War Makes Strange Bedfellows

Photo Courtesy www.telegraph.co.uk. Photo source: AFP/Getty Images/EPA


Only a few months ago some American politicians were singing 'Bomb, bomb, bomb Iran' and now the same politicians are likely to be singing Iran's praises.


The capture of second largest Iraqi city, Mosul by ISIS, Saddam Husain's home town - Tikrit and some smaller cities has not only alarmed the U.S. and the inept Al-Maliki regime in Iraq, but also sent collective shivers down the spines of Iranian Ayatollahs and Jordanian & Saudi Kings. The avowed aim of ISIS or ISIL is to establish an Islamic State in all of the region including Iran. 


U.S. Secretary of State Kerry met with the Iranian Foreign Minister June 16 to discuss cooperation against ISIS. Only a few months ago U.S. was issuing all kinds of threats against Iran and now they are asking their help.  War makes strange bedfellows indeed. The saying 'my enemy's enemy is my friend' seems to be operative here.


Iran has offered help to the Iraqi regime, they would not like to see their puppet regime crumble at the hands of ISIS. They already have some presence in Iraq through the revolutionary guards serving as Al-Maliki's security guards. But if Iran sends in soldiers, the bloodshed will only multiply and ISIS will be able to recruit many more volunteers. Their coffers are full, according to some reports, they have close to $2 billion in assets, especially after robbing Mosul Central Bank Branch, .


Apart from causing a blast here and there, ISIS will probably not be able to cause much damage to Iran. An attack on Iran could prove fatal for ISIS as it did for Saddam in the 80s. If ISIS captures Baghdad, it will be emboldened to move on to Jordan and Saudi Arabia, where they are likely to find support from a portion of the population unhappy with their rulers.


The situation is beyond dangerous and it could set fire to the entire Middle East. All this has been caused by George W. Bush and Co. for setting off events in motion with Iraq's invasion.

Killing of Iranian Nuclear Scientist an Act of Terror

When US & Israel kill innocent people in other countries, it is a covert operation, but when Iran or Syria do it, it is an act of terror - what hypocrisy.

Regardless of whether Iran is developing a nuclear weapon or not and regardless of whether Ahnedinajad regime is liked by outside world or not, the recent killing of an Iranian scientist is nothing but an act of terror and it should be called as such. Those who committed this act should be treated as international terrorists even if they acted for CIA or Mossad or any other agency.

Hillary Clinton's denial in this matter is less than convincing. Her credibility in such matters is low as she did not tell the truth when she said that Raymond Davis, who killed two people in Lahore in broad daylight, was a diplomat. The CIA contractor had in fact entered the country on a business visa and he was suspected of instigating Taliban to carry out bomb blasts in various cities in Pakistan. Had it not been for Senator John Kerry's diplomacy and invocation of Sharia Law in paying blood money in exchange for his release, Mr. Davis may well have faced the gallows.

It was not long ago when Israeli agents executed a Palestinian leader in Dubai by using false British passports, a heinous act in itself causing much consternation between British and Israeli Governments.

The World must roundly condemn all acts of terror regardless of whether they are committed by individuals, religious extremists or by State actors on behalf of CIA, Mossad, ISI, MI5/6 or the Indian intelligence agency Raw.

Can Ron Paul upset the Republican Applecart in Iowa?

The Congressman from Texas, whom no one took seriously is now leading Iowa opinion polls. CBS' Political HotSheet puts him at 27.5%, Newt Gingrich at 25.3% and Mitt Romney at 17.5%. Ron Paul is not the first to lead Iowa polls. Most Republican candidates have occupied that spot briefly over the last few weeks. The lead could change again between now and January 3, the polling date, but with polls just seven days away, Ron Paul seems to have a good chance of victory in Iowa.

He is a typical anti-establishment candidate. He takes positions diametrically opposite to his fellow Conservatives. He is opposed to American wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya and is deadly opposed to starting a war with Iran. He also opposes US support to Israel and wants to stop all foreign aid including billions of dollars given to Israel each year.

His positions strongly resonate with economically hard hit Americans. His statement "We take money from American poor and give it to the Rich in poor countries", is so true and sits well with American poor, whose number has ballooned over the last twenty years. It is a fact that a great deal of US aid has gone to prop up regimes of despotic dictators like Hosni Mubarak and others, who then stash the money in Swiss bank accounts. The common folks in those countries never receive a dime's benefit, no wonder there is an anti-American feeling in those countries

Ron Paul also attracts American voters who are tired of extended wars in Iraq & Afghanistan without any benefit to average Americans. They identify with Mr. Paul's message of "no more wars".

His popularity can decline in a few days and the attack dogs of pro-Israel media & lobbies are trying their best to run Ron Paul down, but he seems to be holding steady and has a possibility of winning Iowa caucuses. If he does win, it will be a blow to Republican establishment as he will go to other States in strength and with a dedicated machinery of supporters and organizers. He can weaken Romney & Gingrich nationally by taking votes away from them.

The possibility of Ron Paul winning Republican nomination is low, but if he does well in a several states, he may run as an independent Presidential candidate. That would split Republican vote, ensuring their nominee's defeat at the hands of President Obama.

Attacking Iran could be Isreal's undoing

What the Arabs have not been able to accomplish in 63 years, Israel may do it for them by its own actions - destroy itself.

If Israel attacks Iran, it may destroy some or all of Iran's nuclear facilities, but one thing is certain, Iran will throw everything at Israel that it has in its arsenal and it will have a good reason to do so and possibly also have the backing of majority nations.

Such an Israeli action will unite the entire Iranian nation behind Mullahs (whom they despise and detest) thus strengthening their hands. Those mad Mullahs would love to wreak havoc on Israel. Imagine 500 pound bombs landing on Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities demolishing everything in their way.

If Iran is attacked, the Iranian backed Hezbollah in Lebanon will also not sit idly by. They have even bigger and better rockets now compared to the ones that created havoc in Israeli skies in last Israel-Lebanon war.

I hope the Israelis will be sensible enough to think through the consequences of such an action and calculate cost of starting a mindless and destructive war. There may be a small group of extremists in Israel and some idiotic politicians and rabid Evangelical preachers in the US, who want them to do this, but is this really what the majority of Israelis want? I think not.

Instead of starting a suicidal war, Israel will be well advised to urgently start negotiations with Palestinians for a permanent peace, so that Israelis and Palestinians can exist side by side as two friendly and equal neighbors.

Al-Maliki's Visit to Iran, US May Have Unknowingly Handed Iraq on a Platter to Iran

Nouri Al-Maliki's visit to Iran is supposedly an effort to shore up support to form a Government in Iraq. But, there seems a great deal more than meets the eye.

The more moderate and secular Ayad Allawi has a slight lead in the Iraqi elections and he should form a Government, but Al-Maliki has gone to pledge his unflinching loyalty to the Ayatollahs in Iran. If he is successful in forming a Government, the Iranians will have an enormous influence over Iraq.

After his recent triumphant visit to Lebanon, someone said that Ahmedinajad has the game, set, but not quite the match, but with these developments, he may even have the match. The rousing reception he received in Lebanon not just from Hezbollah, but also from the Lebanese people, their President and Prime Minister speaks volumes of U.S. policy failure in Lebanon. The Bush Administration played a dangerous game in Lebanon. Blaming Syria for Rafik Hariri's murder was a clever ploy and for a while it played well with the Lebanese people and it even got Syrian troops out of Lebanon. But now that the U.N. inquiry commission appears to have exonerated Syria, the U.S. intentions are viewed rather suspiciously in Lebanon.

It appears that U.S. has been played again and again in The Middle East by Israel. First in Iraq by providing it bogus intelligence on WMDs and egging it on to invade Iraq and then in Lebanon by falsely framing Syrians for Hariri's murder.

The net result of it all is that today, Iran has a huge influence in Lebanon and it will also end up with enormous influence over Iraq. This is exactly what Iran wanted and the U.S. may have unknowingly handed Iraq on a platter to Iran.

LET IRANIAN SYSTEM IMPLODE ON ITS OWN, ANY HINT OF A CIA INVOLVEMENT COULD BACKFIRE BADLY

The ongoing unrest in Iran, almost daily demonstrations and the death of Mousavi's nephew shows that Iranian clergy is losing its stranglehold over Iran's political system.

Ever since the replacement of Shah's dictatorial rule with an even worse regime imposed by the Mullahs on Iranian public, the question has not been; will it fail, but rather when will it fail?

The Iranian public has been held hostage by religious extremists who see things only their way and no other way. The lack of tolerance, the pressure on young men to grow beards and on women to dress in a certain manner has the public looking for alternatives and freedom of expression.

The recent demonstrations could possibly have been encouraged and supported by outside players. The news coming out of Iran and carried by Western media seems to have a strange similarity to it, be it on CNN, BBC, ABC, NBC or CBS, as if the story is being fed from a single source. However genuine, many in public tend to view authenticity of such stories with some suspicion.

It was always a question of time when the Mullahs would run out of gas and Iranians would want a free and a democratic system of governance with fully restored civil liberties. It is best to let the Iranian public deal with this and not meddle with their internal affairs. Any hint of a CIA involvement in the anti Government demonstrations could backfire badly, possibly resulting in the current regime clamping down even harder and delaying the inevitable.

IS THIS THE BEGINNING OF THE END OF THEOCRACY'S STRANGLEHOLD ON IRAN?

The initial movement to dispute the results of Iran's Presidential elections has now morphed into a struggle for freedom and a rebellion against theocracy's 30 year stranglehold.

The unelected Guardian Council headed by the Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was imposed upon Iran following the revolution of late Ayatollah Khomeini. This body of clerics and jurists has bestowed upon itself the ultimate power to veto any laws passed by the elected Majlis - the Iranian parliament. The Council also has the bestowed upon itself the power to stop any candidate from taking part in elections. This structure has nothing to do with Islam and is a draconian powerhouse created by Iranian theocracy to keep a stranglehold on Iran's body politic.

The cracks that appeared immediately after the Presidential election are not so much because Iranians want Mousavi to be their President, but because they are sick and tired of the draconian rule by the mullahs for the last thirty years.

Prior to the Islamic revolution, Iranians suffered under the brutal and self serving regime of Shah of Iran and his vicious secret service - Savak. The 1979 revolution was not so much pro Khomeini but an anti Shah uprising. However, the people did not bargain for a theocratic led stranglehold on their daily lives. The frustration spilling out on Iranian street today is because of restriction on personal liberties and imposition of harsh rules on daily lives of Iranians especially on women.

For the first time clergy's power and the Guardian Council's stranglehold has been seriously challenged. The question is, where do things go from here? Continued confrontation will lead to more bloodshed. The chances are that clergy and Ahmadinajed will win this round and keep their hold on power, but for how long that is the question? This may not be the end but the beginning of the end for the clergy.

Also, at this time there is no apparent alternative to the system in place. The mullahs were clever enough to have enshrined their powers in the constitution which they wrote and had Majlis approve it.

Will the Iranian Military take over and throw out the clergy and the constitution with it? That may get rid of the mullahs, but will not be a good thing in itself. Both Ahmadinajed and Khamenei have support in rural areas and in the mosque and that could lead to a major unrest and possibly a civil war in Iran and that is no one's interest.

It has to be seen how all this plays out. Beyond moral support and electronic enabling, the Iranian people must be left alone to fight their battle for freedom and democracy. Any hint of behind the scenes involvement of CIA, MI6 or any other western intelligence agency will severely damage the cause of the people. The Iranian Government will use that as an excuse to label protesters as American/Western backed and crack down on them even more severely. So however tempting it may be, my suggestion to CIA and MI6 is to back off

The Holocaust, Germany & Palestine

The Holocaust conference in Iran was in poor taste. Most Muslim countries felt a great deal of unease about this event. We all know that a large number of European Jews were slaughtered in Nazi camps during World War II so why bring it up again.

In my view numbers are irrelevant. It would not have been any less despicable had only half a million died. The fact that this horrific event happened is shameful and a blot on western civilization. I was travelling through Poland by train a few years ago. The train stopped at Aushwitz and while the Poles calmly went about their business I felt sick to my stomach thinking about the killings in Nazi camps. If as a Muslim I am so horrified, I can imagine the pain Jews feel when the name Aushwitz comes up.

Interestingly, Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor was most vociferous in denouncing the Tehran conference. I guess memories are short. Was it not Germany that did this to the Jews in the first place? Those German actions are causing havoc in the world especially the Middle East to this day. Creation of State of Israel and the resultant conflict in the Middle East is a direct consequence of that. Millions of Palestinians have lost their land, property, freedom and dignity.

If Germany really wants to hold its head up high then perhaps Frau Merkel should step up to the plate and offer substantial aid to the Palestinians (say) $100 billion. So that their youth, instead of blowing themselves up can get a good education, the Palestinian Entrepreneurs can set up factories to create jobs and Palestinians can live a normal life. This will surely reduce the violence and help Israel and Palestine live side by side in peace.