutouts from the cold war era, simply having replaced the word “Communist Threat” by “Islamic Fundamentalist Threat” and pocketing military and development aid to suppress domestic dissent under its guise.

Meanwhile – two very large elephants look on from the wings. Iran’s position is no doubt as awkward as that of the United States. On one hand the Iranians rejoice at the thought of toppling one of the “moderate” Arabs who supports Israel, who has a strong alliance with the U.S. and who despises their “Islamic” brand. Framing the uprising as such, they hope that the crumbling of the Egyptian regime could open up a floodgate for the Muslim Brotherhood allowing Iran to forge stronger ties across such movements in the region.

On the other hand however, the Iranians shudder at the angry street images that are reminiscent of their own Green uprising in the summer of 2009 and fear the inspiration and renewed momentum that it could bring to a dormant but very real movement.

Time is running out as the protestors get increasingly angry, some asking the U.S. to take a more defined position against Mubarak whose only wining card is to stress his special role as the great stabilizer and “fixer” in the Israel-Palestine conflict. But upon taking a closer look at the power dynamics which have emerged, and as amply clear by the release of the Palestinian Papers, the peace process has long been defunct – duly reduced to a perpetual episodic reality show whose only aim is to sustain the livelihoods of the actors involved through billions in U.S. aid, and to sell a few items during the commercial breaks.

The sole reason for existence of players like the Palestinian Authority and Mubarak is precisely to perpetuate the illusion of a “process” in an orchestrated melodrama where the final act leaves the audience hanging for the next installment. To understand this point is to realize that once the play is resolved, the function of the likes of Mubarak and the PA will be over and the actors will have to go home.

The most interesting and revealing comment yet comes from Israel who is forever boasting of the strength of its own democracy, asserting that it is the only such state in the region. Remarkably, the Israeli Minister interviewed on condition of anonymity expressed his confidence that the Egyptian leader would prevail and said that “the Jewish state has faith in the security apparatus of its most formidable Arab neighbor to suppress the street demonstrations.” He further added, “I’m not sure the time is right for the Arab region to go through democratic process”.

Reading the subtitles on the concerns of all those involved, it makes one wonder — who is really not yet ready for democracy in the region.

Filed Under: Can We Talk?!!, Egypt, Elections, Iran, Middle East and Beyond, Politics, Conflict, Africa, Middle East, Yemen Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The Ahmadi Show…..where’s my veto!

October 3, 2010 By Firouzeh Afsharnia 2 Comments

Did anybody see Ahmadinejad on Charlie Rose? Or was it Charlie on the Ahmadi show? The clear voice of that same female translator that accompanies the Iranian president on every trip rang through again and again, reframing Charlie’s questions, interrupting his every sentence and wandering off into longwinded soliloquies placing the bewildered host on an hour long defensive.

The interview spanned the usual smorgasbord of issues ranging from nuclear misdeeds and medieval torture practices to the excellent health of the stock market in Iran – or so he says. But the main subject of the discussion was the latest round of sanctions freshly pushed through at the UN, designed to bring the Islamic Republic to its knees.

“Do you think this is a joke?” pressed on Mr. Rose. If sanctions and diplomacy fail, military option could be next, he reminded Mr. Ahmadinejad with an almost endearing hint of concern prompting him in turn to take it upon himself to enlighten Charlie about the birds and the bees of geo politics – as a friend – he was quick to add – “because I care about you Charlie” :) How sweet.

With a combination of false modesty and subtle arrogance, a nuanced particularity well known to Iranians, Ahmadi’s button eyes stared unwavering through his characteristic squint, two scruffy eyebrows standing up in mock indignation as he ran through a list of grievances including lack of sovereign respect, manipulation of the security council and egregious double standards.

The allusion was of course to Israel – the Zionist regime as he called it, refusing to utter its name – who continues to get away with occupation, violation of international law and – well yes – murder, while Iran is slapped with crippling sanctions and the threat of military action for as yet nonexistent evidence of nuclear weapons.

The parallel is compelling in spite of the effort it takes not to discount Ahmadi for the caricature he is – a diminutive figure, sadly lacking in stately pedigree who stares into the camera with the wounded-turned-indignant look of the long abused and misunderstood champion of the underdog and lies about the obvious: We don’t stone women, we don’t torture political prisoners, our economy is tip top – uh and we don’t grow any homosexuals.

Like many of my compatriots living in exile I am tempted to laugh him off as entertainment. But having persevered long after the US delegates left the General Assembly in a huff, I am loathe to admit that amidst the nonsense he spews about his own domestic affairs, he may have a few points about other things.

As the anger and indignation around his controversial visit to the UN tapered off, a new crescendo of discord was rising in the diplomatic hallways — the imminent expiration of the ten-month moratorium on settlement construction in the West Bank and the inevitable breakdown of the peace talks.

To raise the stakes, Mr. Obama made a public appeal at the United Nations, reaffirming the importance of the freeze; a plea that was lost on Israel perhaps due to the Jewish holiday that kept its delegates away. More likely because Israel is the only country accountable to no one, answering to no one, a serial violator of international law whose condemnation is only kept at bay by a single U.S. veto.

10 – 9 – 8 – 7 …. As the clock counted down, settlers waited in the background, Israeli flags flapping in the wind, anxious to reclaim the land that Moses promised them two thousand years ago, the same time that the God of Muhammad extended a long lease to their Arab cousins. Property law is complicated in the holy land.

No can do, said Netanyahu; apparently as much a slave to his hard line coalition as the US congress to AIPAC. His only compromise — a magnanimous gesture urging settlers to turn down the party music a notch, but promptly putting the onus on the Palestinian leader to continue negotiations — so much for a credible peace partner.

As the clock hit zero, hundreds of balloons were released in the air and bulldozers roared back to life resuming work on at least three settlements across the West Bank the first of 13,000 homes already approved to be built over the next few years. Predictably the PA is aghast at the inability of Mr. Obama to make a dent in the Israeli position. “They are above the law”, said Hanan Ashrawi of the PLO Executive Committee.

According to B’Tselem, the Israeli human rights group, Israel now has 300,000 settlers on 42 per cent of the West Bank, and another 200,000 in East Jerusalem. The same report also states that even as a temporary freeze was implemented on the West Bank, the rate of demolition in and around East Jerusalem doubled during the same period. It seems that the Jews have no more control on their extremists than do the Moslems.

As pre-condition to talks, the Palestinian Authority, at the expense of undermining its own position, was forced to back down from pursuing the adoption of the Goldstone report. This was the independent UN inquiry investigating war crimes committed by Israeli forces during “Operation Cast Lead” which left 1,300 civilians dead and over 5,000 injured in the Gaza offensive of December 2008 – as if the name does not give itself away.

Continuing on the same predictable line, last week the U.S. struck down resolution 14.1, opposing a UN human rights probe into the “willful killing” and raid on the Mavi Marmara humanitarian aid flotilla that lead to multiple deaths in international waters last May – poising the U.S. 1 – 30 against the endorsement of the report.

Evidently the humiliation of Palestinians knows no bounds — so much for compromises that progressively sap one side of dignity while allowing the other to operate with brazen impunity. Had Israel been any other country…. Oh lets say Iraq or Iran …. At which point would expressions of “grave concern” and “deep disappointment” currently being offered by the United States have given way to placing other “options on the table”.

As an Iranian — as a lover of peace, justice and all that other good stuff, I do want to be on the same band wagon that condemns the Iranian regime wholly and completely, applauding the Western delegates who leave world forums when our badly dressed anti-hero climbs up on the podium. But truly — I can’t help but see him as a reminder of greater systemic injustices crafted and perpetuated in the hallways of power and force fed with a straight face through establishment outlets. Besides, I don’t for a minute believe that the U.S. loses sleep over the lack of civil liberties or the clampdown on free speech in Iran – no more than it does over the treatment of women who are reduced to silent corpses in black shrouds in Saudi Arabia – its close friend and ally.

“Its just politics!” Said Ahmadinejad to Rose who was looking increasingly pained at not being allowed to get a word in.

Ahmadi’s position concerning the nuclear issue stresses that NPT calls for global disarmament and non-proliferation by all parties.

“Iran is a sovereign state and will give no more — no less access than does the U.S. or Israel.” He insisted sending his eyebrows flying off in all directions once again.

This week news was released that the IAEA narrowly rejected a resolution calling for Israel to join the NPT and submitting to oversight. In spite of its policy of nuclear opacity, Israel’s status as the only nuclear power in the Middle East is common knowledge. The continued lopsided balance of power sustained by the U.S. and its unconditional support for Israel is a combustible cocktail that is tearing the region at its seams.

If the security council is an exclusive club of veto holding game changers, it is not entirely surprising that those outside with their faces pressed to the glass window will seek other ways to be heard. The Cold War era after all was marked by the relative stability of two poles of power keeping each other’s excesses in check by virtue of equal clout and credible deterrents.

So far nothing has been able to further the cause of peace in the region as it spirals further into conflict. In spite of the pretty speeches of Mr. Obama, a major cause of this Jihadi cancer is the continued occupation and the greater double standards that sustain it.

The Iranians are swearing up and down that it is not weapons they are concocting in Natanz. So what if they are? At this point we need a game changer. A practical alternative could be to consider settling for a new era of — Cold Peace.

Filed Under: Can We Talk?!!, Iran, Middle East and Beyond Tagged With: , , , , ,

Whose Side Are You On Anyway?

June 12, 2010 By Firouzeh Afsharnia Leave a Comment

It is official! Three years into the Gaza blockade, the attempt to erode the power of Hamas has failed. Following the Gaza offensive of 2008 and the recent flotilla fiasco, Israel is faced with a rising tide of criticism and pressure from world wide allies and foes alike to lift the siege.  The near air tight control of air, land and sea borders of Gaza by Israel, not only has not yielded dividends, on the contrary, has strengthened the hand of Hamas, culminating in an ever increasing hard line standoff between the two arch enemies at the expense of the Palestinian populace who suffers in silence, without recourse, trapped like caged animals.  It is now evident that Hamas has consolidated its control on the strategic life lines that feed Gaza, in terms of security, economic and judicial systems – all at the expense of sidelining more moderate elements, business as well as political, who could have conceivably been the fulcrum for positive change.

The current state was summed up perfectly by an Israeli Defense Ministry official when he acknowledged that “Hamas is strong, it controls Gaza …and it does not look like that is going to be changed in the coming months or… years.”

Thank you Tel Aviv.

The situation begs a parallel by examining the current policies pursued against the Iranian regime just as Rooz Online reported that thirty-one political activists were arrested in the last two weeks.

Just this week, after relentless US lobby and horse trading, yet another set of sanctions were approved and agreed on by the Security Council in an effort to put pressure on the Islamic Republic.  This comes after Turkey and Brazil successfully negotiated a nuclear fuel swap with Tehran which ironically contained most of the original points demanded by Washington.  Incensed at the audacity of any third party interjection just as the US was working on more sanctions, Secretary Clinton was quick to denounce the deal, dismissing it upon the yet unrealized premise that the deal would surely be used by Iran to buy time.

Ironically this comes on the anniversary of the Green revolution.  One year after the exuberant explosion of millions of Green hopefuls on the scene, Islamic Republic seems more defiant than ever, and seems to have consolidated its power with increasing brutality against its own people. Houman Majd writes in his Newsweek opinion piece that the IRI has consolidated its authority enough to conduct business more or less as usual while fending off sanctions. He refers to the Green revolution as “The Great Revolution That Wasn’t”.

Once again the advocates of democracy and freedom in the West, in their relentless pursuit for political gains through their singular focus on the nuclear issue have succeeded in crowding out the very same elements that they claim to protect while strengthening the hands of those in power.

One year later, on this Green anniversary, the millions who took to the streets and the thousands who are incarcerated, tortured, killed and whose human rights are routinely violated seem forgotten by those who wield power in high places.

One year later, the Islamic Republic, emboldened by its release from the pretense of legitimacy, and strengthened by a web of economic, political and security network is firmly in control of the strategic lifelines of its people. One year later, the Islamic Republic of Iran consolidates its nexus of power as it feeds itself off the diversion created by the frenzied rhetoric of sanctions and nuclear threats and positions itself as the protector of its nation’s inalienable sovereign rights against the big powers.

Thank you Washington.

Filed Under: Can We Talk?!!, Elections, Iran, Middle East and Beyond Tagged With: , , , , , , ,