Babak Namdar

The Wall Street Journal ran an article today by Gerald F. Seib, regarding an interview with an “Iran expert”, national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski about what to do about the Islamic Republic and it’s quest for attaining nuclear weapons.

For those who haven’t followed Mr. Brzezinski’s work, he’s responsible for the American “green belt” policy. This policy essentially posited that the spread of communism in the Greater Persian Gulf Region (GPGR) could be quelled and rolled back by using Islam. In other words, Mr. Brzezinski sought to radicalize Islam, so that communism wouldn’t spread.

We can see the outcome of Mr. Brzezinski brilliant policy today, where the whole region has veered towards Islamic fundamentalism.

It was this radicalization that made it possible for a theocracy, the Islamic Republic to be established in Iran (which Carter actually supported for a while).

And now, after the spectacular failure of the Carter administration with regards to Iran and the Islamic Republic, Mr. Brzezinski is again prescribing new methods and policies to deal with the theocracy that occupies Iran.

The former NSC adviser says that “Play the long game, because time, demographics and generational change aren’t on the side of the current regime” — wow really? I wouldn’t have know that the increasingly revolting Iranian youth who compose of over 70% of Iran’s population demanding change, would be winners in the long run, had Mr. Brzezinski not said so.

Iranians worldwide are still paying for Mr. Brzezinski’s short-sighted policies with many having to flee their motherland lest they be executed, tortured or worse. And now the same person who brought upon Iranians the 31-year misery has come back with a new set of recommendations to prolong our misery and fight against the Islamic Republic.

Thanks Mr. Brzezinski, but we got it from here, you’ve already done too much – for the Islamic Republic.

It seems Germany is finally matching it’s words with deeds.

Previously we saw a lot of lip service being paid to “defence of human rights” all the while German firms were signing mutli-million or multi-billion dollar contracts.

Siemens, Munich Re and Allianz, all German companies that are all pulling out of Iran.

Now, Germany’s foreign minister, Guido Westerwelle says that the Islamic Republic should be prevented from being able to join the UN human rights body.  Mr. Westerwelle goes on to say that the theocracy does not deserve to part of the UN body as it has “violated many of its citizens’ human rights”.

Mousavi has written one, so has Karroubi — and no we are not talking about execution orders.  It seems every current and former Islamic Republic regime official is preoccupied with how to absolve themselves of crimes they’ve committed while jockeying for power and position.

Even former regime officials living in exile are jumping on, expanding on their reformist colleagues list of demands.

The demands the reformists are making are not particularly breath-taking nor revolutionary, however they do shed light on their line of thinking.

Mousavi’s “top 5” starts by demanding that the administration be responsible for the problems it created for the country.  Mousavi has been previously asked about his role in the execution of over 30,000 prisoners in the summer of 1988, to which he has replied that he was not aware that these executions were taking place.  So in short, Mousavi wants Ahmadinejad’s administration to be responsible for its actions, but conveniently excludes himself.

Additionally, Mousavi also demands free and fair elections to “restore the people’s trust”, as if there were free and fair elections prior to the 2009 [s]election.  This notion that you can swear allegiance to the Islamic Republic and its constitution, while at the same time demanding free and fair elections just sounds for lack of a better word – retarded.

Not to be outdone, Karroubi released his own “top 5” list, with the most interesting demand being that “Oppressors, those who committed crimes in the aftermath of the election and made people’s lives difficult, should confess to their crimes and ask for forgiveness.”  So according to Karroubi logic, you are only a criminal if if you murdered, raped and tortured after the 2009 [s]election.  Very interesting.  We shouldn’t be surprised however, after all if Karroubi wanted to apply his logic without bias, then he too would have to “ask for forgiveness.”

Karroubi’s “top 5” also includes a point regarding the need to to revert back to the “golden days” of the Islamic Revolution during which Khomenei ruled.  For those that were spared those truly horrific years, suffice to say that it was not exactly “heaven on earth” as many reformists claim. During the “purging years” hundreds of political dissidents were executed on a daily basis – yes “golden days” indeed.

Manifesto-mania even gripped  regime officials, such as the architect of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) Mohsen Sazegara, former Intelligence Ministry officer Akbar Ganji and former Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Ataollah Mohajerani, to write their own manifesto.

The manifesto of the “criminal 5” consists of 10 points instead of 5, but more importantly, one of the demands is the “Persecution of torturers and murderers for recent crimes”.  The consensus emerging from reformists looks something “alright, we all have blood on our hands, so lets not implicate ourselves and focus on crimes committed post 2009 [s]election”.

The “criminal 5” also try to speak on behalf of Iranians demanding “prosecution of those involved in murders and torture of recent months in a public court of law with retribution to the victims and their families.”  Those who have lost loved ones in the hands of Islamic Republic will determine who they will forgive and who they want prosecuted not five murdering criminals living in exile.

Mr. Salehi-Isfahani argues:

effective foreign policy tool is strongest when the country in question is brimming with internal political tensions caused by years of stagnation or decline in living standards, which sanctions can intensify to bring about the desired policy shift by the country’s rulers. This is not the situation in Iran.

Source: Brookings Institute

OK lets see:

explosive internal “tensions” - check

decline in living standards - check check check

Mr. Salehi-Isfahani is either uninformed or is basing his comments on the upper-class that live in northern Tehran.

There are videos floating around about Iranians chanting “death to Russia” and “death to China”, clearly voicing support for sanctioning regimes which provide the Islamic Republic legitimacy and survivability.

Though many would like to argue that the Islamic Republic can sustain any sanctioning regimes, even the IMF declared that sanctions are hurting the economy.

Here’s a video clip taken from December 2006, the day Saddam got executed.

While many condemned that we celebrated that Iran’s biggest enemy reached a fitting demise, we are Iranians and don’t like those who commit atrocities against our compatriots.

It seems the Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, has finally conceded that America was and in fact continues to support the “reformist” faction against the “hardliners.”

During an interview with CNN the Secretary of State said:

“So, we were doing a lot to really empower the protesters without getting in the way. And we’re continuing to speak out and support the opposition.”

Note, what Clinton means by opposition, is Mousavi, who in turn is part of the “reformist” faction of the Islamic Republic.  “Reformists” and the Iranian opposition are not the same.  We do not believe in reforms from within, and we also don’t believe in doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results either.

Her comments strongly “support” that the State Department in fact financed Mousavi’s campaign and used it’s propaganda arm, Voice America, to mold Mousavi into “the opposition.” Voice of America even dis-invited guests and cancelled programs where the guests or hosts did not belong to the “reformist” camp – so much for being “impartial”.

I probably shouldn’t surprised by State’s policies, after all they can’t even distinguish between a democracy and a theocracy; let alone be able to determine the difference between regime-factions and genuine opposition to the Islamic Republic.

One would think that at a time when the Islamic Republic’s more fanatical faction is seeking to prove that foreign entities are supporting their “reformists” bretheren, that those providing the support would keep quiet about it – but not the State Department. Mousavi is probably somewhere, other then trying to avoid being presecution for treachery, cursing at the State Department.

Her comments about “continuing to speak out” would be much more accurate if it read “continuing to speak out against speaking out”.

The clip below is from Roozbeh Farahanipour’s appearance on Pars TV on August 8, 2009.

Farahanipour discusses his recent clandestine trip to Iran and the situation in Iran in general on Rafi’s program.

The clip is roughly 30 minutes.

The fact that the Voice of Islamic Republic, er - sorry - Voice of America has been censoring Iranian opposition figures is not exactly news.

I remember when I was on their show as an IT expert they wouldn’t even introduce me as ‘Babak Namdar from Marze Por Gohar’ citing that the show was about technology and not politics.  If you are scratching your head wondering what that has to do with me being a member of MPG you are not alone.  The discussion of filtering software to prevent open communication is very a political matter.

Even the screenshots they had requested, which I stayed up late to furnish were not used - why?  Because I had watermarked MPG’s logo on them.

Ken Timmerman from Foundation for Democracy in Iran has written a great piece about VOA and censorship, and to what extent VOA is going to ensure MPG’s activities do not get mentioned and if they do that they strip the name MPG from it.

Here’s a excerpt:

Voice of America purposefully omited the name of the opposition Marzeporgohar party in its TV and radio reporting, or on its website. ” Iran’s official news agency says two photographers detained earlier this month have been accused of new links with an unnamed movement seeking the overthrow of the Iranian regime,” VOA reported. In fact, the official IRNA dispatch, quoted here, specifically mentioned Marzeporgohar (MPG)

Read the full story here

During the 1978 revolution there was one slogan which encompassed the ideals of the revolution:

Esteghlal, Azadi, Jomhourie Eslami which translated means “Independence, Freedom, Islamic Republic”.

Therefore, when Iranians use the same slogan and drop the “Islamic Republic” and instead ask for a “Iranian Republic” or more accurately Republic of Iran, this has carries great significance.

What it means is that, it’s now more clear then ever that what MPG has advocated for all these years is finally reaching the masses and the masses have accepted Marze Por Gohar’s message and nationalistic ideology.

Many years ago, when MPG’s branches outside Iran first became active, we said religion and state must be separated people would give us a blank stare, and occasionally laughing at us.

Reformists reiterated over and over that Iranians like the theocracy, they want religion to dictate how Iranians should live their lives.

Monarchists would mock us saying that if Iranians really had their way they would restore the monarchy.

Many said Iranians are too religious to even be able to comprehend separation of state and religion, insinuating that Iranians inside Iran are basically too dump.

And yet they were wrong.

It should be obvious from the thousands of video, images, interviews and other media that Iranians want a non-religious republican form of government.

In the video below which was taken on July 30, 2009 you can hear Iranians shouting:

Esteghlal, Azadi, Jomhourie Irani which translated means Independence, Freedom, Iranian Republic.

The following is a translation of an article published on IRNA’s website.

http://www.irna.ir/View/FullStory/?NewsId=601916

IRNA, July 25, 2009 at 11:55:20 Tehran time; Item code: 601916

PRESS CONFERENCE BY AMERICAN ELEMENTS INVOLVED IN TEHRAN’S RECENT RIOTS

Roozbeh Farahanipour, Chairman of “Marz-e Por Gohar” group [MPG Party], one of the July 9, ’99 anarchists, held a press conference last Monday to describe the details of his trip to Tehran and his presence among the rioters.

Roozbeh Farahanipour who was the leader of the so-called student groups in the July 9th event of 1999 [18 Tir], traveled to Iran on the tenth anniversary of this event [University Row, in Farsi: "Ku-ye Daneshgah"] to join the ranks of the rioters and protestors rejecting the results of the tenth presidential elections, IRNA reports.

This press conference was held at “The Museum of Tolerance” in collaboration with the “Simon Wiesenthal” Center in LA. In an astonishing move, this center has set up on its website a page for Iranian citizens, asking them to post whether they voted for Mahmoud Ahmadinezhad or Mir Hosseyn Mousavi in the presidential elections.

This US center has set September 15th as the deadline for participation in this “election”, the opening day of the sixty fourth UN General Assembly in NY. It appears that these parties intend to cause a commotion and create a disturbance during the probable trip by the IR of Iran’s President to NY to partake in the UN General Assembly and are already planning it with help from their American friends.

End of news item / Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) / Item Code: 601916