Here and There

IRAN: LAWSUIT FILED AGAINST EX PRESIDENT FOR SHAKING WOMEN'S HANDS

Ideological Screening: The topic of Gozinesh, which creates inequality in access to public resources and social opportunities, is undoubtedly one of the most fundamental challenges facing the human rights movement in Iran. Especially, since this violation of the citizens’ rights is acknowledged by the regime to be legitimate and is implemented on a daily basis.


Iran's and Syria's plan: Michael Young's latest piece. It's a must read.

Hizbullah's attitude is only convincingly explained in the framework of Iran and Syria implementing a project to reclaim Lebanon, but more importantly perhaps to eliminate international, particularly Western, involvement in the Levant. After having won in Gaza, Tehran and Damascus are now pushing forward in South Lebanon. Their joint objective, regardless of their different priorities on other matters, appears to be to remove the Siniora government, undermine United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, and create a situation where the international community would have to accept a Syrian return to Lebanon, which would, by extension, scuttle the Hariri tribunal.

Note the parallels between Syria-Iran's Palestinian and Lebanese policy.

Step 1: promote a client group with funding, weapons and training. Urge it to violence.

Step 2: provoke a split between your client group and the others.

Step 3: negotiate a deal in which your clients have about half the power.

Step 4: use the deal to get stronger, then break it and take over completely.

Suicide on Donated Rope:

We had been beaten since morning and just wanted to go home with our tails between our legs. He asked, they took the machines too, so is that it? I said, you saw what they did." He wanted to hear it from someone else that the little glimmer of hope to return to work had been destroyed. "No machine, no work. He knew, poor man! He took a cab with the money to go to the factory faster." At 1pm they found Hasan Hasani dead hanging from a rope in an abandoned factory. His eyes were white and his teeth had cut the tip of his tongue. The factory security who found him said, "he had tightened the noose so strongly I had to cut the rope to bring his body down." Such was his determination to go.