February 14, 2008

Iraqi Lawmakers Break Impasse Over Three Key Bills

After months of gridlock in Baghdad, Iraqi lawmakers overcame their differences to pass three key laws yesterday, including two legislative benchmarks set by the U.S. Congress to measure the country's political progress amid the continuing U.S. troop presence there. The passage of the three bills is being hailed as a significant development toward reconciliation, particularly among Iraq's Sunni and Shiite factions, although analysts caution that serious hurdles remain.

The three measures passed yesterday include approval of the $48 million budget for 2008, an amnesty bill for Iraqi prisoners, and legislation outlining provincial powers and paving the way for elections later this year. The latter two are considered crucial benchmarks of Iraqi political progress.

To help smooth passage after months of bitter debate and political deadlock, the three provisions were bundled together into a single bill, which allowed members dissatisfied with one or more measures to accept them as a whole.

Debate on the package was not without drama, though. Several lawmakers walked out when provisions they disagreed with hit the floor. But the New York Times reports that most returned in time to cast their votes for the final package, and "the jubilation at the conclusion of the session and the atmosphere of amity contrasted sharply with the stinging accusations and walkouts that have characterized many of the negotiations in recent weeks." As recently as Tuesday, the Sunni speaker was threatening to disband Parliament over its inability to legislate effectively.

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Posted at 11:29 AM
Posted to: Iran, Iraq, Kurds, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East
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December 11, 2007

Axis Of Evil Watch: Ahmadinejad, Blogger

Even in the blogosphere, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gets a little tetchy.

From a post dated 11/18/07: "Since my last post on the blog, a few months have passed. But this doesn't ‎mean that I have not been keeping my promise of spending fifteen minutes per week ‎on it. As a matter of fact, I have spent more than the allocated time on the blog."

Hear that, world? Now back off. Ahmadinejad's most recent post is dated 12/1, so it looks as if the president's a little busy these days. If you'd like to send him a little note -- what's Persian for "wassup?" -- there's a comments section. The blog is available in Persian, Arabic, English and French. (Hat tip: IHT)

Now on to North Korea. A few developments here, but if you are keen to know what life is like inside the Hermit Kingdom, NPR producer Madhulika Sikka described her recent visit on "Morning Edition" today.

Posted at 11:27 AM
Posted to: Asia, Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, North Korea
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December 03, 2007

Iran Watch: Over Before It Even Began?

Just when we thought war with Iran was inevitable, along comes a new National Intelligence Estimate telling us: Never mind!

"We judge with high confidence that in fall 2003, Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program," the declassified version of the report [PDF] reads. But then: "We also assess with moderate-to-high confidence that Tehran at a minimum is keeping open the option to develop nuclear weapons."

What to make of all this?

The U.S. intelligence community believes "with moderate-to-high confidence" that Iran currently does not possess nuclear weapons. On the other hand, we know North Korea has as many as 10 bombs; it tested one last year. So why has the Bush administration been pointing all of its guns at Iran? Because of the neighborhood it's in. A potentially nuclear-armed Iran spells more immediate trouble for U.S. interests than a definitely nuclear-armed North Korea -- 28,000 U.S. troops on the peninsula notwithstanding.

Democrats and conservatives alike are highly critical of the different policy tracks President Bush has taken on these two problems. While the NIE indicates that the White House will have to lay off a bit on its rhetoric toward Iran, it seems that total transparency (with regard to IAEA inspectors, etc.) is still the baseline.

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Posted at 4:05 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Iran, Iraq, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, Nuclear Weapons, President Bush, Terrorism
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October 17, 2007

Bush: Who You Calling Lame?

Vowing to "sprint to the finish" during his remaining 15 months in office, President Bush went before the White House press corps this morning armed with a laundry list of complaints about Congress' performance on domestic matters. Reporters, on the other hand, came armed with a flood of questions focused mainly on the president's own foreign policy agenda.

"There's little time left in the year," Bush warned in his opening statement. "And Congress has little to show for all the time that has gone by." He listed eight areas where Congress has either failed to act or compromise with the White House: health care, intelligence, the budget, education, housing, trade, veterans care and the judiciary.

Specifically, Bush urged the Democratic leadership to compromise with the White House on two contentious bills -- the expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program and the authorization of a controversial wiretapping program. The former has already earned a presidential veto, and the White House issued a fresh veto threat for the latter yesterday.

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Posted at 1:55 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, Health, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, Palestinians, President Bush, Russia, Vladimir Putin
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October 16, 2007

Superpower Watch: Picking Sides, Choosing Teams

Once again, the Bush administration is reminded that while it would be preferable to have the world at its back as it attempts to stabilize the Middle East, it simply does not. Iran and Russia have sealed an agreement among the Caspian Sea nations that "under no circumstances will they allow [the use of their] territories by third countries to launch aggression or other military action against any of the member states." Doesn't take a genius to figure out which third country might top that list.

This declaration accomplishes several things, none of which bode well for Washington's push for Iran to come clean on its nuclear program.

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Posted at 1:36 PM
Posted to: Asia, Bush Administration, China, Europe, IAEA, Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, Military, Nuclear Weapons, President Bush, Robert Gates, Russia, Terrorism, U.N., Vladimir Putin
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October 15, 2007

Putin Delays Iran Visit After All

UPDATED.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will be delaying his trip to Tehran amid concerns of an assassination plot, a news agency reported hours after Putin insisted he would arrive there tonight as scheduled.

According to AP, Iran's official news agency is reporting that "Putin will arrive in Tehran at the head of a delegation tomorrow morning." Neither government offered a detailed explanation.

Earlier today, Putin defiantly insisted that he would press on with the visit, despite intelligence that suicide bombers were targeting him in Tehran. "Of course I am going to Iran," Putin said after talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel in Germany. "If I always listened to all the various threats and the recommendations of the special services I would never leave home."

Russia's Interfax news agency had reported that security sources were picking up intelligence on a potential terrorist plot against Putin during his visit. An Iranian official dismissed the report as "part of a psychological war waged by enemies to disrupt relations between Iran and Russia."

Putin is scheduled to meet with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a move akin to -- intentionally or not -- poking Washington in the eye.

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Posted at 5:24 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, Russia, Vladimir Putin
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October 01, 2007

SNL Weighs In On The Ahmadinejad Love-Fest

UPDATED.

After the seemingly endless coverage of the Iranian president's recent visit to the Big Apple, Andy Samberg of "Saturday Night Live" injected some much-needed humor into the hype this weekend. See the hilarious results here. (The original YouTube link has been removed.)

Posted at 10:31 AM
Posted to: Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East
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September 28, 2007

New Vote On Iran Sanctions Delayed

UPDATED.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice did not go out of her way to hide her disappointment at the latest setback in U.S. efforts to clamp down further on Iran.

"The international community has to have a greater sense of urgency about some of these issues," she said, speaking to reporters at the U.N. this afternoon. "We have two unanimous Security Council resolutions in place on Iran. We're working on a third, and using that track to try to invigorate the negotiations track." Rice conceded that there was already a "certain level of cooperation in Iran."

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Posted at 3:25 PM
Posted to: Asia, Bush Administration, China, Condoleezza Rice, EU, Europe, France, Germany, IAEA, Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, Nuclear Weapons, Russia, Terrorism, U.K., U.N.
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September 26, 2007

U.N. General Assembly: Like Last Year, Only Worse

The astute Brits at the Economist called it.

By granting so many interviews to curious American journalists and agreeing to take questions from college students at Columbia, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made sure that this year's meeting of the U.N. General Assembly would revolve around him. It helps that his BFF in these parts, Venezuelan firebrand Hugo Chavez, sat this one out, which means Ahmadinejad's "no gays in Iran" statement remains the craziest (and most sinister) thing said all week.

Ahmadinejad put on his "serious" face (no smiling) yesterday when he delivered his U.S.-centric speech before the General Assembly. The American delegation didn't bother to stick around for its entirety, such was its predictability. If this scenario reminds you of last year's meeting at the U.N., it should. The bottom line for the Security Council has been no nuclear material for Iran, period. Yesterday, Ahmadinejad ensured that the U.N. will act to shut him down, one way or another.

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Posted at 1:15 PM
Posted to: Asia, Bush Administration, Chechnya, China, Condoleezza Rice, Hugo Chavez, IAEA, Iran, Iraq, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, North Korea, Nuclear Weapons, President Bush, Russia, Terrorism, U.N.
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September 25, 2007

Bush's Other Legacy On Display At U.N.

President Bush called on the U.N. General Assembly to renew its focus on human rights, as he reminded increasingly distant member nations of America's outsized role in humanitarian work around the globe.

Placing the spotlight on the U.N.'s Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Bush told the audience, "The nations in this chamber have our differences. Yet there are some areas where we can all agree."

The president ticked off a laundry list of ills, some of them ancient, still plaguing the globe, from malaria to HIV/AIDS, starvation to closed markets, impositions on the freedom of speech and assembly, and "tyranny and violence."

The Universal Declaration is not being upheld, Bush said, "when innocent people are trapped in a life of murder and fear" or "when millions of children starve to death or die from a mosquito bite."

"Changing these underlying conditions is what the declaration calls the work of underlying freedom," he said.

Bush then turned his attention to the representatives of Myanmar.

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Posted at 12:17 PM
Posted to: Asia, Bill Clinton, Bush Administration, China, Climate Change, HIV/AIDS, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, President Bush, Russia, Terrorism, U.N.
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September 24, 2007

Liveblogging Ahmadinejad's Columbia University Speech

3:40. That's all for our liveblog coverage of Ahmadinejad's speech. Here are some questions to follow up on:

1) Will President Bollinger be called out for intellectual dishonesty after that introduction? At least one faculty member, professor of Iranian studies Hamid Dabashi, thought it hypocritical for Bollinger to invite Ahmadinejad to speak and then yell at him before he did.

2) How many prominent audiences does one Islamofascist dictator deserve? What Ahmadinejad had to say today wasn't that different from what he said to the Council of Foreign Relations last year, where experts on Iran and not students grilled him pretty hard on his positions on Israel, record on human rights, and so on. Speaking on CNN, Dabashi said, "In my own classes, I [will] have to undo what has been done today in order to continue their education."

We really can't blame the world for wanting to hear more from Ahmadinejad, though, not with the threat of a war with that country hanging over our heads. The central paradox of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East is it's meant to strengthen the King Abdullah IIs and Fouad Sinioras. Instead, the influence of the Ahmadinejads appears to be growing.

3:12. On FOX, former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton. We didn't have time to transcribe, but here's the unsurprising gist: This visit was a stupid idea, our national security has been compromised, we've legitimized Ahmadinejad in the eyes of the world, they're going to attack us now.

3:11. On MSNBC, former U.N. Ambassador Bill Richardson, also a Democratic presidential candidate: "He's clearly here on a propaganda trip."

3:09. God bless Shepard Smith: "If you thought Ahmadinejad wasn't going to make news today, you were mistaken. Iran has no homosexuals."

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Posted at 4:00 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, President Bush
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This Charming Man: Ahmadinejad & The U.N.

Another opening of the U.N. General Assembly, another chance for America's foes to take a whack at President Bush on a world stage.

The star of this year's production is Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. His visit to Columbia University and his request to visit Ground Zero (did anybody really think there was any chance that would happen?) have ensured that the theme of this week's convention, global warming, will be eclipsed by an entirely different kind of heat.

So why the fuss now, when Ahmadinejad's audience before the Council of Foreign Relations last year generated so much less controversy? Easy -- we're going to war in Iran.

Not really. (We think.) The jaw-jaw over taking Iran's nuclear facilities out by force has ratcheted beyond a level many thought possible, given the U.S. entanglements in Iraq.

But anyone who caught Ahmadinejad's squinty-eyed, non-response responses on "60 Minutes" last night probably has a clue into why the West finds this charismatic leader so very maddening.

Continue reading "This Charming Man: Ahmadinejad & The U.N."

Posted at 1:40 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, Nuclear Weapons, President Bush, Terrorism
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September 20, 2007

Ahmadinejad Denied Ground Zero Visit

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won't get up close to the World Trade Center site when he visits New York City for a meeting of the U.N. General Assembly next week. Aides to the controversial Iranian president had requested that he be allowed to go to the site to lay a wreath in memory of the 2,700 victims of the 9/11 attacks.

White House hopefuls didn't miss the chance to pan the idea. Republican Rudy Giuliani, who was the city's mayor at the time of the attacks, issued a statement calling the idea of a visit "outrageous" and listing Ahmadinejad's connections to Osama bin Laden, insurgents in Iraq and pursuit of nuclear weapons.

At a campaign event in Florida, fellow Republican Mitt Romney expressed a similar sentiment: "Can you imagine the audacity, the shocking nerve, the chutzpah to suggest he would visit Ground Zero, the handiwork of terrorists of the very kind he supports?" New York Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton also called the idea "unacceptable."

But their protests were superfluous: According to city police, the request was denied because no one is allowed that close to the site. Ongoing construction means safety concerns for visitors.

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Posted at 7:55 AM
Posted to: Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, Terrorism
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September 14, 2007

Report: Germany Wavers, U.S. Revives Iran Planning

About a month ago, we wondered why White House officials were leaking word that Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps was to be designated a terrorist organization. Looks like we may have an answer.

Reuters reports that the leak may have been a hawkish attempt to goad the State Department into taking a tougher line on Tehran. The White House alleges Iran is arming and funding Shiite insurgents in Iraq, compounding existing frustration over Iran's nuclear ambitions. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has mostly laughed off U.N. economic sanctions aimed at his uranium enrichment program.

Now, there are indications the sanctions process may have hit a roadblock.

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Posted at 11:41 AM
Posted to: Asia, Bush Administration, China, EU, Europe, France, Germany, IAEA, Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, North Korea, Nuclear Weapons, President Bush, Russia, Terrorism, U.N.
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September 10, 2007

Liveblogging The House Iraq Report Hearing

[Senate Foreign Relations hearing] [Senate Armed Services hearing]

6:45. It's over, it's really over. Tomorrow, on the sixth anniversary of 9/11, Petraeus and Crocker are due back on the Hill at 9:30 EDT to testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The Senate hearing will be shorter than today's (mercifully), and as we said earlier might be a little more uncomfortable for Crocker and Petraeus thanks to the presidential aspirations of Joseph Biden, Christopher Dodd and Barack Obama, who sit on the committee. We'll be following the proceedings. See you tomorrow.

6:42. Calif. Democrat Loretta Sanchez also accuses Petraeus of cherrypicking. Were they saving the hostile committee members for last?

Sanchez does get to a very good question, though: If life is improving in Iraq, why are Iraqis so miserable? She points to a new poll on Iraqis' attitudes, which shows most of them are miserable, frightened and deeply pessimistic about their future. Crocker, whose central thesis is that Iraqis are far too traumatized and so new to democracy that nation-building will be a protracted and messy affair, says he hasn't seen the poll, and doesn't have much of an answer beyond that.

6:31. The blame-the-Iraqis tack some U.S. pols have adopted in recent months has always seemed a little too convenient. Crocker appears to agree. Missouri Republican Todd Akin asks why Petraeus and Crocker haven't been harder on Iraqi politicians today, and Crocker's measured response is among the more credible arguments for keeping the surge going. "A tremendous amount has happened in a very short time," he says of improvements in some provinces. Crocker adds that in some of the newly stabilized regions, Iraqi leaders are working on restoring law and order. More important, they know that their funding comes from Baghdad, and are showing cooperation with the central government as a result, he says.

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Posted to: Al-Qaida, Bush Administration, Congress, David Petraeus, House, Iran, Iraq, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, Military, President Bush, Syria, Terrorism
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August 29, 2007

Iranian Delegates Released By U.S. Military

The U.S. military has released eight Iranians and their seven-man Iraqi security detail after taking the group into custody on Tuesday and holding them overnight for questioning at a military base. The delegation's convoy of four cars was stopped at a security checkpoint, where American and Iraqi forces found that they were carrying unlicensed weapons.

Members of the group were allowed to continue on to their hotel, but shortly after they arrived, U.S. military personnel entered their rooms and confiscated a laptop computer, cell phones and a briefcase full of U.S. and Iranian money. The Iranians were led out blindfolded and handcuffed.

Two of the Iranians were embassy staffers and were carrying diplomatic credentials. The other six were Energy Ministry officials. The group had been invited to Baghdad by the Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, to help set up a new power plant. The Iranians were released by the U.S. military after consultations with the Iraqi government.

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Posted at 11:20 AM
Posted to: Iraq, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Military, President Bush
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August 09, 2007

Bush Stays Course On Iraq, Taxes & Torture

President Bush today addressed a varied list of topics -- ranging from the nation's bridges to corporate tax cuts to Iran -- ahead of a retreat to his family's compound in Kennebunkport, Maine.

The deeply unpopular leader kicked off the news conference, broadcast by all the networks along with cable, with one of the few bright spots of his administration: education. His initiatives in this arena have managed to receive bipartisan support, including the America Competes Act, which he will sign today. The bill boosts and expands science, technology, engineering and math education, as well as research and development.

"The American economy is the envy of the world and we need to keep it that way," Bush said in his opening remarks. "The bill I will sign today will help ensure we do remain the most competitive and innovative nation in the world."

As Bush was speaking, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was slip-siding after three days of record gains. French bank BNP Paribas announced this morning that it froze three funds because of concerns about the U.S. subprime lending market, reviving American investors' panic about volatility there.

Protesting that he was not an economist, Bush refused to detail what he thought should be done about the subprime lending problem, but did seem to draw the line at a federal bailout. He also said that because many of the defaulting homeowners "didn't understand what they were signing up for," it would be a "proper role for government to enhance education initiatives," and again pointed to the America Competes Act.

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Posted to: Alberto Gonzales, Bush Administration, CIA, Campaigns, Congress, Detainees, Europe, France, Iran, Iraq, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, Military, President Bush, Taxes, Terrorism, WH 2008
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June 27, 2007

Iran On Road To Democracy? Thank Ahmadinejad.

Regime change is Washington's policy on Iran, and thanks to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the White House may just get its wish.

The oil-rich nation enacted fuel rationing this morning, sparking attacks on gas stations and further widening a growing rift between Iranians and Ahmadinejad's regime. The belligerent yet strangely charismatic leader is now deeply unpopular in his country, where a burgeoning pro-democracy movement appeared to be taking hold just before Ahmadinejad was elected two years ago on an anti-poverty, anti-corruption platform.

Instead of delivering sorely needed economic reforms -- Iran is on the precipice of a financial crisis, which the fuel rationing is meant to curtail -- Ahmadinejad landed his countrymen in the cross hairs of the United States. Never mind that Defense Secretary Robert Gates has sternly denied plans to invade Iran. Iranians fear becoming the next Iraq, and for propaganda purposes, Ahmadinejad has done little to persuade them otherwise.

Continue reading "Iran On Road To Democracy? Thank Ahmadinejad."

Posted at 1:36 PM
Posted to: Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
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