Syria rejects Spanish peace plan, Turkey threatening Assad

Syria sent a special envoy to Syria last month to try to convince Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to accept a peace plan. The plan would have included a grant of asylum for Assad and his family in Spain. Assad turned it down. Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero sent Bernardino Leon, who was at the time one of his senior aides, to Damascus in July "to propose a transition plan for

Evidence points toward Iran?

It's apparently only in the German version (I can't find it in the English), but Der Spiegel is reporting that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) is looking into connections between Iran and the four Hezbullah members STL has accused of murdering former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri. The four men named in the indictment issued by the STL are members of Hizbullah and the tribunal is

Very black pot calls kettle black

This is worse than the typical case of the pot calling the kettle black. As bad as the riots in London may be, I have yet to hear - and do not expect to hear - any reports of police beating, torturing or raping protesters. But that doesn't stop the Iranian regime from orchestrating 'protests' against the violence in London. Some 200 students held a demonstration outside the British embassy in

Iran to name street after Rachel Corrie

The city council of Tehran has announced that it will name a street in Tehran after American 'peace activist' Rachel Corrie. The City Council of Tehran has announced that a street in the Iranian capital will be named after the American activist, Rachel Corrie, Press TV reported with reference to Fars news agency.

During a session on Tuesday, the council ratified a proposal to name a street after

David Cameron gets his comeuppance

You know things are going badly in Britain when Iran presses the Bobbies to 'show restraint' and Libya says that British Prime Minister David Cameron has lost legitimacy and should resign.

Talk about the pots calling the kettle black...

Why Saudi Arabia withdrew its ambassador from Syria

In an earlier post, I reported that Saudi Arabia has withdrawn its ambassador from Syria. Brian Whitaker makes a good point about the Saudis' motivation. These are the strongest comments made so far by any Arab leader, and on that basis we should probably welcome them – especially if they encourage other countries in the region to take a stand. But, as one Twitter user noted, the king's

Iran sanctions working great, economy grows faster than US economy

In Iran, those sanctions that are designed to stop the country's nuclear program are going just great according to the International Monetary Fund. The economy grew at a rate of 3.2% in 2010-11. That's a better rate than the United States.... The International Monetary Fund gave a rosy portrayal of Iran's economy in a report issued Wednesday, saying it grew by 3.2 % in 2011, contradicting its

Kurdistan: Is it only a matter of time?

The Jerusalem Post published an editorial on Sunday calling for a Kurdish state. According to prevalent mythology, the international community deems self-determination the natural and inalienable right of each nationality. That, at least, is the pretext for the worldwide clamor for a Palestinian state.Swept aside are reservations about the rather recent origin of claims to a separate Palestinian

Argentina looking to drop AMIA charges in exchange for better trade relations with Iran

This is not the first time that there has been talk in Argentina of dropping the AMIA bombing charges in return for improved trade relations with Iran. But the more it comes up, the more likely it is to happen. Earlier this week, Iran offered to 'cooperate' in the investigation of the AMIA bombing in Argentina in 1994. The problem is that the investigation has been over for five years and we

Ahmadinejad proves Mark Steyn's point; Gholam Hossein Elham; Barack Hussein Obama

On December 30, 2008, Mark Steyn wrote the following:

The electors have made a bet that we can return to that happy capering playground at the Summit of the Americas where all the great questions have been settled and indulgent governments can subsidize their own anarchists. If 9/11 ultimately revealed America’s self-imposed constraints, November 4th [2008] is already understood as a comprehensive repudiation even of that qualified resolve. Like I said: for America's enemies, that’s useful to know.

For "centrists" who are still struggling to understand that quote, I will give you the bottom line. By electing Obama, we voted to repudiate even the half-hearted wartime actions of the Bush administration. America's enemies, smarter than the average Obama voter, understand this point and will take advantage of our renewed weakness.

Today, as if to prove this point, Iran and Ahmadinejad renewed their verbal hostility:

After nearly three decades of severed ties, Obama said shortly after taking office this month that he is willing to extend a diplomatic hand to Tehran if the Islamic republic is ready to "unclench its fist".

In response, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad launched a fresh tirade against the United States, demanding an apology for its "crimes" against Iran and saying he expected "deep and fundamental" change from Obama.

"This request [Obama's request for talks] means Western ideology has become passive, that capitalist thought and the system of domination have failed," Gholam Hossein Elham [Iranian spokesman] was quoted as saying by the Mehr news agency.

Obama is not offended by these attacks, as leftists view foreign enemies as allies against their real enemy.

Previous - Obama: Iran IS NOT a threat, Iran IS a threat.

Quotes of the Day - Barack Hussein Obama [Iran]

"They [Iran] don't pose a serious threat to us." May 18, 2008.

Barack Hussein Obama


"I've made it clear for years that the threat from Iran is grave." May 19, 2008.

Barack Hussein Obama



H/T Powerline

U.S. hospitality to Ahmadinejad demoralizes Iranian opposition

All of the arguments about whether to allow Ahmadinejad to speak at Columbia University last month boil down to one factor - internal opposition within Iran. Ahmadinejad faces at least some opposition within his own country, as today's Breitbart article indicates:

An estimated 100 students staged a rare demonstration Monday against Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, calling him a "dictator" and scuffling with hardline students at Tehran University.
Ahmadinejad, who was giving a speech to a select group at the university to mark the beginning of the academic year, ignored the chants of "death to the dictator" and continued with his speech on the merits of science and the pitfalls of Western-style democracy, witnesses said.

The protesters scuffled with hardline students who were chanting "thank you president" while police looked on from outside the university gates. The protesters dispersed after the car carrying Ahmadinejad left the campus.

That opposition has now been shown film of Ahmadinejad being welcomed in the United States and at Columbia University. Iran's internal opposition knows only what the government wants them to know. The internal opposition now has the impression that they will receive no help from the U.S., that Ahmadinejad has bought respectability around the world and that they (the opposition) are isolated and without allies. No matter how much the crowd laughed at Ahmadinejad, his very presence in the U.S. among elite professionals and officials sent the worst possible message to his opponents.

Today's news provides all of the justification we need to keep Ahmadinejad out of this country and away from our crowds and institutions. We learned no new information from Ahmadinejad's visit to Columbia. Ahmadinejad moderated none of his views upon listening to our students and academic officials.

There have been other protestors, such as rioters protesting gas prices or shortages. All such opposition will be demoralized by the American hospitality shown to Ahmadinejad.

Iranian gas riots - June 2007 - AP











Previous - B. Hussein Obama wants to meet with foreign dictators

Quote of the day - Ann Coulter

Democrats should run Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for president. He's more coherent than Dennis Kucinich, he dresses like their base, he's more macho than John Edwards, and he's willing to show up at a forum where he might get one hostile question -- unlike the current Democratic candidates for president who won't debate on Fox News Channel. He's not married to an impeached president, and the name "Mahmoud Ahmadinejad" is surely no more frightening than "B. Hussein Obama."

Ann Coulter

Quote of the day - Mark Steyn

In America, public opinion is in no mood for war with Iran. In Washington, Congress is focused on finding the most politically advantageous way to lose in Iraq. In Europe, they've already psychologically accepted the Iranian nuclear umbrella. In the Western world, where talks are not the means to the end but an end in themselves, we find it hard despite the evidence of 30 years to accept that Iran talks the talk and walks the walk. Once it goes nuclear, do you think there will be fewer fatwas on writers, stonings of homosexuals, kidnappings in international waters, forced confessions of American hostages and bankrolling of terror groups worldwide?

Mark Steyn - July 22, 2007