If the historical time spans of occupation for French-Algeria and Apartheid South Africa prove also to be the case for the current colonial project-- self-referred to as "the jewish state"-- the date for breakdown will be somewhere around 2060.
MANPADS previously purchased by Qatar for the so-called Free Syrian Army have made their way to ISIL in Iraq,, with the result being at least two IqAAC helicopters shot down in Iraq during operations in the month of October 2014..
Juan, as a U.S. military effect, the Battle of Kobane is another Battle of Khe Sanh (Operation Niagara).
U.S. tactical airpower (some of which are strategic bombers employed in a tactical bombing role) is turning the prolonged battle into a meat grinder of ISIL fighters.
Juan, I read these remarks in the familiar context of "Iran has a role to play if it changes course on Syria and backs regime change."
This was the same context that Kerry previously had said Iran could join Geneva II Conference on Syria, if they were to accept the U.S. (and not Russian) interpretation of the final communique for Geneva I Conference on Syria
I once bumped into a graduate student at a local public library. We happened into each other at the military history and science book aisle. He said he was researching the African-American experience during the Vietnam war (he wasn't African-American ).
I informed him of the exploits and camaraderie of USAF Col. Olds and Col. (at the time) Daniel "Chappie" James Jr. , who later attained the rank of full general.
He said it didn't fit in with the paper he was writing. Can you imagine, Juan? If memory serves me correctly, he was a Stanford student.
First of all, the flat screen monitor shows a progress bar, and features an IRGC logo in blue in the upper left hand corner. I've never seen that before in an Iranian media broadcast. Curiously, it matches the judiciary blue outlines of the flag beside the video's speaker.
I'm not saying I'm 100% sure the video is fake, but neither should you be presenting this video as being 100% sure it's genuine.
Huh, I guess if you have a multiple-candidate elected parliament and multiple-candidate elected executive branch, according to the map you're using, Juan, you can still live in the severest of dictatorships. Who knew, right?
So you're basically saying we Americans should this time accept "yes" from the Iranians, where before "yes" was declined immediately following the 2010 Tehran Declaration; in so doing betraying the Turks and Brazilians that took us for our word.
Juan, a few months into the unrest, former MI6 officer Cooke was already reporting Takfiri armed groups fighting inside Syria, and he evidence to back up his observations. At the time, nearly everyone else was sticking to the narrative you still provide here.
By now it should be obvious to all that Crooke was right.
Iranians intellectuals from the start maintained that Egypt hadn't seen a revolution but only the removal of the head of government, Mubarak, leaving the regime mostly intact; something akin to the situation where the Shah installed Bakhtiar and then left for exile. Egyptian intellectuals argued they had actually achieved revolution. Well, the verdict has been rendered with the arrest of the democratically elected president Morsi by a military junta.
That the Iraqis are good with the fall of MB in Egypt is hardly surprising, Juan, when one considers all the trouble the MB has supported or even conducted in Syria, with spillover in Iraq.
"For all its flaws and illiberal tendencies, the Islamic Republic did have, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, a democratic side to it. "
"Representative" is a more accurate term, Juan..
"Now, the ideological litmus test for office is becoming more and more narrow, and the regime seems determined to prevent surprises even if it means ballot-stuffing."
Please provide actual evidence of "ballot stuffing."
"A major challenge for the remaining 8 presidential candidates will to get anyone to care about an election conducted on a vary narrow basis, which might well be fixed anyway."
How 'bout we wager Iran's voter turnout for the 2013 election is higher than the last U.S. presidential election. You game, Juan? And again, please provide actual evidence of "fixing".
Where in 1940 Britain found itself under threat from a regional hegemonic power, Germany, and determined the need to suspend national elections, the Islamic Republic finds itself under threat by a global hegemonic power yet remains determined to maintain its representative character, however narrower deemed necessary within the current national security context, with the next election taking place June 14.
"We are not breaking any laws here and we do not want to lose our reputation as a reliable supplier."--Lavrov
He says this with a straight face, given Russia's reneging on its S-300 contract with Iran, as well as all the delays in starting up Bushehr. The man is quite the two-faced liar.
"After all, the vast majority of Israelis are either Jews who had lived in the Arab world or Palestinian-Israelis."
Juan, what do you mean by "vast majority" here? It's my understanding that the majority ethnic composition of Israel is of Eastern European stock, or at least close to it. Do you have a source for your contention?
You wouldn't know it by reading this "Springtime for Shias, winter for Sunnis" piece, but check out the gigantic sports stadium currently under construction in Iraq:
Juan, how 'bout coming up with actual evidence before allowing such to be perpetuated on your site. Go ahead and take a crack at dispelling the Leverett's take on the election, as well as the Brill analysis. To date, no one has offered a credible, substantive rebuttal to such using actual evidence and/or polling data using scientifically derived methodologies-- you know, the likes of which have all consistently mirrored the official election result..
I've an open mind. When someone succeeds in this, I'll change my mind. But until then, when I hear this apparent lie being perpetuated, and comments to such censored here on your site, I can only conclude you folks are kust another cog in the problem, not the solution.
What heavy weapons did Russia and Iran supply that the Syrian military didn't already have, Juan?
Tanks and APCs? They already had those Russian types in stock. The Iranians didn't give them any.
Attack aircraft? They already had these Russian types in stock, with a possible small delivery taking place that had been pre-planned and expected before the current crisis took place. Iran hasn't given them any attack aircraft.
Again, what heavy weapon types are you referring to?
Juan, my great-grandfather personally wrote the 1906 Iranian constitution document, being fluent in French and taking sections from the Belgian constitution.
Interesting to see how the Egyptian constitution fares with the voters. By comparison the 1979 Iranian constitution won a terrific landslide.
Morsi seems to have the backing of the Americans, following the successful ceasefire in the latest Gaza conflict and the hosting of Syrian opposition figures in Cairo.
It appears the Saudi/Qatari faction has convinced the Americans of the MB being induced into blocking and turning back Shia successes following the 2006 Lebanon war and the Shia triumph in Iraq.
True. It's noticeably warmer here in the SF Bay Area than when I was growing up in the 60's and 60's. Less fog, in particular. Heck, last week it was over 85! Eerie.
It's my recollection that Soviet soldiers were instructed to take Hitler alive at all costs.
Also, even when Hitler's whereabouts were known, Western allies made no realistic raid compared to Operation Geronimo. The only top Nazi successfully dispatched with Western support was Heydrich.
One of your more entertaining posts, Juan. I agree with all your assessments, excluding certain election perspectives.
But are you sure your blog is blocked in Iran? Have you checked your stats lately? I'd be surprised if Informed Comment is currently blocked. On our blog, Uskowi on Iran, we include reporting on Iran's relatively sensitive military developments, and we are not blocked.
alexno, the place where the Cyrus cylinder was found was actually Iran at the time the cylinder was produced and put into effect. So, yes, it did belong to the older Iranian (Persian) Empire, just as much as it belongs to the current embodiment of that great nation.
Juan, the photos and video of the incident actually affirm the Iranian explanation. Have you seen them?
Security forces do not respond in the direction of the smoke, and neither does the crowd. For his part, the president continues on with his procession.
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I admit I found Bacevich the only sane voice in that panel discussion on PBS.
Juan, I think you mean F-15s and F-16s, not F-14s.
Iran is the only country in the world still operating the F-14. The U.S. retired theirs during the previous decade.
If the historical time spans of occupation for French-Algeria and Apartheid South Africa prove also to be the case for the current colonial project-- self-referred to as "the jewish state"-- the date for breakdown will be somewhere around 2060.
Certainly not the first time, Juan.
MANPADS previously purchased by Qatar for the so-called Free Syrian Army have made their way to ISIL in Iraq,, with the result being at least two IqAAC helicopters shot down in Iraq during operations in the month of October 2014..
Juan, as a U.S. military effect, the Battle of Kobane is another Battle of Khe Sanh (Operation Niagara).
U.S. tactical airpower (some of which are strategic bombers employed in a tactical bombing role) is turning the prolonged battle into a meat grinder of ISIL fighters.
Juan, I'm stumped. Can you recall a war where two uncoordinated, competing coalitions waged war in such complicated arrangements?
Also, you forgot to mention Yemen in the Iran-led coalition against ISIL and al-Qaeda affiliates.
Juan it wasn't a "MiG fighter" that was shot down by IDF. It was a SyAAF Sukhoi Su-24 "Fencer" attack aircraft.
Juan, I read these remarks in the familiar context of "Iran has a role to play if it changes course on Syria and backs regime change."
This was the same context that Kerry previously had said Iran could join Geneva II Conference on Syria, if they were to accept the U.S. (and not Russian) interpretation of the final communique for Geneva I Conference on Syria
Juan, talk to just about any Irish-Catholic about the war with Britain and they'll tell you the struggle is one of nationalism, not religion.
Robin! of "Blackman and Robin."
I once bumped into a graduate student at a local public library. We happened into each other at the military history and science book aisle. He said he was researching the African-American experience during the Vietnam war (he wasn't African-American ).
I informed him of the exploits and camaraderie of USAF Col. Olds and Col. (at the time) Daniel "Chappie" James Jr. , who later attained the rank of full general.
He said it didn't fit in with the paper he was writing. Can you imagine, Juan? If memory serves me correctly, he was a Stanford student.
It's Vicksburg, Juan, with the election of i864 forthcoming in Syria.
Juan, that's an odd video.
First of all, the flat screen monitor shows a progress bar, and features an IRGC logo in blue in the upper left hand corner. I've never seen that before in an Iranian media broadcast. Curiously, it matches the judiciary blue outlines of the flag beside the video's speaker.
I'm not saying I'm 100% sure the video is fake, but neither should you be presenting this video as being 100% sure it's genuine.
Two IRIN vessels:: a frigate and a replenishment ship.
Should read: The Iraqization of Syria, Lebanon, Egypt
These terror strikes are happening to all three countries by the same or like-minded forces.
Huh, I guess if you have a multiple-candidate elected parliament and multiple-candidate elected executive branch, according to the map you're using, Juan, you can still live in the severest of dictatorships. Who knew, right?
Great post, Juan.
So you're basically saying we Americans should this time accept "yes" from the Iranians, where before "yes" was declined immediately following the 2010 Tehran Declaration; in so doing betraying the Turks and Brazilians that took us for our word.
That should read "Crooke" not "Cooke".
Juan, a few months into the unrest, former MI6 officer Cooke was already reporting Takfiri armed groups fighting inside Syria, and he evidence to back up his observations. At the time, nearly everyone else was sticking to the narrative you still provide here.
By now it should be obvious to all that Crooke was right.
Mark Fiore's animated political cartoon on the subject:
link to blog.sfgate.com
Iranians intellectuals from the start maintained that Egypt hadn't seen a revolution but only the removal of the head of government, Mubarak, leaving the regime mostly intact; something akin to the situation where the Shah installed Bakhtiar and then left for exile. Egyptian intellectuals argued they had actually achieved revolution. Well, the verdict has been rendered with the arrest of the democratically elected president Morsi by a military junta.
That the Iraqis are good with the fall of MB in Egypt is hardly surprising, Juan, when one considers all the trouble the MB has supported or even conducted in Syria, with spillover in Iraq.
Juan, in some ways it reminds me of Turkey several decades ago. I visited Turkey in 1975 and still remember the military high-handedness.
What happens when there's a subsequent vote in Egypt and MB wins again?
Warped rendering of the election, Juan, and Iranian politics in general. But then, what can one expect from a neo-liberal but sour grapes.
Had you bet me on voter turnout, you'd have lost--big time.
I voted for Rouhani at a polling station set up here in northern California. Am quite pleased with the results, so far.
"For all its flaws and illiberal tendencies, the Islamic Republic did have, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, a democratic side to it. "
"Representative" is a more accurate term, Juan..
"Now, the ideological litmus test for office is becoming more and more narrow, and the regime seems determined to prevent surprises even if it means ballot-stuffing."
Please provide actual evidence of "ballot stuffing."
"A major challenge for the remaining 8 presidential candidates will to get anyone to care about an election conducted on a vary narrow basis, which might well be fixed anyway."
How 'bout we wager Iran's voter turnout for the 2013 election is higher than the last U.S. presidential election. You game, Juan? And again, please provide actual evidence of "fixing".
Where in 1940 Britain found itself under threat from a regional hegemonic power, Germany, and determined the need to suspend national elections, the Islamic Republic finds itself under threat by a global hegemonic power yet remains determined to maintain its representative character, however narrower deemed necessary within the current national security context, with the next election taking place June 14.
"We are not breaking any laws here and we do not want to lose our reputation as a reliable supplier."--Lavrov
He says this with a straight face, given Russia's reneging on its S-300 contract with Iran, as well as all the delays in starting up Bushehr. The man is quite the two-faced liar.
Here in the United States it's against the law to criticize the beef industry, for Egypt it's Islam. Go figure.
"After all, the vast majority of Israelis are either Jews who had lived in the Arab world or Palestinian-Israelis."
Juan, what do you mean by "vast majority" here? It's my understanding that the majority ethnic composition of Israel is of Eastern European stock, or at least close to it. Do you have a source for your contention?
You wouldn't know it by reading this "Springtime for Shias, winter for Sunnis" piece, but check out the gigantic sports stadium currently under construction in Iraq:
link to img585.imageshack.us
Rigged election? That tired lie again?
Juan, how 'bout coming up with actual evidence before allowing such to be perpetuated on your site. Go ahead and take a crack at dispelling the Leverett's take on the election, as well as the Brill analysis. To date, no one has offered a credible, substantive rebuttal to such using actual evidence and/or polling data using scientifically derived methodologies-- you know, the likes of which have all consistently mirrored the official election result..
I've an open mind. When someone succeeds in this, I'll change my mind. But until then, when I hear this apparent lie being perpetuated, and comments to such censored here on your site, I can only conclude you folks are kust another cog in the problem, not the solution.
What heavy weapons did Russia and Iran supply that the Syrian military didn't already have, Juan?
Tanks and APCs? They already had those Russian types in stock. The Iranians didn't give them any.
Attack aircraft? They already had these Russian types in stock, with a possible small delivery taking place that had been pre-planned and expected before the current crisis took place. Iran hasn't given them any attack aircraft.
Again, what heavy weapon types are you referring to?
Juan, my great-grandfather personally wrote the 1906 Iranian constitution document, being fluent in French and taking sections from the Belgian constitution.
Interesting to see how the Egyptian constitution fares with the voters. By comparison the 1979 Iranian constitution won a terrific landslide.
Morsi seems to have the backing of the Americans, following the successful ceasefire in the latest Gaza conflict and the hosting of Syrian opposition figures in Cairo.
It appears the Saudi/Qatari faction has convinced the Americans of the MB being induced into blocking and turning back Shia successes following the 2006 Lebanon war and the Shia triumph in Iraq.
True. It's noticeably warmer here in the SF Bay Area than when I was growing up in the 60's and 60's. Less fog, in particular. Heck, last week it was over 85! Eerie.
It's my recollection that Soviet soldiers were instructed to take Hitler alive at all costs.
Also, even when Hitler's whereabouts were known, Western allies made no realistic raid compared to Operation Geronimo. The only top Nazi successfully dispatched with Western support was Heydrich.
Just amazing, isn't it? Political cowardice and political
corruption here at home are responsible for this sad state of
affairs.
The only Republican I would ever vote for.
Much nicer blog interface, juan. Thanks again for your blogging efforts.
Huh, so President Ahmadinejad was right about where this "process" wasn't going.
Juan, do you read Doonesbury? This is kinda like a reverse Red Rascal!
Ahmadinejad guessed it- last week on American cable TV.
Well, "guess" is the wrong word. Was there ever any doubt this would happen?
One of your more entertaining posts, Juan. I agree with all your assessments, excluding certain election perspectives.
But are you sure your blog is blocked in Iran? Have you checked your stats lately? I'd be surprised if Informed Comment is currently blocked. On our blog, Uskowi on Iran, we include reporting on Iran's relatively sensitive military developments, and we are not blocked.
- Mark Pyruz
alexno, the place where the Cyrus cylinder was found was actually Iran at the time the cylinder was produced and put into effect. So, yes, it did belong to the older Iranian (Persian) Empire, just as much as it belongs to the current embodiment of that great nation.
Outstanding post, Juan.
Such quality and expertise is hard to find, unfortunately. Thank you for continuing to maintain this blog effort.
Juan, the photos and video of the incident actually affirm the Iranian explanation. Have you seen them?
Security forces do not respond in the direction of the smoke, and neither does the crowd. For his part, the president continues on with his procession.
So much for freedom of speech within the corporate media. Really sad. But hey, it exposes the way things are really are, in the MSM.
A platoon is around 30 men. A company size is roughly 100.
Your last paragraph hits the nail on the head, professor.