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Today's Stories April 13, 2006 Jeff
Birkenstein Michael
Donnelly Kamran
Matin
April 12, 2006 Vijay
Prashad Alan
Maass Dave
Lindorff Ron
Jacobs Ramzy
Baroud Randall
Dodd Missy
Comley Beattie P. Sainath Website
of the Day
April 11, 2006 Al
Krebs Lawrence
R. Velvel Sonia
Nettinin Willliam
S. Lind Robert
Ovetz Pratyush
Chandra Grant
F. Smith Laray
Polk Francis
Boyle José
Pertierra Website
of the Day
April 10, 2006 Ralph
Nader Heather
Gray Uri
Avnery Joshua
Frank Seth
Sandronsky Michael
Leonardi Evelyn
Pringle Tom
Kerr Lucinda
Marshall Website
of the Day April 7 -9, 2006 Alexander
Cockburn Jeffrey
St. Clair Patrick
Cockburn David
Vest Dave
Lindorff Gary
Leupp Elaine
Cassel Saul
Landau James
Ridgeway Ron
Jacobs John
Walsh Ramzy
Baroud Christopher
Brauchli Todd
Chretien Jonathan
Scott John
Bomar Michele
Brand Ronan
Sheehan Mickey
Z. Don
Monkerud Michael
Dickinson Website
of the Weekend
April 6, 2006 John
Ross Dave
Lindorff Don
Monkerud Robert
McDonald Boris
Kagarlitsky Remi
Kanazi Niranjan
Ramakrishnan Robert
Fisk
April 5, 2006 Dick
J. Reavis Mark
Brenner Brian
Cloughley Jozef
Hand-Boniakowski Matt
Vidal Juan
Santos Alan
Maass JoAnn
Wypijewski Website
of the Day
April 4, 2006 Jackson
Thoreau Gary
Corseri Dave
Lindorff Paul
Craig Roberts Norman
Solomon Michael
Carmichael Winslow
T. Wheeler Ingmar
Lee Michael
Neumann Website
of the Day
April 3, 2006 Saul
Landau Richard
Thieme Timothy
B. Tyson Omar
Barghouti Iwasaki
Atsuko Julian
Edney Roger
Morris
April 1 / 2, 2006 Alexander
Cockburn Ralph
Nader Dave
Zirin David
Underhill Earl
Ofari Hutchinson Dave
Lindorff P.
Sainath Fred
Gardner Clancy
Chassay Heather
Gray Greg
Moses John
Chuckman Ron
Jacobs Jeffrey
St. Clair Poets'
Basement Website
of the Weekend
March 31, 2006 Gary
Leupp Patrick
Cockburn Saree
Makdisi Ron
Jacobs Mark
Engler Curtis
F.J. Doebbler Laith
al-Saud Website
of the Day
March 30, 2006 Uri
Avnery Sen.
Russell Feingold Winslow
T. Wheeler Dave
Lindorff Juan
Santos Frida
Berrigan Joshua
Frank Vonnie
Edwards Neve
Gordon Website
of the Day
March 29, 2006 CounterPunch
News Service Patrick
Cockburn John
Ross Omar
Barghouti William
S. Lind Missy
Comley Beattie Earl
Ofari Hutchinson Website
of the Day
March 28, 2006 Sharon
Smith Paul
Craig Roberts Tariq
Ali Manuel
Garcia, Jr. Ramzy
Baroud Evelyn
Pringle Seth
Sandronsky Patrick
Cockburn
March 27, 2006 Patrick
Cockburn Joshua
Frank Ron
Jacobs Jeff
Lays Davey
D. Robert
Billyard Jim
Rigby Lisa
Viscidi Nick
Dearden Gideon
Levy Website
of the Day
Alexander
Cockburn Patrick
Cockburn Ralph
Nader Christopher
Reed Jeff
Ballinger Joseph
Massad Brian
Cloughley Chris
Floyd Elaine
Cassel Dave
Zirin John
Chuckman Sharon
Smith Christopher
Fons Chris
Kromm John
Bomar Ron
Jacobs Maymanah
Farhat St.
Clair / Walker / Vest Poets'
Basement Website
of the Weekend
March 24, 2006 Cockburn
/ Sengupta / Duff P. Sainath Todd
Chretien Marty
Omoto Michael
Carmichael Peter
Phillips Gabriel
Kolko Website
of the Day
March 23, 2006 Charles
V. Peña Joe
DeRaymond Robert
Fisk Jonathan
Cook Tom
Engelhardt Joshua
Frank Norman
Solomon Robert
Fitch / Joe Allen Patrick
Cockburn CounterPunch
News Service Website
of the Day
March 22, 2006 David
MacMichael Juan
Santos Paul
Craig Roberts Patrick
Cockburn Ramzy
Baroud Jason
Leopold Dennis
Perrin William
Blum Jeffrey
St. Clair Website
of the Day
March 21, 2006 Paul
Craig Roberts Winslow
Wheeler Tom
Engelhardt Arnold
Oliver Earl
Ofari Hutchinson Mike
Whitney William
A. Cook Sophia
A. McLennen
March 20, 2006 Paul
Craig Roberts Dave
Lindorff Ralph
Nader Diane
Christian Jeff
Halper Harry
Browne Norman
Solomon Patrick
Cockburn Website
of the Day
March 18 / 19, 2006 Cockburn
/ St. Clair Werther Chris
Kromm Patrick
Cockburn Elaine
Cassel S. Brian
Willson Fred
Gardner Brian
Cloughley Laura
Carlsen Eamon
Martin Julie
Hilden Alison
Weir Jeffrey
St. Clair Poets'
Basement Website
of the Weekend
March 17, 2006 Eduardo
Galeano Greg
Moses Richard
Falk / David Krieger Cindy
and Craig Corrie Amira
Hass Mike
Marqusee James
Petas and Robin Eastman-Abaya Website
of the Day
March 16, 2006 Norman
Solomon Tom
Philpott Heather
Gray Amira
Hass Missy
Comley Beattie Sen.
Russell Feingold Lucinda
Marshall Andrew
Bosworth Clancy
Sigal Website
of the Day
Jonathan
Cook Winslow
Wheeler Diane
Christian Ron
Jacobs Missy
Comley Beattie Jared
Bernstein Noam
Chomsky Website
of the Day
March 14, 2006 Earl
Ofari Hutchinson Dave
Lindorff Kevin
Zeese Todd
Chretien Jason
Kunin Thomas
Palley Cockburn
/ St. Clair Website
of the Day
March 13, 2006 Uri
Avnery Dave
Lindorff Mike
Whitney David
Green Jeremy
Scahill Mike
Ferner Corey
Harris Paul
Craig Roberts Website
of the Day
Alexander
Cockburn Ralph
Nader Paul
Craig Roberts Ben
Tripp John
Strausbaugh Landau
/ Hassen Robert
Bryce Gary
Leupp Fred
Gardner Ron
Jacobs Jonathan
Scott Ramzy
Baroud Jordan
Flaherty John
Chuckman Joe
Allen Julia
Kendlbacher St.
Clair / Walker / Pollack / Vest Poets'
Basement Website
of the Weekend
March 10, 2006 Ben
Rosenfeld Lila
Rajiva Saree
Makdisi Elena
Shore Joshua
Frank Dave
Zirin Aura
Bogado
March 9, 2006 John
Walsh Annie
Zirin Brian
McKenna Chris
Floyd Rachard
Itani Niranjan
Ramakrishnan Wylie
Harris Alexander
Cockburn Website
of the Day
March 8, 2006 Patrick
Bond Brian
Concannon, Jr. Pat
Williams Lance
Selfa Mokhiber
/ Weissman Walter
Brasch Vijay
Prashad Website
of the Day
March 7, 2006 Werther John
Blair Dave
Lindorff Mike
Whitney Warren
Guykema Sen.
Russell Feingold Robert
Jensen Norman
Solomon Bernie
Dwyer Website
of the Day
Ralph
Nader Dave
Zirin Vanessa
Redgrave Walter
A. Davis Joshua
Frank Nate
Mezmer Paul
Craig Roberts Website
of the Day
Alexander
Cockburn Jennifer
Van Bergen Steven
Higgs Winslow
T. Wheeler Ron
Jacobs Rev.
William E. Alberts Colin
Asher Fred
Gardner "Pariah" John
Scagliotti Seth
Sandronsky Joan
Roelofs Arjun
Makhijani Ardeshr
Ommani Diana
Barahona Ben
Tripp St.
Clair / Socialist Worker Staff Poets'
Basement Website
of the Weekend March 3, 2006 Laura
Carlsen John
V. Whitbeck Chris
Floyd Mohamed
Hakki Pratyush
Chandra John
Scagliotti Website
of the Day
March 2, 2006 Paul
Craig Roberts Dave
Lindorff Ramzy
Baroud Saul
Landau Joe
Allen Steve
Shore Denise
Boggs Norman
Finkelstein Website
of the Day
March 1, 2006 Mairead
Corrigan Maguire Niranjan
Ramakrishnan Faheem
Hussain Antony
Loewenstein Elizabeth
Schulte Mike
Whitney John
Ryan Michael
Donnelly Tom
Reeves Website
of the Day
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April 13, 2006 What's Going on in Iran? Synergism of the Neo-Cons By KAMRAN MATIN The implications of last year's victory of Mahmud Ahmadinejad in the Iranian presidential elections have already reached beyond the Iranian political landscape. Externally the dispute between Iran and the US-EU on Iran's nuclear programme has sharply escalated. This escalation has in turn been both distorted and intensified by Ahamdinejad's recent comments on Israel and Holocaust which the west has spared no time to employ in its political and diplomatic pressure on Iran. The relative 'democratic' openness, which the reformist government of Mohammad Khatami had brought about, is progressively being shut off while the Iranian society is being more militarised. Violent suppression of the internal political and national minorities' opposition has intensified in recent months. In this regard the less reported development is the harsh treatment of the Iranian workers who in a large number of strikes and demonstrations have demanded the improvement of their work and life conditions. On the same day that a few hundreds basij militia threw stones at British and Danish embassies thousands of Tehran bus drivers were violently harassed and beaten; many more were arrested and many of the strike leaders are still in detention without being charged. In fact in order to break the strike the regime brought its militia from other towns to operate the busses hence effectively countering the impact of one of the greatest strikes in Tehran for years. All these developments are inter-connected and parts of a larger process in the Iranian politics and society over the last two decades or so. With the end of Iran-Iraq war and death of Khomeini the members of the Islamic-populist faction were rapidly purged from the state organs. This paved the way for Rafsanjani 'economic reforms' whose centrepiece was an unprecedented privatisation programme similar to Russia's shock-therapy of the early 1990s. These reforms entailed a drastic deterioration of life conditions for the large sections of the Iranian population which enjoyed some degree of state-protection under the war-time populist governments. This process in conjunction with the increasing corruption, cronyism and political repression paved the way for the political come back of the former Islamic-populists who in the interim had undergone an ideological metamorphosis in a liberal direction. However the victory of their candidate, Mohamad Khatami, in 1997 presidential elections was not so much the result of the people's identification with their slogan of founding an 'Islamic civil society' as to the deep and widespread discontent with 8 years of continuous pauperisation under Rafsanjani's government. Khatami's 1997 landslide victory on a reformist platform created a lot of hope among large sections of the Iranian society for major changes. However despite two terms of presidency the reformists failed to connect their essentially democratic agenda to the bread and butter issue which mattered most to the majority of the Iranian population. This failure was essentially rooted in the reformists' brand of liberalism. In fact on the economic issues the reformists differed little from Rafsanjani's pragmatic-technocratic approach: for both capital and property was sacred. But while the reformists saw the traditional unproductive bazaar's and merchant capital's domination of the Iranian economy as the major obstacle to their liberal policies and growth of industrial capital in Iran, Rafsanjani was more prudent in his dealing and relations with the bazaar which still has an enormous economic basis and considerable political power. In short the reformists saw democratic reforms, which given Iran's constitution could have not gone beyond a certain point, as a pre-condition for economic growth whose benefits then would, they expected, trickle down to the masses; a formula which we find in every liberal economy textbook. This of course was and is an illusion as the real events have demonstrated. Currently more than 30% of the Iranian people live under the poverty line, while a small class of super-rich have emerged which has manifold connections to the centres of power. But why and how did the reformists' 20 million-votes mandate disappear? The reason was that the reformists simply never tried or even contemplated the activation of this enormous popular mandate. They did not and could not encourage the people who voted them into the office to get directly involved in the political battles of the day. For this could easily get out of control and end up with a social upheaval which could have swept away them and their conservative rivals alike. The support of the reformists for the ruthless suppression of the student protests by the police and the law enforcement forces under the conservatives' control in June 1999 was a clear indication of the degree to which the reformists and Khatami administration were afraid of direct political action even if it was against their own rivals. In the event Khatami supported the law enforcement forces' handling of the disturbances and called the protesters as 'hoodlums'. Ahmadinejad's victory was, therefore, not so surprising after all. Khatami's liberal policies were generally relevant to and beneficial for the upper middle classes whose size had increased in tandem with Rafsanjani's privatisation programmes. And entangled in a political and definitional game with the conservatives over the nature of the Islamic republic, the meaning of republic, the source of legitimacy of rule etc. they were increasingly pushed away from the harsh realities of the life of overwhelming majority of the Iranian people. This was the context within which Ahmadinejad entered the race for the presidency on a platform of social justice, wealth redistribution and fight against the corruption and won. Now how does the nuclear issue relate to these developments? The less acknowledged fact is that there is currently an intense intra-regime struggle between Ahmadinejad's self-styled 'fundamentalist' faction and the conservative-pragmatic faction whose vast economic interests are being threatened by Ahmadinejad's apparently populist agenda. Sections of this traditional conservative faction are now in the process of forming an alliance with the reformists in order to curb the 'fundamentalist' encroachments. Last week there was a series of meetings between the representatives of the Islamic Iran's Participation Front (the largest reformist grouping in Iran) and a number of traditional conservative organisation and individuals including leading clerics in Qum and Tehran. However the populist veneer of Ahmadinejad's faction should not distract us from an important fact: Ahmadinejad represents a new young state-class, (many of its main figures and incumbent cabinet ministers have long military background and served in the Revolutionary Guards Corpses) which no longer is content with its political and economic subordination to the traditional bazaar-ulama alliance and the nouveau riche class produced by Rafsanjani's privatisation programme. In fact the escalation of tension with the west is in part also a means which Ahamdinejad and his faction are using in their internal power struggle with this politically entrenched alliance; a struggle in which they are greatly aided by the deployment of US forces along all of Iran's borders; given Iran's deeply rooted nationalism and a long history of western intervention in Iran, from Anglo-Russian strangling of the Constitutional Revolution of 1906-11 to Anglo-American coup of 1953 against Mohamamd Mossadeq to western support for Saddam Hussein's during Iraq-Iran war, augments the appeal of Ahmadinejad's tactful nationalist discourse. But this is only one side of the story. The other side is that without changing or at least co-opting the Iranian regime the American neo-cons' greater Middle East strategy will remain incomplete. Without a controlled integration of Iran into the western international circuit of capital Iran will remain a potential headache for the US and its allies. And the Iranian state-class is only too aware of this hence its attempts to solidify its position in any possible future bargaining for a settlement. Such attempts are not incompatible with acquiring nuclear capability. The possession of nuclear weapons by many countries in the region, including most importantly Israel, and the stark contrast between fates of Iraq and North Korea only reinforce Iran's justification for going a nuclear road. The importance of this process of controlled integration of Iran into western capital's circuit can be better appreciated within the context of the American neo-conservatives' geo-political projects to sharpen America's competitive edge vis-á-vis America's new 'strategic contender' China and to a lesser extent the EU. And on the other hand, and perhaps more importantly, nuclear capability can enable Iran to become a firmer ground for the growth of an 'Islamic', or at any rate un-liberal, socio-political alternative whose inevitable magnetism on the Muslim Middle East can be dangerously disturbing to international operation of capital and America's New World Order. No wonder that the west is so keen and hasty in bringing Ahmadinejad's Jacobinist revolution to its thermidor. But the interests of the Iranian people coincide neither with the Islamic Republic's regional adventures, nor with a possible US-led regime-change which will destroy the very infrastructure of the Iranian society; an eventuality of which Iraq is a vivid example. The Iranian people have to pursue their own independent struggle for freedom and social justice independently and in spite of the western imperialism's agenda for regime-change in Iran. Kamran Matin is a doctoral candidate in politics and international relations at the University of Sussex and can be reached at: k.matin@sussex.ac.uk An earlier German version
of this piece was published in the online journal of 'Friedenspolitischer
Ratschlag'.
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